Friday, April 26, 2019

IMPORTANT - Update on Balloons in the Environment




There has never been a more important time in our industry than now to educate and inform our customers and our fellow balloon artists of best balloon practices in regards to the environment.












In the last year, there has been increased press coverage of balloons and their effect on the environment. Only last week balloons made headline news in the UK; but it was unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. I know that the same is happening in many countries around the world!



It is important that everyone within our industry is proactive in helping to educate consumers on best balloon practices - particularly ahead of the publication of the Single Use Plastic Directive.

Pioneer Europe, in conjunction with the European Balloon and Party Council (EBPC), has developed a collection of environmental marketing materials that we can use freely within our businesses to educate consumers to enjoy balloons responsibly, promoting the message: "Don't let go."





We need to share this message with fellow balloon professionals to ensure that, as an industry, we become a united front that shows and demonstrates that we care about the environment and that we are a responsible profession. 

This means, no more balloon releases, and that includes the release of latex balloons too. Check out more details on this at my blog post - Why We Should Ban Balloon Releases.


So how can you help?

Start spreading the word! There are five downloadable flyers that you can use:

  • Posters
  • Leaflets
  • Carecards
  • Weight Labels

These are available in 24 different languages. Click on the appropriate language and it will take you directly to the link.

Bulgarian
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Estonian
Finnish
Flemish
French
Gaelic
​​​​​​​German
Greek
Hungarian
Italian
Latvian
Lithuanian
Maltese
Polish
Portuguese
Slovakian
Slovenian
Spanish
Swedish


We ask that you to download and share the materials with your customers and fellow balloon professionals immediately. 

Posters can be displayed in your shops and stores.


Care Cards can be handed out with every balloon order and delivery. 


Weight Labels can be stuck to the base of weights.

When creating decor for a client, make sure that you supply them with  Balloons and the Environment  - A helpful Guide leaflet.






Any of these could be used in your social media campaigns.

These materials are also available to purchase in printed format in English only. If you would like to know more click HERE.

Please help us to spread the word. Be sure to always ask customers not to release balloons and to always dispose of their balloons responsibly after they have finished with them. Please help us to educate fellow balloon professionals who may not understand why this is such an important issue.

Thank you for reading!


Happy and responsible ballooning!


Sue



Thursday, April 18, 2019

#donutparty

Donut theme parties continue to be a hot trend for 2019. This theme fun and colourful, meaning it will work for any kind of  party!

I had great fun designing and creating this theme table-scape! The best part is, although it all looks yummy and edible, with exception of the milk, everything is made from balloons or a prop! 

Donut Display by Sue Bowler CBA - The Very Best Balloon Blog

If you have a vinyl cutter, such as the Silhouette Cameo or Cricut, you can easily transform plain balloons into sprinkle covered balloons! I used this technique for the Geo Donut column and the 18" White Microfoil design on the table. 



Making these donuts was so much fun!
To create these, I used 16" Geo Donut balloons, and added just a puff of air to fill the balloon without stretching the latex. Once knotted, I removed all the excess neck and trimmed back to the knot.

To turn these into donuts, I used acrylic paint to make the icing. Once the paint dried, I used a latex based glue (Elmer's Rubber Cement) to adhere the sugar sprinkles. And yes, they are real sugar sprinkles! 







This column was designed by Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA, and was the inspiration for the column that I made for the photo-shoot above.
















Here are two more wonderful donut design ideas by Cam!

Here is another painted Geo Donut balloon, but this time it has been inflated! This design works well with the "Birthday Sprinkles" 18" Microfoil - and it's available in 9" too! 
















I found the instructions on how to create these fabulous painted Geo Donuts on Imaginarium! Just click on the link to read the full instructions.












How divine is this arrangement that includes the NEW "Fantastical Fun Birthday" 18' Microfoil - a fun-filled foodie treat, that features unicorns, rainbows, ice-creams, pineapples, donuts and burgers! 



Did you spot the NEW 9" air-filled donut balloon in the base!?









"Birthday Sprinkles" - 9" Air-Filled #58439
18" Microfoil #57263
18" Microfoil #57265 (pkgd.)

"Donut" - 9" Air-Filled #58455



I love this Donut Table - by Pretty Chic Details, California, USA.

I think that this is such a fun theme to work with. Instagram and Pinterest show that this theme is often used for Baby Showers, First Birthday parties, summer parties, Bat Mitzvah's and Sweet Sixteen parties just to name just a few.

Here's a date for your diary! June 7th is National Donut Day -make a note and be sure to include it in your social media campaigns! 

I thinks it's time for a donut!

Happy Ballooning


Sue

www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Thursday, April 11, 2019

New Product Announcement - The Mighty Big Little Balloon

If you missed the big announcement yesterday, let me be the first to tell you! As the saying goes "all good things come to those that wait" and oh boy, was this worth the wait!

After the hugely successful launch of both the 11" and 260Q Chrome balloons last year, Qualatex has announced the latest edition to this fabulous range: the 7" Chrome balloon!


7" Chrome Organic Style Arrangement with the 18" "Birthday Pedestal Ombre & Stars"
"Why a 7" balloon" you say? I say, why not?! There is nothing that a 5" balloon can do that a 7" can't. In fact, it can do even more! 

Topical Chrome Gold Topiary Design - Sue Bowler CBA
Elegant Tropical Gold Arrangement by Sue Bowler

I had the opportunity to work with this mighty big little balloon - and if you hadn't already guessed, I adore working with it! They inflate to a beautifully round shape when inflated to all sizes - which is perfect for the increasingly popular organic trend! With size options ranging from 3.5" to over 7", you get a beautiful shape every time.

Perfect for air-filled decor, this balloon will work well for centrepieces, arrangements, and those lovely little accent details in larger decor - what's not to love!

I hope that you are as excited with this news as I am! I am looking forward to further exploring their uses with my decor and centrepiece designs!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler














Wednesday, April 3, 2019

A Few Elegant Design Ideas for Milestone Birthday's!

2019 is set to be a big year for milestone birthdays, as it will see all of the ‘last babies of each decade,’ all celebrating significant ages that now end with ‘0’.

A milestone birthday is a great excuse for a big celebration, and the perfect opportunity for you to show off some of your amazing ballooning skills!


30th Birthday Designed by Sue Bowler www.suebowler.com

Here are a few designs that I recently made. I am really enjoying working with the Northstar balloon collection, especially the 16" Numbers. They look especially fantastic when paired up with some of the NEW Qualatex Birthday balloons, such as the "Birthday Metallic Dots," as featured in the 30th design above. Note: I added the number 30 in vinyl to the balloon to create a 30th balloon to match the number 30 at the base. 


I am also loving the new milestone additions to the "Pink and Gold Dots" range. I anticipate that these will be very popular!


50th Birthday Design by Sue Bowler CBA www.suebowler.com


Both of the above designs are a little different from the usual balloon bouquet style and are perfect for deliveries, table arrangements, and even window displays!


I made something similar for one of my Spring Fair displays at the NEC, Birmingham, which took place earlier this year. The great thing about these displays (below) is that they are all air-filled - which makes them long lasting! To create this effect, I simply used very fine monofilament line to give the illusion of floating balloons. All of the latex was either double stuffed or treated with Hi-Float.


Window Display by Sue Bowler of BalloonArt by Sue Bowler



Here's a fabulous design that I spotted recently in the inspiration section on the Qualatex website.

Born to Stand Out! - A birthday wish that is "FLAMAZING!"



Design by Genesis Nieves and Iravid Nieves of Decoracionesglobos

Designer name: Genesis Nieves, CBA and Iravid Nieves, CBA, 
Decoracionesglobos™, Miami, FL, USA

How fun is this new style of balloon bouquet? It's packed with so many exciting visual elements. This type of design opens up the opportunity to create something exciting and unique. I am sure that the recipient would be very happy to receive this!


It's time to get creative and show your customers how you can make their event even more special and memorable! 

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
#suebowler