Small Snowflake Design by Luc Bertrand, CBA.

Every year, Luc Bertrand, CBA, of wAw Balloons in Vichte, Belgium, very kindly shares one of his festive designs. This year, he shares his lovely small snowflake!

Material List:

11 -  5" White balloons

12 -  6" White Quick Link balloons

Method: 

Step 1.

Inflate each of the 5" White balloons with two pumps on a hand pump and tie the balloons as close as you can to the nozzle end.



















Step 2. 

Squeeze the air from the balloon so that it inflates the whole balloon, including the neck. 
Now, make two small bubbles (see photo).














Step 3.

Bring the neck of the balloon up below the larger bubble and twist. Pull the neck of the balloon through the middle of the two smaller bubbles to hold these in place.

Step 4.

Twist each of the smaller bubbles into a Pinch Twist. 
















Step 5.

Repeat this process with all eleven balloons.

Step 6.

Now inflate the twelve 6" Quick Links with five pumps of a hand pump and tie these into duplets.














Step 7.

Twist all the duplets together to form a Topiary.

Step 8.

Attach the 5" balloons to the tips of each of the Quick Link balloons with the exception of the top balloon. This will enable you to hang it easily.

Thank you once again, Luc, for sharing a wonderful design that we can use this festive season!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Are You Ready For The Festive Season?

Make the most of the festive season with these top tips.

1. Get prepared

You may feel like Christmas is still a long time away, but before you know it, it will be mid-December! For some small businesses, Christmas can be the busiest time of the year, while others may find that things quiet down in the run-up to the new year. Whichever it is for yours, you need to plan accordingly — especially when it comes to finances. If you’re expecting Christmas to be one of your busiest periods, you’ll need to make sure you have the resources to meet demand — whether that’s time, staff members, products, or anything else.

How fabulous is this festive wreath designed by Tope Abulude, CBA and Dominic Cassidy, CBA! It would look stunning as part of a Christmas display. Did you know that if you are a QBN member you can download the recipe? Just visit www.Qualatex.com, log in,  click on Inspiration, then click on Explore Decor. It's quick to find if you refine your search to "Christmas" in Occasions.

2. Think about your festive marketing

Christmas provides plenty of opportunities for themed marketing events, no matter what kind of business you run. Pick something that works for you and your target audience to make the most of the festive season. Write a festive email newsletter to keep your customers up-to-date with any offers that you are promoting during the Christmas period. It is the best way to get hold of as many of your customers as possible without investing too much money.

For those of you who have a die-cutting machine such as a Silhouette Cameo, consider making window vinyls to display a message or special offers. Snowflakes and a message looks fabulous!

You can download some great files for free from DesignBundles.net, like this Merry and Bright design that would make a great window decal. When you download from FontBundles and DesignBundles, you will get the image in several formats including jpg, png, ai, and svg.

And don't forget to add a festive element to your website! It's amazing how many people forget to update their websites for seasonal events! 

Smilin Snowman by Cam Woody, CBA,
Pioneer Balloon Company

3. Arrange a Christmas Event

Everyone is going to be on the lookout for a great deal this Christmas, so consider arranging a Christmas event where you offer free gifts or special discounts. Offering a free gift when your customer spends over a certain amount in your store will have the power to increase your customers' average spend, as many people will spend over the threshold to get a free gift.

Quick Link Friendly Reindeer
by Cam Woody

4. Be on-trend!

Think about what's hot right now! Giant balloons and giant balloons filled with confetti are one of this year's hottest trends! Make sure that your customers are aware that this is something you offer, along with confetti-filled Deco Bubbles, too! 











The NEW 24" "Frosty Snowflake" Deco Bubble will be a sure hit this winter!

24" "Frosty Snowflakes"
#52005
U.S. Patent No. 6,782,675

It's time to get creative and ready for a fabulous festive season! 

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com














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Will it be Pink or Blue? A Little Inspiration for Baby Gender Reveal Events.

Gender reveal parties are relatively new. Over the past few years, these have become increasingly popular around the world.

Photo Credit: The Story of Five

Wedding Banner Love

Gender reveal parties are a great way to celebrate and share the news of the baby's gender with family and friends before the baby is born. There are several ways that this can be done, either through cleverly staged photos or by throwing a memorable gender reveal party.




Here are some great ideas that I have found when researching through various social media channels. 

Box of Balloons

This seems to be one of the most popular ways to announce the gender of a baby. It's fun and very visual and gives you the opportunity to decorate and present the box in your own way! 

Photo Credit: Hellobabymomspeaking.blogspot.co.uk

Photo Credit - Inspiredbythis.com

Photo Credit: Deborah Nagai Photography

Photo Credit: Mandy Kay Photography - Wow, this lady takes awesome photographs!

Please consider Smart Balloon Practices when filling a box with helium-filled balloons. Rather than releasing and allowing the balloons to float away, keep the balloons tethered to a weight. 

To find large cardboard boxes, check your balloon distributor as many will carry boxes for balloon deliveries or use your friendly search engine and type the following keywords:

Where can I buy extra large boxes
XXL boxes 
Really big cardboard boxes

Popping Balloons

This also appears to be a very popular choice! Filling a 3' Black balloon with coloured confetti and 5" balloons to reveal if it's a girl or boy!

This is a fabulous video very kindly shared by Tope Abulude, CBA, of Balloon Inspirations Design Studio in Brentwood, Essex, U.K. This shows the fun and excitement a popping balloon can bring.

Photo Credit: Samdobsonwrites.com

This fabulous Qualatex^® 3' "Question Marks" balloon # 43400 is perfect for gender reveal popping balloons! 

A popping balloon can be either helium-filled and secured to a ribbon and weight, or air-filled and suspended from the ceiling. Rather than just giving the couple a pin to pop the balloon, why not make a "wand"? This can be easily made by securing a pin to the end of a short wooden stick (protect the pin by placing a cork on it whilst it's not in use) This is also for health and safety reasons, too! Decorate the stick with ribbons and a bow.

Pregnant Balloon Sculpture

And finally, here is another great idea! This fabulous pregnant balloon sculpture is the work of Abby London of Abby London Magic and Balloons in Lansdown, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Abby makes one of her fabulous balloon dolls, fills the belly with pink or blue silk flowers and once it's popped, the sculpture remains intact and gets her figure back! 

Here are some great balloons that would be perfect for baby gender reveal party decor.

11" "Baby Footprint & Hearts"

11" "He? Or She?"
18" "He Or She? Footprints"

11" Mustache & Bow Tie
11" Mustache & Ribbon 

Remember, this could be the start of a fabulous relationship with your client. After the gender reveal there is the baby shower, the Christening or naming ceremony, the baby's first birthday, and so it goes on. This could be a customer for a very long time, so make sure that you build a great relationship with them.


Happy ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com