What's your favourite number... fantastic sellable designs for all ages!

Birthdays, Anniversaries and other milestone and memorable dates are the perfect opportunity to create something just a little bit different and unique!

I am sure that many of you remember the wonderful 2012 design that Luc Bertrand CBA, WAW Balloons, shared with the balloon community to celebrate the new year! 

Since then I have seen many people using the Qualatex numbers to create some truly fantastic designs, perfect for Birthdays, proms and new years celebrations!




Recently, I created my own variation of Luc's design - A Number One Character's using the new Number One Pink Hearts #16602 & Number One Blue Stars #16500, which I love and think will be very popular with customers!

Spring Fair Display - by Sue Bowler CBA

Number One Guy!

Ingredients:

1 x Sweet Smile Face (Pale Blue #99576 or Pink #99573) 
1 x Number One Blue Stars #16500 or 1 x Number One Pink Hearts #16602
4 x 11” Latex balloons
14 x 5” Latex balloons
2 x 350Q Balloons
Stretchy Balloon Tape
Balloon Scraps (160Q) to use for connecting purposes.
weight.

Method:

Inflate the Number One balloon and Sweet Smile Face balloon with air, ensure that you do not over-inflate (they should have the same appearance as a helium filled foil that has been inflated using an Auto-Fill Foil Outlet.
Inflate the 4 x 11” latex balloons to approx. 6”- 7” and create a 4-balloon cluster.
Secure a scrap (1/2) of 160Q to the neck of the foil that will allow you to connect the Number One foil to the 4-balloon cluster.
Add a weight into the base of the 4-balloon cluster so that the Number One balloon will stand up-right and will give the design stability.
You now need to create 3 fixing points on to the Number One balloon, these will allow us to add the Sweet Smile Face balloon and the arms (see picture).

The strongest tape that I have found is Stretchy Balloon Tape (available from good distributors), made by Clik-Clik,  It’s a high-tech, one-sided adhesive on a stretchy backing. I use a very small piece of tape to connect a scrap (1/2) a 160Q to the point where I want to make the connection, allow the tape a few minutes to bond, and I promise you that you cannot pull it off!

Secure the Sweet Smile Face (head) to another balloon scrap so that you can tie the head to the connection point at the top of the Number One( body). 

Inflate 4 x 5” latex to approx. 3” and create a 4-balloon cluster, slide this cluster between the head and the body, the head should sit neatly onto the 4-balloon cluster.
To make the arms, inflate the 350Q balloons to the desired length, add 2 small pinch twists at the knot end and then inflate a further 5” balloon to approx. 4” and secure these into pinch twists to represent the hands. Repeat for both arms. 
Create 2 x 4-balloon clusters with the remaining 5” balloon, keeping the balloons small, secure these clusters to the 2 other fixing points that you created using the scrap of 160Q, you will need to look at how to best position the cluster so that the arms sit neatly (see picture).
Finally add the arms into the cluster.

If you want the arms to sit neatly as they appear in the picture, you can with use a glue dot (Balloon Sticky Dots) or I actually used a small Grip Tab (Conwin) and a short length of monofilament line, I secured the grip tab to the Number One and then tied the arm into place at the hand by wrapping the mono line and securing it to the grip tab.

Here are a few more designs using the Qualatex Number Microfoil balloon range, I think that you will agree that they are fantastic!

Design by Luc Bertrand CBA

Design by Luc Bertrand CBA

Design by Luc Bertrand CBA

Design by Luc Bertrand CBA

Design by Keith Stirman CBA

Once again a huge thank you to Luc Bertrand for sharing his inspiring idea's and for all the great pictures! Also a thank you to Keith Stirman and Dominic Cassidy for their great Number design!

Happy Ballooning everyone!
I hope to see many of you at the World Balloon Convention in March!

Sue 
www.suebowler.com