Showing posts with label Air-Filled Balloons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Air-Filled Balloons. Show all posts

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Throwing it back with Birthday Retro Daisies!

 One of my favourite new Qualatex 18" Microfoil™ Balloons is the Birthday Retro Daisies.

Daisies were a popular floral motif in the 1960s and 70s. This flowers simple, cheerful appearance and association with innocence and purity made it a favourite among the hippie counterculture of the era. Today, daisies are still used in retro-inspired designs as a nod to the past, but they can also be incorporated in more modern designs for a fresh and playful touch.

This week, I enjoyed creating a design using this new balloon to make an air-filled arrangement that would be perfect for a delivery. It is bright, fun and relatively easy to make once you learn how to make the flowers (see video below)

In this design there are two types of twisted flowers: the larger flowers were made using 350Q balloons and the smaller flowers were made using 160Q balloons, and there is one 260Q flower (pink) in the design.





Although I did not use all of these techniques to make my flowers, you may find it helpful when recreating this design... you can add your own creative flair to it! 

How to Create Balloon Daisies 3 Ways!


To make this design, I started with a wooden centrepiece stand from Gibs On It.



I covered the base using a stretched 16" white balloon. I pre-stretch the balloon first, then cut off the neck and make a small hole at the top of the balloon. It is a little tricky to stretch it over, but with a little care it is possible to get it to cover the base.


I also covered the pole, this time with with a pre-stretched 350Q. I slipped that over the pole and secured it at the base using a scrap 160Q balloon.


Finding reliable bases and poles for designs such as this is not always easy. You could always use a PremiumConwin Deco Stick and Cup glued to a tile base, though it will not be as stable as this wooden pole and base. 

Once my base was prepared it was time to start to creating!

To support the 18" foil balloon, I used an odd sized balloon cluster, keeping the balloons on one side smaller than the other side.



I then added the 18" foil to the base of the design.




As my design was designed around the Retro Daisies balloon, I sat down and created a range of twisted flowers using the same colours that are on the foil to create unity and a sense of oneness in my design.

Birthday Retro Daisies Design by Sue Bowler
www.suebowler.com 

I secured the twisted daisy in Caribbean Blue to the wooden pole, and the remaining flowers have been secured to the design using UGlu Dashes. This type of glue dot is extremely strong and easy to apply - Uglu Dashes are available at many balloon wholesalers and suppliers! 

So now to get the perfect and most appealing shot of my design! One of my latest challenges is to to improve my photography skills. Taking that perfect shot is not my strong point, and I definitely know that sharing an appealing photograph on socials is extremely important!

I don't have a photo backdrop in my studio so I rely on tools such as CANVA to help me to make my photo a little more appealing! I also recently attended a free "How to Use Your iPhone Camera" course at my local Apple Store, which was super helpful, and was made even better because I was the only person who had signed up to the course that day so I got one-to-one tuition!

Here are a few of the photographs that I captured, which one do you think would be the most appealing for social media?

Do you think that a coloured boarder helps to bring more colour to the shot?

How about no background at all?

I introduced an Arch frame to give my design a stronger background 

And finally, I have cropped right into the photo, this brings the design closer and is a little bit more dramatic! 


I love taking the time to be creative! It is an opportunity to play around and truly enjoying doing what you love best... having fun with balloons! 

I always look forward to seeing what you create, especially with the new Qualatex balloons! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue
Follow me @suebowler





Thursday, July 25, 2019

Be the Balloon Specialist and not the Balloon Seller - Inspiring Ideas for Party Shops and Retailers.

One of the most difficult things about being a balloon retailer is that almost anyone can inflate a balloon and attach it to a weight. Unfortunately, our biggest competitors do this very well, and even worse, they usually sell them for less than you ever can due to greater buying power, higher turnover, and lower profit margins.

However, many of us, including our competitors, are currently experiencing difficulty obtaining helium, and those who can find it will experience significant price increases. 

This is where we can gain an edge on competitors. We should take this opportunity to be the balloon specialist, and not just the balloon seller. It's important to understand how to take a balloon or two, add value, and make them into something really special - with or without helium! 

Balloon Arrangements and deliveries are a big part of any balloon business and will ensure the long-term success of your business - better perhaps than any other product or service. 



Tropical Toucan Birthday Luxury Design - www.Qualatex.com
Tropical Toucan Birthday Luxury Design



Balloon Designs without helium

Air-filled designs can range from a relatively simple idea to something much more elaborate!

Some of the best parts about using air-filled arrangements is that they can be made in advance, the balloons will last for a long time, and they are perfect for in-store displays. Customers rarely know what they actually want or request a bespoke or customised design. 

We generally buy what looks best to us and what is within our ‘considered’ price range.


Have a range of designs always made up for a variety of occasions and ‘ready to go’. Don't forget to add a price tag - this takes away the fear of asking the price.

Using a double 4-balloon cluster base like the one shown above is an ideal base for many air-filled designs. The sizing of the base balloons will depend on the balloons that you are featuring. For example, the Toucan Microfoil is quite a large balloon, and when air-filled it becomes relatively heavy; therefore, the base would need to be large enough to allow for stability throughout the design. Based on the photograph, I would estimate that the base cluster is inflated to around 8" and the second cluster to around 6" - but don't be tempted to make the base too big, as it could become out of proportion with the rest of the design. The design will also require a double-stuffed sand or water-weight to be pulled into the centre of the base.
Party Narwhal Birthday Luxury Design - www.Qualatex.com







Here is another great example of an air-filled design - Party Narwhal Birthday Luxury Design. An 11" latex base topped with a fun 18" round Microfoil and the Party Narwhal special shape Microfoil creates an impressive, yet simple, design for that customer what wants a bit "more!"

For more design inspiration for air-filled decor using this technique visit Balloon Decor - Inspiration on www.Qualatex.com



"Baby Boy Balloon Buddy" - www.Qualatex.com




I personally love "Balloon Buddies," they're fun, interactive and great for children and adults! 

The "Baby Boy Balloon Buddy" is a number one seller for baby showers and new baby arrivals! 

In a recent blog post I talked about the benefits of developing twisting skills and these designs show why. 

If you missed the post Develop Your Twisting Skills and add Value to you Every Day Designs click on the link HERE. It's packed with great information and a fabulous video by Jackie Ochitwa who demonstrates "Essential Twists for Balloon Artists."







Who could resist this adorable "Cute Clown Balloon Buddy" another great design perfect for children of all ages! 











If you want to take your Balloon Buddies to the next level add a helium-filled balloon or balloons, then use a Qualatex Deco Bubble for the body and fill with mini-balloons for that "How did they do that - wow factor!"


Mr Bubble by Sue Bowler

There are so many wonderful and very sellable designs using air-filled balloons which are a little bit different from the norm!

They can be as simple as these "Grab & Go" air-filled displays.


Or how about these adorable "Gentlemen with Flowers", by Vadim Shushkanov from Moscow, Russia. You can learn how to make these by simply clicking HERE.


"Gentlemen with Flowers", by Vadim Shushkanov from Moscow, Russia.


You could also try your hand at making one of these adorable air-filled arrangements, combining a range of balloons like the "Sweets For My Sweet" design created by Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA.


"Sweets For My Sweet" design created by Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA.


If you haven't checked out all the amazing designs in the Inspiration Decor section on the Qualatex website, click HERE. If you are a QBN member, you can download each design as a full-sized image that you can use on your own website and social media channels. 

I hope that this blog post has given those of you who are struggling without helium supplies a little bit of inspiration! Let me know what your number one air-filled sellers are!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler.com

Sue Bowler www.suebowler.com


















Monday, May 20, 2019

How Will the Balloon Industry Cope with a World-Wide Helium Shortage?

Many of us have experienced helium shortages before, and although it might seem to be majorly problematic, there are always solutions and alternative decor ideas with air-filled balloons that we can offer to our customers.

But before we look at alternative decor ideas, we should first try to understand the type of helium that is generally used within the balloon industry and why helium is in short supply. Especially because this might help when speaking with customers.


https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/07/helium-production-world-170726095826950.html

Just to clarify, the 8% helium used by balloons includes weather balloons too, of which there are hundreds released twice a day world-wide.

This is an excerpt from USA Today - 10th May 2019
"A big reason for the shortage is that about 75% of all the helium comes from just three places: Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, ExxonMobil in Wyoming and the National Helium Reserve in Texas, according to gas-trade publication Gasworld.com.
In Texas, the reserves are being depleted, while at the same time overall demand for the gas has been growing."
In the U.K., a statement was released from one of the top helium suppliers, which highlighted the differences in the various types of helium, as well as the future of helium.
"It's important to be aware that there is a distinction between pure, liquid and impure, gaseous helium. Gas companies prioritise supplies of pure, liquid helium for critical medical uses e.g. MRI scanners in hospitals, ensuring that they can remain fully operational.
Helium for balloons is a different product - it is impure and gaseous and produced as a by-product of supplying liquid helium for the MRI market - a market which makes up around forty percent of the helium business in the U.K. Impure, gaseous helium cannot be used directly in medical MRI scanners or in other applications that use super-conducting magnets. Impure helium can be recovered by the customers and re-liquified if the customer has the necessary plant on site, and if not, it can still be recovered and reprocessed in the balloon market. Historically, recovery has only been viable for large users of helium, but new opportunities are constantly being reviewed and implemented with customers to help them conserve and reuse their helium. 
For the future, there is still plenty of helium on our planet, with investments being made to bring various new sources on-stream in the coming years. The locations and environments of these new sources will mean the market prices for helium is expected to continue to rise, but making these investments will mean that helium will continue to be available fo many years to come. Rising prices in the market will also drive an increase in investment in the means by which customers can recover more of their own helium."



The Pro Environment Balloon Alliance (PEBA) recently issued the following information:

"Medical Helium is not used to inflate balloons. The helium used to inflate balloons is not pure enough for medical use. It is a by-product gathered during the production of medical grade helium. Instead of wasting this resource, it is collected and recycled. The sale of balloon gas offsets the cost of medical helium. 
According to an Australian Helium Gas supplier… The transportation of Liquid Helium from an ISO into a storage flask (Dewar) is a very meticulous process. Due to liquid helium’s sensitivity to warmer temperatures, the majority of the liquid helium boils off in the transfer process. Instead of losing this helium, the boil off is captured in a large balloon. This lower grade helium is then recycled and compressed into smaller storage cylinders which becomes part of the balloon gas supply.
If this boil off were not captured and recycled, a huge amount of helium would be lost and wasted in the process. This recycled helium is use for weather balloons, scientific purposes and balloon gas. Reductions in demand can also be experienced due to increased recycling and increasingly efficient use of helium.
The helium industry reports that non-essential market segments like the balloon industry sector are experiencing shortage of supply and absorbing large price increases due to the fact that essential markets receive their supply first. 
The shortage is due to a number of factors that include global economic forces, political issues, rationing and unscheduled maintenance on a large helium facility. 
Due to these fluctuations of supply and demand, the balloon industry is decreasing its reliance on helium by increasing our use of air-filled designs. Shortage and price increases provide incentives to reduce helium consumption and the industry is evolving accordingly. We are already reducing our helium consumption by stopping balloon releases, this is environmentally and economically responsible." 

While we often read in the press that party balloons should be banned to save helium reserves, in reality, if we are using balloon gas, we are using a product that has already been used for medical purposes, and we are merely using a recovered product that is no longer suitable for medical or other specialist purposes.

We may never knowing the true and accurate reason for the shortage or why it's currently so difficult to obtain. Dan Flynn, COO of Pioneer Worldwide shared his findings;
“There are mixed signals from the major helium suppliers as to the expected timeframe before the market tightness is over. Most estimates are the supply will be restricted throughout this year, though availability should increase in 2020.”
So rather than getting upset about this problem, we need to embrace it and find good alternative solutions of which there are many.

Have you seen the latest on-line edition of Images Magazine? To remedy this current shortage, the entire issue features only air-filled designs and decor ideas! Click HERE for a direct link.




Here is one of the fabulous new designs by Sam Jossie, CBA, Pioneer® Balloon Company


If you use the search facility in the Balloon Decor Inspiration gallery and set the search to Air-Filled designs, you get over 600 results! 




Who wouldn't love this wonderful entrance decor, designed and created by Luiz Carlos da Costa Silva, CBA, of Cenário Balões, São Paulo, Brazil.



For more inspiring ideas check out some of my older blogposts that are packed with air-filled decor designs! 


From Traditional to Contemporary Jungle Party Decor Ideas.
Air-Filled Decor is the Only Way To Go! 
Fun, Quick, and Highly Sellable Air-Filled Balloon Characters - Step by Step Video
Finding the Perfect Air-Filled Decor Solution

I would love to hear how you are coping with the helium shortage and what alternatives you are using!

Happy ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Thursday, February 21, 2019

How to Design a Window Display From Concept to Creation - With Bonus Tips and Tricks Videos

Each year, I have the privilege to design the window displays for the Qualatex trade stand at Spring Fair, NEC, Birmingham, U.K. It truly is a job that I love doing, although challenging, I find that I can really allow my creative juices to flow!


Baby Boy window display by Sue Bowler - Balloon Art by Sue Bowler
Baby Boy Window Display by Sue Bowler. CBA.


Designing a window display is definitely worth pre-planning. Otherwise, you can end up filling a space without really knowing what you are trying to achieve. My role at Spring Fair is to showcase a range of new Qualatex balloon designs in a way that makes them look exciting and striking. 

Probably one of my favourite displays this year was the "Baby" window. I love the NEW "Baby Stripes" balloons; the beautiful pastels with gold and white are so elegant and completely on-trend!


18" "Baby Boy Blue Stripes"
also available in 9".

18" "Baby Girl Pink Stripes"
also available in 9".

Designing my displays

Sometimes I find the process quite easy, but not always, and so planning is especially essential for me. I start by creating a design board. I want to be sure that the ideas I imagined will be functional as well as pretty. I often use this same technique when I am proposing a design to a client, and have found that it really helps them to get a good understanding of what they will get. Below is the design/mood board that I made when working on this window. It helped me see how the balloon would look with a crescent moon shape and garlands. Although I did not re-create exactly what I had originally designed, I really did not deviate too far - that's pretty unusual! 

The ability to be able to download images directly from the Qualatex website in a png format (clear background) has made designing so much easier. I simply download all the balloons that I want to feature and then play around building shapes. If you are working on Columns, Arches or balloon walls, you can use Chris Adamo's fabulous design tool that will help you to produce good look design images every time! Designing the crescent moon was fairly simple. I import shapes into a Word or Pages document and build the shape that I am looking to make, add circles and fill them with the colours that I want to use. 



Balloon Display Design by Sue Bowler

Making the design

The display was created from two main elements - the crescent moon and the air-filled garlands. Using air-filled balloons in window displays is the key to longevity. The garlands are extremely long lasting and could be easily stored and re-used for a future display. The crescent moon has a limited life but to ensure that it looked its best for the entire show, I double-stuff all the latex balloons or treat with hi-float.



The crescent moon frame was made from a length of 6mm aluminium rod bend into a crescent moon shape. I actually used one of my hoops from another display as a template to ensure that I had a good curve. I secured the frame to a NOT base, which worked perfectly for this design. If you look at the finished design you will note that the base is white. I like to spray my bases with a white, quick-drying floral paint when I am creating pastel and light-coloured designs. 

Colour

To achieve the beautiful pastel blue that has been used for the Baby Boy Blue Stripes balloon, I double-stuffed Caribbean Blue with either White or Pearl White on top. Using both whites and mixing them into the design gave a subtle change in texture, some of the balloons looked a little more shiny whilst others had a subtle softness.

I also added a few under-inflated 11" Chrome Gold and some Gold Confetti-filled balloons too! If you are wondering what the tiny gold balloons are, they are a mix of small gold baubles and the inflated tips of 260Q Gold Chrome balloons! Excepting the 11" Chrome Gold balloons and the 260Q bubbles, all the other balloons are 5" inflated to different sizes.








Air-Filled Garlands

Making the garlands takes a little time, but the effort is truly worth it! My garlands were made from 4" Metallic Gold Stars, 9" & 18" "Baby Boy Blue Stripe" balloons. These were all air-filled and heat sealed as required. Each balloon was connected together using a very fine monofilament line. The finishing touch was to decorate each balloon with a tiny hand-made satin ribbon bow - it's the finishing touches that makes the difference!




The Display

The window space is quite small, so to make the best of the space, I use a layering technique to ensure that each element stands out in its own right. The long garland with the 18" balloon at the base was positioned towards the front of the window. The crescent moon was centred and slightly angled, and the shorter garland was positioned towards the back of the window. This gave the display a visual balance as well as the opportunity to see each of the elements very clearly for every position. The gold glitter balloons added an elegant twist to the design and reflected the confetti that is printed on the balloons.

Tips and Tricks

Here are two very short video clips that will show you how to make the mini 260Q Bubbles and how to make 5" Confetti-Filled balloons using Hi-Float, both of these techniques I used for the crescent moon design. 







Getting both window and in-store displays right are critical for the success of a business. They are the opportunity to show your brand and to promote products or seasonal themes. 


Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler







Monday, August 14, 2017

Fun, Quick, and Highly Sellable Air-Filled Balloon Characters - Step by Step Video

Today, I want to share with you two, fun, quick, and highly sellable air-filled balloon characters. The great thing about both of these designs is that they can be easily adapted for any occasion. These designs are ideally suited for those who are just starting out and learning new and exciting techniques.

Design 1 - "Funsational Birthday Smiles"















Design 2 - "Mini Smile Face Party Guy"




Just click on the video below to see step-by-step how these fabulous designs are made. 





I hope that you enjoyed learning how to create these adorable, sellable balloon characters! Once you learn the simple steps to making designs like these, you can easily adapt your skills to make many other versions.

Like this awesome "Stache-tastic Father's Day" character! 





Or this adorable "Big Graduation Thumbs Up" by Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer® Balloon Company. It's so easy to add value to a bouquet of balloons by simply adding a little character to the base.



Finding inspiration is easy with Qualatex®
. Simply visit www.Qualatex.com and head to the Inspiration Page; it's packed with so many wonderful designs, and many of these have downloadable recipes if you are a QBN member.

A huge thank you to Rob, Greg, and Balloon Market TV who very generously sponsored the filming and editing of this video. 

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Finding the Perfect Air-Filled Balloon Decor Solution

Fulfilling a customer's needs is what we all strive for, and finding the perfect decor solution is very rewarding.

Several months ago, I started discussing decor ideas with an event organiser. The event was one that I had decorated two years ago, so I had a little background knowledge of the venue and some of the difficulties decorating this particular event.

This event had used balloons for its decor for many years, but due to a number of circumstances we needed to find a good alternative to a helium-filled table arrangement or a domineering air-filled design. Our mission was to create the perfect air-filled table centrepiece.

The customer's requirements were very specific:
  • The design needs to have a good visual impact without interfering with sight-lines to screens around the room.
  • It should have a little actual movement, like helium without using helium.
  • Each centrepiece needs to display the names of the event sponsors.
  • Should be heavy enough to withstand strong winds as the venue is an open-sided marquee.



A few years ago we were hit by a short-term world helium shortage. As a result of this shortage, we had to find good alternative solutions to creating different types of decor with air-filled balloons. 

To help with ideas, inspiration, and solutions, Qualatex® produced a wonderful flier called, ‟The Qualatex Air-fill Advantage.” The flier is still available to download. Click HERE for your copy!








One of the design concepts that inspired me greatly was by Sandy Pressley, CBA, of Creative Balloons in Warren, MI, USA. Sandy showed some wonderful no-helium balloon bouquets using ceiling tile wire to support the balloons.

When I knew that I had to find an alternative way to make my centrepiece designs for this event, this for me was the perfect solution.

I believe that ceiling tile wire is readily available in hardware stores in the U.S. However, to find straightened wire in the U.K, I had to go to a specialist ceiling tile company, that sold pre-straightened wire in 3m lengths. This wire is also known as 12-gauge hanger wire.


Having found a solution to support my air-filled balloons, I needed to decide which balloon would be the best for the job. This was not too difficult  to determine as my customer's requirements were quite specific. We needed to be able to display each of the sponsor logos within the design, but we could not make the centrepieces too big as we needed to ensure good visual lines to television screens around the venue. 

I decided that working with 9" Qualatex Microfoil® would be perfect! I would be able to use five stars per table, and on each of the stars I would have the sponsor's logo printed.

The Design - Starburst Centrepiece




The colours that we used made these designs boldly stand out in an extremely large, white marquee, injecting an element of fun and festivity to the occasion.

The Method of Construction

Considering the number of centrepieces that we had to make - 95 in total - it was not a quick and simple design. As I mentioned at the start of this post, there was a number of factors that we had to take into consideration when making these centrepieces.

For the base of the design, we used a 33cm x 33cm (13" x 13") white floor tile. The weight and size of these tiles made it impossible for the centrepieces to be flipped over in windy conditions.


As I have already mentioned, each of the Microfoil Star balloons were secured to ceiling tile wires, but again, that was not quite as simple as it appeared!
















For each centrepiece, we cut five different lengths of wires. Each wire was bent over at one end and then a short length of balloon stick was slipped over the bent wire. Each wire was then covered with a Caribbean Blue 260Q and secured at the end using binding wire, much in the same way as a fantasy flower. Once each wire was covered, an Original Cello Cup™was secured to each of the wires. This fitted neatly onto the balloon stick that was hidden under the covered wire.



As you can imagine, this took quite a long time as we had 475 wires in total to prepare, but we were able to work on these well in advance.















To hold the five wired stars in position, we needed a short pedestal.  I chose to use a 14" Lomey Clear Pedestal for this job. I secured each of the Lomey Pedestals to the floor tile base using Gorilla Glue™.  Finding the right glue for the job was very important, and reading the glue's description gave me confidence that it was the right product. I allowed the glue 24-hours to set and fully dry, and it worked perfectly!




TOUGH, WATERPROOF, STICKS TO EVERYTHING
The product that started it all. Original Gorilla Glue built a name for itself with its incredible, industrial holding power and versatility. Water activated, it expands into materials to form an incredibly strong bond to virtually anything. As your solution for almost any project or repair, Gorilla Glue is 100% waterproof, weatherproof, you-name-it-proof. It's safe for indoor and outdoor use and strong enough to stand up to intense heat or cold. Sand it, paint it, stain it. Simply stated, it’s the Toughest Glue on Planet Earth.






Each of the 9" Microfoil Star balloons needed to be inflated and heat sealed. If heat-sealing is something that you are not too confident doing, check out my blog:

Heat Sealing Qualatex Microfoil Balloons and turn those 'little balloons' into BIG profit earners!



This is another job that can be done well in advance, and I strongly recommend that you do, as it will give you the opportunity to re-inflate any of the foils that deflate I think I had about 5, which was an easy fix. 

Assembling the 95 centrepieces took approximately 24 hours in total, which I did over several days and stored ready to deliver on the morning of the event. 
For each centrepiece I secured 5 different coloured stars to a Lomey pedestal. I then "wrapped" the pedestal with a 350Q to cover the wires and hide all the mechanics. At the base, I added two clusters of balloons, the Purple Violet inflated to 4.5" and the Caribbean Blue to 3.5". I also added two 4" Magenta Microfoil Stars. At the top of the pedestal, I added a "split-duplet," using two 5" Caribbean Blue balloons. Once we arrived at the venue, we positioned each centrepiece and arranged the stars to make a starburst effect. Each centrepiece looked slightly different.

With preparation and assembly time, I calculated that each centrepiece took approximately 25 minutes each to make; Not quick and simple, but very rewarding, especially when the client tells you that they are absolutely perfect!

I was extremely happy with the outcome of this job. It taught me a number of things. Spending time with a customer to find the perfect solution is paramount to success and a happy customer. And that good preparation is key when making so many centrepieces!




Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com

































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