Showing posts with label Deco Bubbles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deco Bubbles. Show all posts

Monday, August 22, 2022

Balloon Basics - Qualatex Bubble Balloon™

Qualatex® Bubble Balloons are a balloon made from stretchable plastic, making it unusual and eye-catching. Unlike a Microfoil® balloon, it is inflated until all the creases at the seams disappear, giving it the look of a  beach ball, and making it attractive from every angle.

Bubble Balloons are non-allergenic, making them an ideal for hospital gifts and deliveries. They do not oxidise* and floating times are mainly measured in weeks rather than days.

This stunning Bubble Balloon design was created by Zoe Adam-Jones, CBA
of Jaz Trading, Gold Coast, Australia.
To make this design Zoe has use the beautiful 24" Wedding Floral Deco Bubble #18628


Single Bubbles
These stunning balloons are available in 22", and will float for approximately 2-4 weeks.
They come in a diverse range of designs including licensed characters, birthday, milestones and age, new baby, and other special occasion. They are extremely versatile and can be used in balloon bouquets, centrepieces and even to make fun little character designs.

Birthday Lit Candles

  • Size and shape: 22" Round
  • Package item #: 16658



Bright Smile Face Stand-Up
This Bubble Balloon stand-up is sturdy design
perfect for delivery or cash-and-carry.




These balloons are simple and elegant, with 3-D designs that look beautiful from any angle. They have self-sealing valves and come with a pre-attached ribbon.



















To find out how to inflate a Qualatex Bubble Balloon correctly, view the short clip below.

 



Double Bubbles

24" "Baby Blue Bear"
U.S. Patent No. 6,758,715

These 24" balloons certainly have the "how did they do that" wow factor, displaying a balloon inside a balloon creating a magical showstopper! They feature self-sealing valves and come with pre-attached ribbons. The inflating is done in three steps:
  • Inflate a small puff of helium through the "A" valve, you can use an Auto-Foil outlet for this.
  • Now go to valve "B", using an Auto-Foil outlet, fully inflate the inner balloon.
  • Now go back to the "A" valve, using a latex outlet, gently inflate the outer balloon until all the creases have been removed. 
If you find that the inner balloon looks like it has gone down a little, this is likely due to a pressure change within the outer balloon. To puff the inner balloon back to its original state, I recommend that you use a small hand-pump or pocket pump to add just a few puffs of air, and not to attempt adding additional helium, as it is difficult to measure accurately how much you will need and you can easily burst the inner balloon.

To find out how to inflate a Qualatex Double Bubble Balloon correctly, view the short clip below. 
 


Deco Bubbles
These are probably one of my favourite balloons. They are perfect for so many different occasions with endless creative possibilities! This unvalved balloon is available in both 20" and 24", with floating times of 7-10 days for the 20" and 3-5 weeks for the 24". The different floating times are subject to the type and amount of balloons that you add to a Deco Bubble. Once filled and fully inflated, they should be closed using a 160Q or 260Q balloon. Deco Bubbles are available in clear 20" and 24", in addition to 24" printed designs.

Below is a selection of techniques taught by Lucy Hennessy, CBA and Julie Dunham, CBA of Pioneer Europe, from the recent Qualatex Bubble Tour in the UK. If you are based in the UK, there are more dates available for this tour - just click on the link below https://europe.qualatex.com/en-gb/events/q-bubble-tour/

11" Agate inside Bubble Balloon

260Q and 7" Chrome Balloons inside a Bubble Balloon that has been personalised.

Gold Glitter Flakes inside a Bubble Balloon



Personalising Deco Bubbles
Deco Bubbles are perfect for personalising. Add a name, a special birthday or a cheeky message: anything goes! 









Luc Bertrand, CBA of WaW Balloons, Vichte, Belgium has made a great video that shows clearly how to inflate and tie a Deco Bubble.

 


Bubbles Helium Guide
Over or under-inflating Bubbles can decrease float times, so follow the package instructions to inflate correctly and achieve the best float times. Actual flying times also depend on temperature and atmospheric conditions. Deco Bubble float times vary if other types of balloons are placed inside. Giving accurate gas capacities is almost impossible, as everyone inflates their balloons slightly differently. Personally, I only inflate a Bubble Balloon to the point at which all the creases disappear, however, if I am adding tassels or tulle to a Bubble Balloon, I might add in a little more helium or balloon gas to give it greater floating capacity.  As I already mentioned,  giving accurate capacities is not easy, but I used my Dual Split-Second Sizer to help me measure the volume of helium that is used to inflate the 20" and 24" Deco Bubbles and found that a 20" Deco Bubble took approximately 1 cu.ft. - 0.0282 of helium or balloon gas and the 24" took approximately 1.5 cu.ft - 0.0425 mof helium or balloon gas.
Here are the suggested average number of Bubble Balloons inflated from a 3.6m3 tank.
  • 22" Single Bubbles 90-130
  • 24" Double Bubbles 85-105
For me, Bubbles Balloons are a truly magical balloon in every way! For decorators and retailers, the Deco Bubbles are just fabulous! They look so elegant and can be prepared several days in advance of an event, giving you more time to work on other event decor that cannot be prepared in advance. Decor Bubbles are so versatile, they can be filled with latex balloons, Microfoil balloons, confetti and even feathers! Bubble Balloons are long lasting, vibrant and fun! 

For more inspiration when working with Bubble Balloons check out this great video with Kerry Ferguson, CBA of Qualatex, Europe.



Happy Ballooning!

Sue

*Oxidation - Whenever you inflate a latex balloon, you immediately subject it to oxidation, it is just a fact of atmospheric physics. Latex balloons will become cloudy and take on a velvety appearance. To prevent balloons oxidising during delivery, store and transport the balloons in a clear plastic bag. You can also use products such a Balloon Shine™  that will help to prevent oxidation and add a long-lasting sparkle to your balloons. Bubbles Balloons do not require the use of Balloon Shine or HI-SHINE, as these balloons do not oxidise.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Dive into the latest trend on Instagram - #mermaids (1,331,460 posts and growing!)

Being trend-savvy is the key to success, especially in the world of balloon artistry. Knowing what's hot will give us the edge over our competitors and excite our clients.


A sea-world theme is a favourite for me. I love colour, and this theme allows me to use so many wonderful hues to create magical decor. Earlier this year I created a number of visual displays for Pioneer®  Europe at Spring Fair. Spring Fair is the UK's No.1 trade show for gift and home products, held at Birmingham's N.E.C. One of the displays I made was designed to feature the new Qualatex® Enchanting Mermaid Microfoil®  balloon. 
It was also the perfect opportunity for me to showcase the NEW Qualatex Chrome Balloons™ and their unique vibrancy and versatility, especially when double-stuffed inside Jewel- coloured balloons.



I have been asked on several occasions how I made this display, so I thought that I would share it with you on the Very Best Balloon Blog.

It's all about the base!

The base is an integral part of the design. Without it, the design would not be as eye-catching as it is. It allows me to use many of the colours that are featured in the "Enchanting Mermaid" Microfoil. 


38" "Enchanting Mermaid" #57815


To start, I made a very simple Quick Link x-pattern wall using Chris Adamo's fabulous Balloons Online Design Tool. The wall consists of six chains using 6" Caribbean Blue Quick Links inflated to approximately 5", or five pumps on a Qualatex Green hand pump.

Two - chains of 10
Four - chains of 6
Total number of 6" Quick Links - 44



The chains are locked together using 5" Caribbean Blue and or 5" Tropical Teal duplets. 
Inflate to 3" or one pump using the Qualatex Green hand pump.
Total number of 5" balloons - 62.

With this type of "wall", we have spaces between each of the "X's" - the wall above has fourteen spaces to fill. This was where I was able to introduce a range of fabulous colours.
Each of the coloured balloons used one of the balloons listed below inflated to 5", 5.5", and 6" - the variation in size creates visual movement within the design, but be careful not to make the size differences too extreme. Each balloon is made into a Duplet with a 4" Caribbean Blue as the base balloon. This holds the balloons in place and keeps the wall flat at the base.













Chrome Silver 11" #58270
Chrome Silver looks fabulous when inflated. It creates a solid shine and has a reflective surface, unlike any other latex balloon. Chrome Silver also works extremely well when inflated inside a Jewel colour balloon (double-stuffed) - I renamed these "Jewel-Chromes," and they look stunning! 

Chome Gold 11" #58271
Chrome Green 11" #58273
Chrome Purple 11" #58274






To create the Jewel-Chrome balloons, use; 


Jewel Teal 11" #43753 
Jewel Quartz Purple 11" #43789
Jewel Sapphire Blue 11" #43793





18" "Happy Birthday Mermaid" - #57799 



To complete the display, you can add a selection of balloons that complement the "Enchanting Mermaid" special shape. Deco Bubbles are perfect for this display. They create a "bubble" look and allows to feature 11" latex balloons, making the display longer lasting. 









Qualatex has just released a fabulous new Chrome Balloon Custom Colour Chart, to download it click HERE or visit www.Qualatex.com



Happy Ballooning!

Sue














Friday, August 25, 2017

Trade Secrets - Confetti-Filled Deco Bubbles - Tina Giunta, CBA, shares her fabulous technique!



Everyone loves confetti-filled Deco Bubbles. They are fashionable, on-trend and hugely popular with customers. But so many of us are having difficulties making the confetti stick to give an even coverage inside the balloon.

The wonderful Tina Giunta, CBA, of Shivoo Balloons in Melbourne, Australia, has mastered the technique and made this awesome video to show us her top tips on how to create this fabulous effect with success every time!











Materials
  • 20" or 24" Qualatex® Deco Bubble
  • Mixed metallic and tissue confetti - 5 - 6 grams (.2 oz)
  • Small plastic funnel - Funnel nozzle should fit neatly into the neck of the Bubble Balloon®.
  • Helium with tilt valve attachment
  • Hand Pump
  • Scrap of 260Q
  • Ribbon
  • Cloth - Tina suggests that you try with different types of cloth: cotton, nylon, wool, even a kitchen cloth!

Tina is one of our fabulous World Balloon Convention 2018 instructors. Make sure that you sign up for her classes early as they are sure to be very popular! 
Tina will be teaching "Yes, You Can Do Organic" along with fellow instructors Chris Adamo, CBA, and Matt Lewis, CBA, and "Theme Party Centrepieces!"

A huge thank you to Tina for sharing this wonderful technique! I am sure that many of us will benefit greatly from your video!


Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com






Thursday, November 19, 2015

Adding those little finishing touches to wedding decor!

I recently had the honour of decorating a wedding where the charisma and personalities of the bride & groom oozed from every corner of the room. Their love of traveling was reflected on each table showing a different photograph of their travels to faraway places, as was their enjoyment of fun and games  through the "guest book" written on wooden Jenga pieces! Every part of the wedding had their personalities stamped all over it, and for me it showed that a great deal of thought and love had gone into planning their very special day!

Finishing touches can really make a difference, they add the personal touches to a wedding and we can do the same when we create our decor!

Here are a few ideas that you can use to add that little extra touch when decorating weddings and other elegant events!







One of my first tips would be to find out what flowers will be featured at the wedding. Even though the wedding reception may be predominantly balloon decor, there will still be some flowers such as the bridal bouquet. I love to use silk flower heads to add that little finishing touch to wedding decor.


For me, balloons at a traditional wedding should be elegant and soft and not bold and over-bearing. If a colour is to be used, then it should be added carefully into the decor to ensure that decor remains elegant and graceful.


Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Luc Bertrand CBA shows us how to inflate a Qualatex® Mousehead inside a Qualatex Deco Bubble and how to tie Deco Bubbles with confidence.

We all love Qualatex Deco Bubbles. But when it comes to putting a latex balloon inside one, especially shaped balloons such as hearts and the Qualatex Mouseheads, it can be a little daunting the first time that you do it!


Luc Bertrand, one of our leading industry instructors has made this great step-by-step video clip that shows you how to inflate both a Qualatex Mousehead and an 11" round balloon inside a Qualatex Deco Bubble and how to close the balloons and add a little finishing touch!






Friday, April 24, 2015

Deco Bubble Design Ideas for Communions & Weddings!

For a little extra inspiration for the communion season, I have added some links to some great downloadable PDF instruction sheets of designs working with Qualatex® Deco Bubbles, and although the designs shown are wedding themed designs, you can simply switch the product and replace with some of the great communion latex designs! Remember that Luc describes communions as 'little weddings'!

To download the instruction sheets just click on the link at the bottom of each of the designs.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Do communions vary from country to country and how important are they for balloon businesses?

Communion Butterflies 

First Communion is considered one of the holiest and most important occasions in a Roman Catholic person's life. It is the first time that a person receives the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which is the eating of consecrated bread and drinking of consecrated wine. 



Illuminated Cross
#38465










When boys and girls make their First Holy Communion, it’s a big occasion for Catholic families. Like their Baptism, the day of First Communion is one filled with family, friends, and feasting after the sacred event has taken place in church.




Cross & Doves available in Pearl White with Gold Ink # 86384
and Pearl White with Silver Ink #84560

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

A centrepiece design idea for Halloween

In my last blog 'Part 3 The Beginners Guide to the Elements & Principles of Design- Texture & Balance', I talk about how it can be harder to create designs that have contrasting textures as balloons  generally have a similar texture, however if we can create contrasting textures within a design it can give us a design that has greater visual impact!

So with 'texture' in mind, I set about creating a centrepiece design for Halloween.


Jack O'Lantern Qualatex Bubbles #18494 


Every centrepiece needs a strong focal point, and for my Halloween design I chose to use the 'Jack O' Lantern' 22" Bubble, there is another Bubble also 22" called 'Magical Jack' (see below) that is also perfect for this design!



I personally love these Bubbles and the vibrancy of the the colours, to me, they look like they are lit up and radiate a warm glow!





Thursday, July 18, 2013

How to inflate a Microfoil™ balloon inside a Qualatex Bubble - Part 2

Recently I posted a blog on how to inflate a Microfoil™ balloon inside a Qualatex Bubble balloon, if you missed it, click HERE, the blog also includes a short clip showing step by step how to create this great effect!
Sue Bowler
15" Qualatex Bubble with 14" Qualatex Soft Giraffe Inside! Design by Sue Bowler CBA

In the second part of this blog I would like to show you how to create the same effect but this time using a Qualatex 15" Bubble with a small Microfoil Shape balloon inside... quite a tricky process as you also have to heat seal the Microfoil balloon... now there's a challenge for you!

This technique can be used on all Qualatex Bubble balloons making them a unique and custom designed balloon!


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

How to inflate a Microfoil™ balloon inside a Qualatex Bubble - Part 1

I have seen a number of requests recently on the Qualatex© Facebook group asking how to put a Microfoil balloon inside a Qualatex Deco Bubble?


I am always up for a challenge and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to write a blog with step-by-step instructions on how to do it!

Is it easy? No, it's not one of the easiest techniques, but the effect is pretty cool!

I suppose the first thing to decide is why are you doing this?

What are you trying to achieve, does it add value to the design that you are creating? Once you have decided that it's perfect for you then it's time to have a go!

The hardest part of the whole process is getting the pressure balance correct with both balloons, and of course, closing the Bubble so that air/helium does not escape once you have completed the inflation part!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Valentine's Balloon Character Step- by Step from me to you xox



With only 3 weeks until Valentine's Day, here is another great design that your customers will love!


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wedding Fair Decor... and how my day went!

Well, I have to say that this wedding fair was so very different from my first over 20 years ago! With a few years of experience behind me and a greater knowledge of what a bride is looking for, I felt much better prepared, even mildly nervous and excited all rolled into one!

Balloon Display
Sue Bowler Wedding Fair Display
Deciding how to decorate your stand at a Wedding Fair takes a little bit of thought. I decided to opt for the 6' table option with a little space each side... that's how it was described when I booked my place at the Wedding Fair. The venue was made up of a series of small rooms with an easy pedestrian flow from room to room. The ceiling was a good height and pretty neutral which made it a little easier for me to add colour to my decor.

Last year I wrote and designed a Wedding Decor Course which is made up of a series of days known as Complete Wedding 1 and Complete Wedding 2, there will hopefully be a 3rd and final part to the series... yes, you've guessed Complete Wedding 3! But this has yet to be written, so maybe it will be added to the training calendar in 2012 or 2013?
There are a number of aims and objectives to these courses, not only do I teach balloon artist how to create elegant wedding decor but also how to work with different colour palettes, some subtle others bright and bold, this for me this is where I believe brides find balloons too domineering or intrusive at weddings, and subsequently decide that balloons are not for them... so I thought that I would use some of the concepts that I have been teaching and create decor using the very same rules.

My space was limited, so I needed to ensure that whatever decor I created will look elegant within the space that I had. 

Deco Bubble Scroll Filigree All Around #23593 20"
I love the Filigree pattern, it's elegant and it is perfect for wedding decor and the venue I was exhibiting in, so using the Qualatex 24" Filigree & Hearts-A-Round and the Qualatex Deco Bubble Scroll Filigree-All-Around was an easy option for me as my main focal balloons.

I like to keep a large percentage of my wedding decor neutral and worked with Qualatex Pearl White and Qualatex Diamond Clear balloons, to continue with the filigree theme, I double stuffed some of the Pearl White balloons with 11" Filigree & Hearts-A-Round, which added visual texture to my decor.

For colour, I introduced Burgundy Organza, with Burgundy and Quartz Purple satin ribbons and a selection of small silk flower heads, all of which complimented the decor beautifully. Organza is a very light and airy fabric and although the colour was dark it really does not appear heavy or overbearing within wedding decor and it swags easily which is important to create the look that I want in my work.



Sue Bowler
You will see that I have kept my decor simple, just two columns, linked with a 'Cloud 9' cluster and the swagged organza. On the table I added an air-filled centrepiece design that complimented the columns perfectly. I swagged the front of my table and added my portfolio along with a screen that showed different wedding decor idea's and concepts on a rolling presentation, and finally adding my new brochure ready and waiting for brides to pick.

I first introduced my Bride & Groom sculpture at weddings fairs over 15 years ago, I was a little apprehensive then as to the response that they would get, but discovered very quickly that they were a huge hit and very popular. So I had no hesitation to to include them this time at the wedding fair, as I could not see why they would not have the very same reaction. This time a created an updated design, something that I have not taught as I wanted something fresh and uniquely mine, I was very happy with the result... I used the Qualatex Man's Face 5' balloon for the groom, but drew a simple face for the bride as I wanted to show both options. I used the Qualatex 5" Diamond Clear Butterflies-A-Round, double stuffed with Pearl White 5" inside in the brides dress, knowing that Butterflies are very much a wedding theme for 2011/12!

Sue Bowler
Bride & Groom designed by Sue Bowler

Once I had set up my display, I was approached by venue staff and other exhibiting vendors, "Wow, these are the nicest wedding balloons I have seen", was one of the comments, along with "what a beautiful display"! I had many compliments throughout the day for my designs, brides who were not considering balloons at their wedding previously were now interested, which is exactly the response that I was looking for!

As expected the Bride & Groom sculpture proved to be extremely popular, so I am expecting to take plenty of orders for these over the coming months and years hopefully!

My very first wedding fair was such a different experience, I really did not know how to present myself or my company. I made the fatal mistake of attempting to show every colour of balloon that was available, I had not prepared good literature to hand-out along with many many other mistakes.

Wedding fairs can be expensive, making sure that you are fully prepared is the key to success. As I started by saying, I am no expert but I hope that by reporting my experiences has given maybe some of you some valuable hints and tips to make your wedding fairs a huge success!

Good luck!

Sue
If you are interested in attending the Complete Wedding Series courses visit www.thequalatexevent.com the courses are currently held in the UK and some European countries.







Sunday, August 7, 2011

Adding Value to a Qualatex Bubble Balloon - Step by Step DVD

I recently posted a blog 'Adding value... 'The Very Best Way to stand out from our competitors'! Here is a short DVD clip that show's you how to make one of the designs that I made. It's quick and simple, and with just a few additional balloons it really does add value to the Bubble balloon.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Adding value to your balloon designs ... 'The Very Best' way to stand out from our competitors!!

  
In this ever increasing competitive world we need to look for ways to make our business stand out. Like many Independent business's we are surrounded by 'the big boys', who can sell products cheaper than the independent store... so how can we ever compete for business?

BE DIFFERENT! 
If I want a single balloon on a ribbon & weight, I am most likely to buy it from my local supermarket, the same can apply to a bunch of fresh flowers, chocolates or candies, it's easy, it's convenient and in most cases it's cheaper. But if I want a special bouquet of flowers or elegant handmade boxed chocolates then I head off to the professionals!

So as a balloon professional and specialist let us look at what we can do to make our balloons stand out from our competitors.

Image 1
Step 1. Sell balloon's that last!
The Qualatex Bubble range is unique. They are vibrant and fun like the Birthday Brilliant Stars Bubble shown (Image 1). Made from a special stretchy plastic makes them pop resistant and withstand outside pressure changes better than most other types of balloon. They do not oxidize and will float for a number of weeks! All in all a retailers dream!


It would be easy to just simply inflate a Bubble balloon and attach it to a weight, but hey... anyone can do that (with a little know-how).






Image 2.