Showing posts with label Sue Bowler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sue Bowler. Show all posts

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Air-Filled Design idea using PremiumConwin DecoCup™ + DecoStick™

With the continually soaring cost of helium and its lack of availability, finding air-filled solutions is extremely important to the ballooning community.




Creating designs using the PremiumConwin DecoCup™ + DecoCup™ is definitely the way forward, and today, I would like to share two videos with you featuring those accessories.



It's all about the Base! 

In the first video, I will demonstrate how to create the central support for your designs. I have two methods:

1. Using a tile base with 2x DecoCups and 1x DecoCup

2. Using a sand-weight with 2x DecoCups and 1 x DecoCup

I show two different glue options to secure the DecoCups to the tile base.

If like me, you have unused Lomey Adhesive in your toolbox. 
 This works very well for sticking a DecoCup to a ceramic tile base, 
but it can take up to 24 hours to dry! I recommend using packing tape to hold the cup in place on the tile during the drying process.


Gorilla Glue works extremely well when you need to stick two items together that are made from different material. The down-side is the drying time as it can take up to 24 hours for the glue to bond successfully.

Sand-Weights - using kiln-dried sand
A sand-weight makes the perfect weight for a base, unlike a water-weight, a sand-weight can be moulded into shape and flattened and is very stable, it is also quick and inexpensive to make. 

Check out the video below to see how easy it is to make the base element for our air-filled designs.



"With Love" - air-filled Hat Box Valentine's arrangement 



In the second video, I show you how to create this relatively easy design that would be perfect for Valentine's Day or by simply changing the balloons and colours it would be suitable for any occasion!

For this design I have used:

  • Hat Box
  • 7" Qualatex Gold Chrome
  • 5" Wild Berry
  • 260Q Gold Chrome
  • 260Q Wild Berry
  • 260Q Rose
  • 18" Love Gold #16766
  • Pink Organza Ribbon
  • Uglu Dashes 
Check out the video below to find out step-by-step how to make this great design.



I have been creating air-filled balloon designs for many years now, and I have come to have a preference to air-filled over helium-filled designs. I feel that an air-filled design allows for more creativity and detail, and I prefer the end results!

Here are a few more of my air-filled arrangements, some using Deco Cups and Sticks.

The Happy Birthday foil in this design is actually helium-filled, but it could easily be replaced with an air-filled version on a Deco Cup & Stick








I hope that this post has been helpful and given you a little inspiration!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
Follow me @Suebowler



Monday, January 9, 2023

Step-by-Step Air-Filled Valentine's 'Love' Arrangement by Sue Bowler

'I Love You with Love' is a design that I created last year for the Qualatex Online Education video program that is available on Vimeo, called Expressions of Love! Today I am sharing one of the designs from that program.


This year, with the continually soaring cost of helium and its lack of availability, we will all be looking for exciting air-filled designs that can be recreated quickly, with much of the prep work done in advance, and this design ticks all of those boxes! 

Material List:

58271 7" Gold Chrome
99352 5" Pearl Magenta
59570 16" Northstar Magenta L Shape
59590 16" Northstar Magenta V Shape
59556 16" Northstar Magenta E Shape
16766 18" Love Gold Heart Shape Microfoil™
58283 260Q Gold Chrome
25577 260Q Wild Berry
36336 4" Metallic Gold Hearts

Check out the video below for full step-by-step instructions on how to make this design.


To view the other designs on the video visit https://vimeo.com/ondemand/qualatexlove, or if you are a Rockstar Member of Q Corner you can watch the whole video as part of your membership!

Here are some more inspiring design ideas using a similar style and techniques.


All my love to you!
This love-filled design is a little extra, perfect for a Valentine!
Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA




A New Kind of Love Letter…
What better way to show your love than with love-letter themed balloons?
Designer name: Eve Antonello, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA


Love is Golden
Do something a little different for your love!
Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA


Together Forever, and Ever
Make a statement with this design!
Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA


Gnome body loves you as much as I do!
Designer name: Julie Dunham, CBA, Pioneer Europe Ltd.

 
And don't forget, Qualatex has a great selection of FREE marketing materials available for you to download that will help you to promote your Valentines campaign, as well as other seasonal events! 

Facebook Cover Photos

https://us.qualatex.com/en-us/inspiration/marketing-materials/

Download beautifully crafted cover photos, created by a professional graphic designer at Pioneer, and upload it to your Facebook page.

Ready-Made Social Media Posts

https://us.qualatex.com/en-us/inspiration/marketing-materials/

Qualatex has created simple social media posts using the latest Qualatex bouquets with fun headlines within the graphic. These designs make it simple to promote products with minimal effort on your part.

Qualatex Lifestyle Images

https://pioneerballooncompany.widencollective.com/c/vozhdikn

Many of the lifestyle photos used on the Qualatex social media accounts are available for you to download and share on your social media account!

I hope you find the video and the inspiration helpful! Be sure to use the great resources available on www.Qualatex.com for all your holiday needs!

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue
Follow me on @Suebowler





Thursday, October 27, 2022

Creative Balloon Columns

The dictionary definition of a column is: an upright pillar, typically cylindrical, supporting an arch, entablature, or other structure; or standing alone as a monument.

Sculptured Column
Design Created by Sue Bowler

In the world of balloons, columns are defined as Classic Balloon decor and come in many shapes and sizes, and they are usually used as a structure that is supported by a base and an upright pole. They could also be self-supporting when using 646Q or QuickLink Balloons. 

I designed this 'Sculptured Column' in the picture above for a corporate event in London. It still uses the traditional pole and base, but for this occasion the pole was 'sculptured' or bent to create this elegant shape. This design was inspired by the Gatsby theme.

A traditional column is usually one that has been constructed using either 4- or 5-balloon clusters. Using a 5-balloon clusters creates a rounder, more cylindrical shape, whereas the 4-balloon clusters will gives a squared shape. 


Impressive Party Entrance Decor with these Star-Topped Columns

Candy-Coated Chrome™ Blossoms



This palm tree "trunk" was created using 5-balloon clusters to give it a rounder shape. The clusters have also been graduated in size, which helps to define the tree trunk shape. Balloon Christmas trees often use either 5- or even 6-balloon clusters to give an even more defined rounded shape.

The basic column is a good starting point for many 'simple' style balloon sculptures!  


1. Cocktail Glass by Federico Onida, CBA
2. Cactus design by Cam Woody, CBA
3. Santa by Cam Woody, CBA
4. Christmas Trees by Dante Longhi, CBA


To learn how to make a 5-balloon spiral column, check out this video with Keith Stirman, CBA of QCorner.


Columns with a Twist! 

Spiral Columns made with modelling balloons such as 260Q and 160Q have always been a favourite of mine. They are quick to make, always look elegant, and are a great way to decorate a pole when creating a design that require a pole and base structure. As with all techniques, they need to be practiced to ensure that you get perfect results every time! 


This elegant column was created using Diamond Clear 260Q with Pearl White 160Q wrapped around... so pretty! 

Elegant Wedding Column created by Sue Bowler, CBA

Polka Dot and Stripes by Sue Bowler

I love this custom coloured column by Eve Antonella, CBA of Pioneer  Balloon Company, Wichita

Circus Theme Column by Sue Bowler

If you would like to learn how to recreate this fantastic technique, visit my post -https://theverybestballoonblog.blogspot.com/2020/09/how-to-create-spiral-balloon-columns.html There is a step-by-step video that will show you how!

Flat Pack Column

With its elegant lines, the Flat-Pack technique is very different from the usual cluster method that is often used to make Columns and Arches. I enjoy using this style for Columns and Arches and have used it a number of times for different events. 





And finally, when it comes to designing columns, don't forget that there is a fabulous digital design and calculation tool available for balloon professionals. This tool is used by thousands of balloon industry professionals all over the world, and will assist you when designing Arches, Columns, Organic designs and Balloon Walls. To find out more, visit https://balloonpro.co/balloon-design-tools/. This tool is invaluable to my business as a means to design decor for corporate clients and for many of the classes that I teach! 

https://balloonpro.co/balloon-design-tools/

What is your favourite style of column to make?


Happy Ballooning! 

Sue
Follow me @suebowler


Friday, December 20, 2019

BACI, Balloon Arts Convention Italy brings its Magic to Milan!

Qualatex® sponsored event BACI - Balloon Arts Convention Italy is back! We in the balloon community are all very excited and looking forward to 20-24 March, 2020 in Milan, Italy! 

For those of you who may have heard about BACI, but are not sure what it's all about, I thought that I would share a little of this events magic with you.

Though it's held in Italy, BACI is actually an International ballooning event, with many delegates attending from around the world! This event features classes  taught in both Italian and English.








BACI is probably most famous for its exceptional large sculpture competition in which many of the teams are led by world-renowned industry instructors! The first 13 teams have been announced; however, there are still a few spots available! If this is something you are interested in doing, don't delay registering, as I am sure that the remaining spots will be snapped up very quickly.








With the theme of Fashion & Design, teams are allotted 21 hours total split over two days, to complete their masterpieces.
Team Captains:
CHRIS ADAMO, Australia
ALBERTO NAVA, Italy
ALBERTO FALCONE, Spain
ALESSANDRO PATANè, Italy
SARA ZAMPINI, Italy
YANA SAVITSKAIA, Ukraine
OLGA BARANOVA, Russia
GILLES RINCKEL, France
CARLO VAVENOTTI, Italy
CHIARA FERRARA, Italy
FLORENCE BURET, France
SERGIO VALENTE, Italy 
FRANK JESCHKE, Germany


If you are not quite ready to build your first large sculpture, but would still like the opportunity to work and learn from one of these incredible captains, either contact them directly, or indicate your interest when you register as a delegate for this event. Each team is limited to a maximum of 10 people (including the captain) and places are allocated on a first come first serve basis.


Vadim Shushkanov working on his design in the Balloon Figure competition.

Here are some other excellent competition opportunities that you can register for:



I have added a link to each of these categories so that you can check out the rules and other important information.

Based on personal experience, I always recommend having a go at the competitions at an event especially when you have the opportunity! Competitions provide a new learning curve, and will bring a whole new excitement to the event! Even if you don't win, you will learn a great deal from the experience. My own teaching career was kicked off when I began to actively enter competitions!I


To see past competition entries from this event click HERE, or check out the short video below from BACI 2013! 




BACI's education program offers an exciting and comprehensive choice of classes, appealing to both twisters and decorators. These classes will be taught by some of the industry's best instructors, including Chris Adamo, CBA, from Balloons Online, Sydney, Australia, in his BACI debut and a rare teaching trip to Europe. 








And of course, there will be a welcome reception and a magical Gala Party and Awards Ceremony too! 


It was a fabulous Alice in Wonderland theme at the BACI 2017

Can you take your CBA exam at BACI? Of course and what a great place to take it! The CBA exam will be held on Sunday 22nd March at the NHOW hotel, from 8:30am- 12:30pm! If this is something that you would like to do, please contact Carol Dack at Pioneer Europe, who can give you full details: carold@qualatex.com. All those who pass will receive their certificates at the Gala Party and Awards Ceremony.




How much does it cost?

The event price is €395 + vat 22% (€481.90) if you register by 31 December 2019.
From 1 January 2020 the price is €445 + vat 22% (€542.90)

To confirm your registration,  a full payment is necessary. Accepted payment methods are credit/debit card, PayPal or bank transfer. 

Special promotion: If there is more than one delegate per company, a special price of €350 + vat 22% (€427) will be offered.

The cost includes the class registrations & materials, two lunches, the opening ceremony cocktail, and the themed Gala night dinner.

What are the competitions costs?
Big sculpture €13 (vat included) per person (€10.66 + vat 22%)
Column €13 (vat included) per person (€10.66 + vat 22%)
Centrepiece €13 (vat included) per person (€10.66 + vat 22%)
Delivery bouquet €13 (vat included) per person (€10.66 + vat 22%)

Balloon figure €13 (vat included) per person (€10.66 + vat 22%)

If you would like any further information regarding this event, please check out the FAQ's or visit the website www.bacitaly.com or contact berenice@balloonexpress.it

BACI is a platform intended for those with a passion for balloon art, and for sharing and exchanging energy with balloon artists from around the world. It is an unforgettable experience that will be an excellent resource in improving your style, techniques, and increase your sales! We hope to see you there! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler









Thursday, October 10, 2013

Slovenia Event 2013 - Tropical Gala Party Decor

I have just returned home from The Slovenia Event which was held in Therme Catez, Slovenia, I am sure that many of you have seen some great pictures already posted on Facebook!

The Slovenia Event 5th, 6th & 7th October 2013 was organised by Renata and Niko Fric from Magic d.o.o. Slovenia, with support from Nikolett Forray, Balloon World Hungary and an awesome team of staff and helpers!

A fantastic group of delegates from 17 countries attended the 3 days that was filled with great classes, competitions, parties and a 24 hour Jam room!

Luc Bertrand veery best balloon blog
Slovenia Event 2013 Gala Party Decor

I wanted to write a blog that specifically related to the Gala Party, the amazing designs and decor was just truly magical, so inspiring and definitely worth sharing!

So before I post the pictures I would like to congratulate the instructors who work so very hard to create new and exciting designs to share with delegates at events such as this! This was a great opportunity for many of us to work with the new Qualatex Quick LInk balloons and see many different ways to work with it!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

How To Make A Simple Air-Filled Balloon Character

I would like to share with you an easy and very cute character design, and how to make it step by step...

A great alternative idea to a helium foil filled balloon?

This is the first of a 'HOW TO' collection of clips, that will progress through a series of skills and techniques, this first one being a very easy design with no twisting skills required.

Sue Bowler



Product List - using Qualatex balloons
  • 18 x 5" Rose Pink balloons
  • 1 x 646Q Pink balloon
  • 2 x 350Q Rose balloons
  • 1 x Sweet Smile Face - Pink # 99573

How to:






Job Cost:

Now it time to work out how much you should sell your design for? Below I have shared two Job Cost forms using the QBN (Qualatex Balloon Network) Job Cost form. I have listed all the products and quantities for each of these designs, all you need to do is add your balloon costs and your hourly rate. I suggest that it should not take more than 10 minutes to make up these little guys!


Sue Bowler
Smile Face Guy 1 - Designed by Sue Bowler CBA


Sue Bowler
Smile Face Guy 2 - Designed by Sue Bowler




I hope you enjoy making this design? Let me know how you get on... I am sure that your customers are going to love these little guys!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com


Friday, September 7, 2012

Balloon Cloud Installation - from conception to completion!

'Balloon Cloud'

Balloon Images Jul/Aug/Sep 2012, featured a great article 'Climbing The Corporate Ladder', with some great advice and tips on how to build your corporate business and 'steps to corporate success' from industry pros Colin Stewart, Matthew John Lewis and Rocky and Terry Mulryan Toomey, if you have not read the article, I strong recommend that you do, I know that it helped me very recently!



If you are planning on working with corporate clients, but you are a little unsure how to prepare yourself... you might be interested in my recent 'journey' working with a corporate client from conception to completion!

Nearly 5 months ago I was approached by a client who had a very specific design request...

Sue Bowler



The client's brief:

The installation of the balloon cloud at the location brings the 'key visual' into the third dimension. Ideally there is no visible construction around the balloons so that the installation seems free-floating. The highest balloons should easily be visible from the ground floor.

The key visual was used throughout the clients whole presentation, it was a major element of the event.

Part of the clients Key Visual - the inspiration for the Balloon Cloud


  • Installation grows through the floors
  • Balloons are round like balls
  • Colours are like key visual
  • Cloud expands upwards
  • Balloons different sizes
  • Organic form
  • Free-floating construction


This client really knew what they wanted, they had prepared a number of visuals showing what they wanted... or more to the point what they did not want!

  • Balloons are round like a ball and not in the traditional pear shape. 
  • Balloons are in a loose order, they do not stick together. 
  • Balloons should look free-floating, they do not create a form. 

Site Visit:

The first thing I needed to do was to arrange a site visit to see if it was a viable project. I arranged to meet the venue building manager and the venue's events manager who was also working with my client. They had also been sent the same design visuals as me and they had concerns.

The client had an artists impression prepared showing how they thought the balloon cloud should look, and from the venue's point of view it looked very much like a balloon release and they did not like the idea of all the balloons being stuck on the venue ceiling... which was very high!

My first concern was how could I recreate the balloon cloud using the limited amount of anchor points available, but I gave myself an hour prior to my meeting to view the venue and work out my plan of action, this helped me greatly during my meeting as I was able to dispel any concerns and fears that they had regarding the installation... and no, there would be no balloons floating to the ceiling - well I hoped not anyway!

Key points to remember:
  • Arrive early to give you the opportunity to check out the venue and take lots of pictures to remind you of the venue and rigging points - make sure that you have permission to take pictures first!
  • Don't forget to ask about sensor alarms, can they be turned off during installation and removal of balloons?
  • Loading bay access
  • Parking or nearest car park
  • Preparation area and time constraints.
Having visited the site, I was very confident that I was able to re-create the balloon cloud as per their specification.

This is the venue where the balloon cloud was installed, this shows both below and above the ground level.








The Proposal:

As Rocky suggests in the article, "write a proposal that is easy to understand and that meets the clients objectives and make sure that you have someone proofread it for you"!

Your proposal should contain the following as a minimum:

  • Project Title
  • Project Description - Include the event date and venue address and be as specific as you need to be, in my case, I was very specific as the criteria was very clear and I wanted to make sure that the client knew that I was fully aware of their needs and requirements.
  • Give example or samples of colours and size or shape of balloons etc, if specific colours or balloon shapes have been requested. Be descriptive, in my case the clients design illustrated a core of Grey balloons, I suggested using Silver balloons but felt it necessary to explain how they would look- the Silver is not shiny like metal more ‘pearlescent’ with a soft appearance.
  • Give a quotation, I listed my like this: I have calculated my costs to include: Materials. Preparation of balloons. Inflation and Installation, Removal of Installation.
Offer the client the opportunity to ask for more details or information to make sure that the door always remains open for further discussion.

Here are a few of the images that I supplied to the client:


Suggested balloon sizes also showing the round shape.

Once the proposal had been agreed, I presented the client with:
  • A contract of work
  • A method statement
  • A risk assessment
  • A copy of my Liability Insurance Document

The Design Process:


I started by working out the space that I had to fill, going from just above the door height on the -2 level and to a maximum height of 4 m above ground floor level as they did not want the balloons to interfere (visually) with the offices above! I used the total height, plus the width and depth and from that I calculated that I had 108 cubic metres of 'space' that I could fill.

I had decided that the cloud would be secured from ground level, fixed carefully within the the open space leading down to the -2 floor level, making 2/3 rd of the cloud air-filled and the remain 1/3rd helium filled, (60/40 helium with air mix as I did not need the design to last more than 48 hours).

At first I tried to 'draw' my design, but because it was 3 dimensional I was struggling, so I decided to create a scaled down model! I know there will be many of you out there who will tell me a really easy way to do this on the computer!

So, lets review one of the clients requirements 'balloons are round like balls'. So how was I going to be able to use a variety of balloon sizes in the specified colours? The large balloons were easy, I could use 30" & 36" inflated from 24" and upwards to various sizes, it was the smaller round balloons that were the bigger problem, I could under-inflate 16" but floating them would be hard... so, I decided that if you could put a latex inside a Deco Bubble, then why not put a Deco Bubble inside a 16" latex! And it worked and give me the round shape that I needed but more importantly the same colours and visual texture as the 36" balloons.

To make the model, I converted the balloon sizes that I was going to inflate the balloon to, from inches to centimeter's and then from centimeter's to millimeter giving me the perfect 1:10 scale ratio. 

Not only did the model help me to determine the positioning of the balloons, it also really helped me to work out how many balloons I would need, it was an invaluable project, It also enabled me to send this to the client so that they had some of idea of what I was planning on doing!


1:10 ratio model of Balloon Cloud
From the model I created plans that we could follow on the day to make it easy for us to position the balloons so that they would take on the appearance that I was looking for! Although the design is very random, it actually took a lot of 'tweaking' to make sure that it had the right amount of balloons, with a little space around each of them to make each one stand out in it's own right.

Balloon Cloud Design Plan

I cannot tell you how helpful this was to work from. Everyone working on the project knew exactly which colour, what size and whether it was filled with helium (60/40) or air.

So from this plan, I was able to calculate exactly how many balloons I needed to order and how much helium I would need. 

Preparation:

The success of any job is the amount of preparation you do in advance. The technique that I decided to use was to 'raisin twist' each of the balloons at the top, I used my 'Nikoloon' tool, which saved me a lot of time. Each bead was secure with a 160Q in the same colours as the balloons being use. I also pre-prepared all the air-filled Deco Bubble's as this was a fairly slow procedure, but it really worked very well.

I also bagged up each row and each line in individual bags, once again for speed and to make sure that we used the correct balloons.

Each line of balloons would be connected together with one continuous 25lb monofilament line, secured at the knot end as well as at the top of each of the balloons using the raisin connected 160Q to keep the balloons in place. The mono line wrapped round each balloon, from base to top but you could not see it, in fact once all the balloons were installed the monofilament line just seemed to disappear!


The Installation:

The day started bright and early, giving us the maximum amount of prep and installation time. I had agreed with the venue that we would not install any of the balloons until after the lunch time rush, as the area was also used as a cafe, and they wanted the minimum amount of disruption for their customers.

The holding/ guidelines where installed and the work commenced!

Prep area... we were so lucky, the ceiling height was the magic 4m, the same height as the highest helium filled balloon we were installing.




Here is a selection of pictures of the end result from every possible angle.

Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler


Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler

Sue Bowler


The installation took me and my fantastic team a total of 14 hours, give or take a coffee break or 2. A huge thank you to John Bowler, Dee White and Jim Magill who were all amazing!

The balloon cloud was required for one day only, so we went back the next day and took it all down...

I really enjoyed working on this project, in my heart I knew that it would look amazing, sadly the photographs do not truly show it's full beauty ... it was so so elegant, it gave off a very calm and peaceful sense of feeling... the balloons just hung in the air, no noise, no movement...

After the event, we sat down and talked through how the day went and what would we do differently if we had the opportunity to do the same project again, and yes, there are a few things we felt that we could do differently, but on the whole it all went to plan, it looked perfect and the client loved it!

I hope that writing this has helped maybe just a few of you to have a go at climbing that corporate ladder, yes, there is a lot of work involved in these types of jobs, but I can tell you that they are very rewarding, I am still 'flying high' on my 'Balloon Cloud'!

Remember to get permission if you want to use designs on your website or in marketing materials that you have been commissioned to make from your client, I think that they appreciated being asked and it shows that you are professional through and through. I made sure that I got permission from the client to feature the balloon cloud in the Very Best Balloon Blog.

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com