Sue Bowler: The Balloon Expert

Who doesn't love to create special moments for their children and grandchildren? During the pandemic, I started a tradition to create something special for my granddaughter, Alexa, each year. Despite the challenges, I was determined to make her feel loved and appreciated on her special day. For her fifth birthday, we couldn't gather indoors as a group, but we made the best of it by celebrating outside. I created a beautiful framed number "Five" which became one of my most popular posts ever! The following year, on her sixth birthday, I crafted a stunning mosaic fish for her and added a large number Six to a pedestal that I designed. Unfortunately, we were away for her seventh birthday, but this year, I have put together a wonderful number "Eight" to commemorate her special day. So the tradition continues, and now I now have another new baby granddaughter to create for. Watch this space for something special for her first birthday in November!  The number eig...

Like many of you, I use a Silhouette Cameo to personalise my balloons. However, I often find it challenging to come up with creative designs using the Cameo software, so, I decided to use CANVA instead. I find it more user-friendly, and I already use it for other design projects, so why not for my balloons too! I have made a quick S tep-by-Step video to show you how simple this is to do. It was a bit of a life changer for me, as it makes creative personalisation so much quicker and easier!  Here are a few extra bits of information that may not be clear from the video. 1. I use the Instagram Square tile for my designs. By using a square, you can contain your design within a printable space. 2. I usually resize my design once I have added it to my Cameo software to approximately an 8" square, as I've found that this is perfect size for an 18" foil balloon. 3. I used two different fonts for my design: " Porcelain"  for the script and " Anton" for the num...

Give your clients something fresh with these sparkly  Qualatex Deco Bubbles . These confetti-filled bubbles are the perfect addition to any glitzy and glamorous event!  I really enjoy adding these gorgeous confetti-filled Bubbles to my designs! The design above was created for a corporate event, and the client absolutely loved them! Standing over two meters tall, these Sculptured Columns were the star of the show and so much fun to design and make! I used the 20" and 24" Deco Bubbles in the centre of the design, and the top balloon was a 3' Qualatex Diamond Clear latex balloon. To learn how to create the confetti-filled Bubble, watch the video tutorial! Material List Qualatex Deco Bubble 20" or 24" Metallic Confetti - I prefer 6mm x 6mm square cut (click HERE to see my UK supplier) Plastic Funnel Hi-Float Chopstick or similar 260Q balloon to tie off the Bubble  Pump Here are more examples of confetti-filled Deco Bubbles: It is clear from the photographs abov...