With the Cost of Helium Increasing, Let's Take a Look at Air-Filled Balloon Delivery and Decor Solutions!

As we are all likely aware, helium prices are rising and availability is becoming more limited. This means it is time to start thinking about creating more air-filled designs and decor! That does not mean that we should not be using helium, but if you are, you should think of different ways to keep your helium costs down! 

Let's start with keeping helium costs down. There is a great post by Balloon Biz Academy, written by Sonia Payne where she gives 10 Great Cost Busting Tips for Helium use in your Business 

So let's look at some air-filled creativity!

Air-filled decor has been steadily increasing for a number of years now. There are many balloon businesses that do not work with helium at all, offering only air-filled dećor featured with props and backdrops to enhance their installations! When it comes to deliveries, the perfect solutions (although not my favourite to make as they are time consuming and tend to use a lot of tape and glue) are Balloon Stacks, or Balloon Marquees, as they are also known as. Check out these popular hashtags: #balloonstack and #balloonmarquee

Jackie Ochitwa, CBA of With a Twist in Alberta, Canada always creates the perfect 'Balloon Stacks'!

They are fun, exciting and packed with all those extra little details! 

Air-Filled Balloon Decor with Props

Organic balloon displays that are 100% air-filled have been trending for quite some time now, and they don't appear to be waning in popularity! There are many companies that only offer organic balloon displays, and are able to run very successful balloon businesses.

This fantastic balloon display below was created by Blow it with Bex,  based in Southampton, UK. Bex used 7" Qualatex Chrome balloons to create this stunning display on a popular wire-mesh frame with a Happy Birthday light-up neon sign and a touch of greenery... what's not to love! 

The design featured below was an installation created by myself and Nicci Gibson from Balloon Bouquets  based in London, UK. This decor was created for a Valentine's corporate event and was designed to allow guests to move around within a framed area. This design included balloons and paper accessories that gave it more visual texture.

If you would like to learn more about Organic Balloon Styling, check out my blog post - Exploring Organic Balloon Décor Styles  or visit https://theverybestballoonblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/exploring-organic-balloon-decor-styles.html

Balloon Walls

I love designing and making balloons walls! I have always found these to be very popular for events, especially for corporate clients. Balloon Walls can be made using round balloons in various different techniques, and QuickLinks for some truly amazing results!

Here are a few reasons why you might suggest a balloon wall to a client:

• Corporate logo
• Themed background
• Themed entrance
•  Photo or stage back-drop
• To enhance a trade show or exhibition stand

This fantastic QuickLink balloon wall is perfect for a child's space theme party. If you have never worked with QuickLink balloons, you should definitely try them out! As the name suggests, you can build decor very quickly using this type of balloon! 

Balloon Wall and Decor by Zoe Adam-Jones, CBA of Jazz Trading,
Queensland, Australia.
This wall was used as the stage back-drop at the Qualatex Event in Brazil, 2019.

This Balloon Wall welcomed guests into the Moscow Balloon Festival in 2019
Designed and made by Olga Baranova, CBA and Olga Samoilova, CBA.

To learn how to make this complete design visit  - even the 3' balloon is air-filled! https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bspsettingthescene1and2

Balloon Arches

When it comes to designing and building balloon Arches, you can really let your creativity go wild! Featured below is a fabulous selection of arches. I love all the different themes, and the mix of balloon types, all offering a great contrast in texture.

Jungle Theme Arch by
M & M Balloon Co. in Seattle, USA

This Football or Soccer theme arch was designed by
Cam Woody of Pioneer Balloon Company.

This Disney Theme Arch was designed and created by
Keith Stirman and Dominic Cassidy of All Things Fun in Durham, UK.

This fun Jungle theme arch design was the work of 
Keith Stirman and Dominic Cassidy of All Things Fun in Durham, UK.

There are so many opportunities to create appealing air-filled decor. If you would like even more inspiration, check out these great pages on the Qualatex website! 

Air-Filled Solutions for Retail

Air-Filled Solutions for Decorators

Many of the high street chain stores are turning away customers, as they cannot get any helium supplies. As a balloon professional, it is really important to find air-filled solutions to ensure that we can continue to grow our balloon businesses! 

Happy ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowlercom

Follow me @suebowler

Are you a Decorator, Twister or Deco-Twister?

When I first started in the world of balloons there was a distinct difference between a balloon decorator and a twister and never did the twain meet! 

However over the years, there has been an increasing overlap between these two worlds in the form of deco-twisting. The term "deco twisting" was first coined in the late 90's by several artists who displayed twisted elements in their balloon decor. However, deco twisting only really started to become popular with balloon artists and customers from around 2010. Ten+ years on, it is more popular than ever, especially when you look at all the detailed Marquee Balloon designs that are extremely popular today where there is always the addition of fabulously twisted details!

 

Elegant Balloon Marquee Design by 

Balloons For Everything in Chicago, IL, US.

The Seven Wonders of the 7" Chrome Balloon

Artistic Gold Sculptured Column design by Sue Bowler, CBA.

What isn't there not to love about the mighty 7" balloons! I have absolutely loved working with them! They inflate to a beautifully rounded shape, which is perfect for the popular organic trend! With size options ranging from 3.5" to 7", you get an exquisitely shaped balloon every time.


Now that we have had a few months to play with these remarkable balloons, I thought that it would be a good time to share some of the reasons why we love these balloons so much! 

When Jackie Ochitwa, CBA, of With A Twist Balloon Creations, Alberta, Canada made her beautiful Princess design using Qualatex® Chrome™️ 260Qs and the Chrome 7", she was completely blown away by the transformation of her original design. She knew instantly that these extra-special princesses would be a hit with her clients! 







"The versatility of the 7” chrome is amazing. It’s one of those balloons that I wonder how I got by without it.  It’s the perfect accent to any decor piece. They add the perfect amount of sparkle and shine and I love that you can get so many different sizes from one little balloon."




If you have had the opportunity to play with Chrome balloons, you know that they are much softer than regular latex, which makes them easier to manipulate. Check out the video below in which Jackie demonstrates how to make a beautiful distorted balloon heart using a 7" Purple Chrome balloon.

Rainbow Design by Sue Bowler CBA

I recently used these fabulous balloons to make this beautiful rainbow, or as I have renamed it - the #Chromebow Arch 

Everything rainbow will continue to be a hot trend for 2020 - which makes this elegant, yet joyful decor perfect for a birthday party or other special occasions!













As someone who absolutely adores colour, I love that we have the ability to create unique custom colours when we place a 7" Chrome balloon inside a 5" balloon. Although the fit is not perfect, it still works well!

70th Birthday Surprise Arrangement by Sue Bowler

Chrome balloons inside Jewel Tones is probably one of my favourite custom combinations. However, I have recently been using Chrome inside Pastel Pearls and that effect is striking too!  


The design on the left is an arrangement that I made for my brother-in-laws 70th birthday. I covered a round base with a Jewel Ombre Microfoil™️ balloon. I added a box, filled the box with lots of chocolate treats, then attached an assortment of Jewel-Chrome (another made up name) balloons, that spilled over from the box onto the base! To complete the design, I added Jelli balloons to make the number 70 and a few tiny gold bubbles!



If you would like to learn how to cover a base-board, check out my recent blog post: 

Fabulous NEW Jelli Balloons Design Inspiration - With Step-By-Step Design Instructions

Zoe Adam-Jones, CBA, of Jazz Training, Queensland, Australia, has really enjoyed developing designs and techniques with the new 7" Chrome size.

"I really like the versatility of 7” chrome. 

The introduction of this size is what inspired me to try the lace trim technique around foil balloons. I have always loved to pre-stretch 11” chrome and twist into organic bubbles, however the 7” size allowed me to create perfectly round bubbles to achieve a new level of detail on the trim. 

I also use this size inside Deco Bubbles. Chrome adds elements of class and sophistication to designs and the 7” size works really well in Bubbles."

Here are a few of Zoe's fabulous Bubble designs:

Happy Birthday Bubble Gold and Black by Zoe Adam-Jones

Father's Day Gift Hot Air Balloon Design by Zoe Adam-Jones

Alex Ventura, CBA, & Elle Ventura, CBA of Pacha Balloon Creations, Ontario, Canada are also passionate about the 7" Chrome balloons! 

"We love the wonderful 7" Chrome. It is just the perfect in-between size to make the impact required for the trends our industry currently creates. They are perfect for sculptures, classic decor, and organic style decor, they truly add that wow factor, and finishing touch to all of our designs!"

Here are some of Alex and Ellie's designs using their favourite balloons:  

The 7" Chrome balloon is proving to be the must-have balloon to accessories your designs! The more I work with them, the more excited I get! They truly transform my designs to a whole new level. If you have yet to use them I recommend that you give yourself time to play soon, especially as Christmas and New Year's Eve events are the next big ballooning events! 

A huge thank you to Jackie, Zoe, Alex and Ellie for sharing their ideas and beautiful creativity! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Inspiration for Under the Sea Theme Parties

Perfect for all ages, the "Under the Sea" theme remains one of the top design ideas for party decor.

Fabulous "Under the Sea" Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

For me, this is one of those themes that you can really let your creativity run wild. 

When I look for inspiration for theme parties, I often look at children books, one of my favourite being  "The Rainbow Fish".

"The Rainbow Fish written by Marcus Pfister was orgiginally published in German, but then later translated into English by J. Alison James. This book tells a story of a fish who, though he does not have rainbow scales, has still very colourful ones. He has very special scales — one that are silver and shiny."

Not only is this book incredibly charming, it is also beautifully illustrated with a fabulous palette of colours and lots of sparkle － which is also perfect for confetti-filled balloons! As soon as I saw the beautiful backdrop created by Luiz Carlos da Costa Silva of Cenário Balões, it immediately took me back the fabulous Rainbow Fish stories - remember, our job is not to just create decor but to also create the wonderful memories that it makes!

Beautiful entrance decor by Cenário Balões

Qualatex^® Chrome™️ Balloons, are perfect for this theme, featuring that stunning metallic shine. And that Chrome balloon mermaid tail is perfect in every way!




Did you know that we can take Chrome balloons to another level? Check out the Custom Colour chart to find out how to make some of these fabulous new colours using Chrome, Jewel Tone and Pastel Pearls that are rich, radiant and reflective - perfect for under the water theme decor. If you would like to download this chart, click on the link.

TIP: It's very easy to custom colour using 7" Chrome balloons with 5" Jewel Tones - although the 7" balloon is slightly bigger it will easily fit inside a 5" balloon.

This Quick Link^® base was designed for a window display that I designed for a Mermaid theme. I used a mix of under-sized Chrome and "Jewel Chrome", double-stuffed balloons as the fillers.










How cute is the "Party Narwhal" balloon (below) - I have to be honest, until I saw this balloon, I had never heard of Narwhals before!

Often dubbed the unicorns of the sea (and considered to be the closest that we will ever see to a living unicorn), narwhals are strange and beautiful creatures with long tusks protruding from their heads, like a unicorn.

Once again, the lovely Jackie Ochitwa waved her magic  wand and designed this adorable and extremely sellable 2nd birthday design - look at the fishtail on the number two balloon.The use of a 13" Crescent Moon balloon as a tail is so clever!











Mermaids are still really popular, and with a remake of Disney's Little Mermaid in the works, it will soon be the number one must have party decor for girls! Last year, Jackie very kindly shared her Mermaid balloon sculpture design with Balloon Magic, so just in case you missed it, I've included in this blogpost- thank you Jackie! 

Here are some of our special shape Microfoil^® Balloons that are perfect for this theme:

40" Party Narwhal
38" Enchanting Mermaid
35" Amazing Octopus
43" Fashionable Fish
30" Super Sea Star

To complete this inspirational blog post, I would like to share more remarkable under the sea installations. The incredible Cenário Balões team from Brazil was able to craft these outstanding octopuses.

Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

This is a theme that will always be popular! If you have a shop or store window, why not you let your creativity flow and give yourself the chance to see the reaction from your customers, and use your designs to inspire your online customers too! 

A huge thank you Luiz Carlos and his fabulous team for sharing some of their amazing work and to Jackie for her fabulous Mermaid video tutorial! 

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

UpClose and Personal with Jackie Ochitwa CBA

I was very excited to meet the very talented Jackie Ochitwa, CBA, of With A Twist Balloon Creations in Alberta, Canada, earlier this year when we shared the instructor's prep room at the World Balloon Convention in San Diego, California, USA. The prep room is one of my favourite places at a convention because you get to meet some truly lovely and very talented balloon artists. You also get to see all the amazing designs that they are teaching!

I am always intrigued to find out a little about the artist behind the balloons and their ballooning journey. So, I asked Jackie how she converted her former radio show host career into becoming an international balloon artist! 

Jackie Ochitwa, CBA.

"I continued my radio career until my second child was born, and I decided that it was important for me to stay home and raise my babies. So, that’s what I did.

My kids always loved balloons, even at a really early age. We brought them to a fair one summer, and there was a group of teenagers twisting swords and flowers for the little ones. We took the balloons home and the sword unraveled (as swords tend to do when a four year old plays with it). My son was so sad; I picked the balloon up and attempted to put it back together the best I could. The smile on my son’s face was priceless – it was then that I decided to look for a balloon twisting book at the library the next time we went. I mean, how hard could it be?"

What It Takes To Be An Instructor At The World Balloon Convention.

I am regularly asked, "What does it take to become an industry instructor?" In my mind, a good instructor is someone who has a skill, design style, or techniques that others are interested in seeing and learning, and secondly, that they have the ability to pass on their skills to others in a professional and competent manner. Having a good understanding of what makes a good instructor is essential. 

Potential instructors are often spotted through their skills as a balloon artist; maybe at a convention where they have entered and won competitions, and others through their everyday work and social media presence.

Being an industry instructor is no easy task. It can be pretty challenging at times, always nerve wrecking, but it can be very rewarding, too!



WBC instructors are approached about a year in advance of the event. They are asked to suggest potential class ideas. Once classes have been agreed, they have the arduous task of designing their 90-minute classes. Deciding on what to teach and show in those precious 90-minutes is vital to the success of the class. WBC delegates come from all over the world. This year, we had representation from 52 countries! Not all delegates speak English as a first language, so it's vital that whatever is taught must be visual enough for all delegates to fully understand. The instructors need to ensure that their classes are well prepared, action-packed with great content, informative, delivered according to the class level and the class description, and fun! And finally, their class notes and materials list, including everything that they need for their classes, are submitted approximately four months before the event!

Avital and Nir Schechter CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel.

This year, we had several first-time WBC Instructors. I thought it would be great to find out what Avital and Nir Schechter, CBA's of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel, and Jackie Ochitwa, CBA, of With a Twist Balloon Creations in Alberta, Canada, thought about their first World Balloon Convention! 

Avital and Nir Schechter
Was this your first time at WBC or have you been before as an attendee?
"This was our first time at WBC, and surely not our last! What an adventure, and what a great honor to be instructors at our first WBC. We couldn`t have asked for a better stage to make our classes at. Great opportunity, amazing people, and very good energies!" 

Were you apprehensive about teaching at WBC?
"Of course! Since it was our first WBC, we didn`t really know what to expect. So in order to be more confident about our classes, we made a lot of preparations so we could bring a perfect and well-organized class. The minute we saw all the nice and smiling faces of the attendees at the beginning of our classes, we knew that everything would be just fine. And luckily, we were right ☺  

How much time did it take you to prepare for your classes before arriving in San Diego?
"The preparations for our classes at WBC took over a year. It was an interesting process since we`ve tried to use our experience as delegates at conventions in order to bring practical, informative and useful class. It was very important to us to explore the designs of the classes in actual events, so we could answer all the possible answers and bring our experience to the class."

How do you feel that your classes went?
"In one word- amazing! In 5 words- can we do it again?! When we knew that our classes were fully booked few weeks before the convention, we were extremely excited, but also felt a lot of responsibility to prove the attendees that they made the right choice. The classes went so quickly. We enjoyed every minute. We would like to say thank you to all of the amazing staff of WBC that helped us so much behind the scenes. We would also like to say thank you to all of the attendees of our classes for making this experience so special for us. We were very touched by your great feedback and kind words, and we appreciate it so much."  

Selfie Mania - Design by Nir & Avital Schechter

What were your WBC highlights?
"Our WBC highlights were the parties, the competitions, and the classes. The parties - because of the opportunity to hang out with the most kind and talented people in the world. We didn’t want any party to end! The decor, the music, the dancefloor, the energies - you need to experience it in order to understand it. The competitions - because that’s where the top of the top of the balloon art is at. Watching the competitors making their creations was like attending 10 classes at the same time! It was very inspiring and mind-blowing. The classes - luckily, we had the chance to join few of the classes besides teaching ours and they were awesome. We can`t wait to implement what we`ve learned at the classes in our own business (and the notebook is a treasure!). "

What would you say to anyone considering attending WBC in the future?
"You have 2 years to save up money to WBC 2020 - start NOW! We've been in many conventions in the past, but nothing is compared to the experience we had at WBC. That`s the place to meet the superstars of the balloon world, to enjoy outstanding parties, and to attend classes that will pay back your investment by taking your business to the next level. Add to that the mind-blowing competition pieces (and your opportunity to show off your skills by attending the competitions), talented instructors and unique and electric energies - and you've got all the reasons why to attend WBC. We can't wait for the next one!"


Jackie Ochitwa

Jackie with delegate Shivani Chandhok from India

"I was very apprehensive about teaching at WBC. I was pretty new (incredibly new!) to the teaching world when I was asked.  I had just come home from my first big instructing job at FLOAT 2017 when I received an e-mail from Pioneer asking if I would teach at WBC 2018.  I couldn't believe it!  I was even more apprehensive after I saw the incredible line-up of teachers announced.  It was surreal to see my name grouped with Luc Bertrand, Alberto Falcone, and Sue Bowler.  Preparation for classes began almost immediately.  There were many deadlines to meet, and I was incredibly impressed at how well organized the event is.  It's a well-oiled machine from start to finish.  I sent in a number of possible class ideas and we settled on one.  From there, it was filling out forms for product and any additional equipment we would need.

"I was thankfully eased into my classes - the first four classes were taught alongside a number of incredibly talented balloon twisters.  David and Shana Brenion, and Nao Osaka, the Shechters from Israel (who are the cutest couple I have ever met), to name a few.  We made some adorable accessories for the upcoming Beach Party in one class and had a really fun jam session led by the Brenions for the other.  The day did eventually come for my two solo classes.  I was more nervous than I thought I would be.  I had done all the preparation I could have - I made an example piece that I was happy with.  There were so many people behind the scenes that were there to help out - Braden Meyer helped set up my classroom and was a beast in tracking down more (and more) inflators for the class to use.  I decided that we would have a standing, hands-on class, so a couple hours before the first one started we moved all the chairs out of the room and piled in as many tables as we could find.  I was hoping the students would be tired of sitting at this point and embrace standing - and they did!  A good friend Mandana Moshrefzadeh, was an angel and helped me through both my solo classes. I couldn't have done it without her.  The classes were fun, laid back, and the students were so keen to learn. They made it easy for me."

"One of my highlights from WBC 2018 was the instructor's prep room.  It sounds silly as it was not very glamorous and incredibly noisy and filled with panic at times.  It was also filled with silliness and music and a lot of comradery.  Instructors from Italy, Venezuela, Brazil, Japan, Belgium, Israel - so many language barriers, but we were all working towards the same goal.  I had so much support from everybody around me.  They made being a first-time instructor so much easier.  Everybody was so welcoming and there if I needed anything.

Jackie with fellow instructors, Nir and Avital Schechter, CBA's Nao Osaka,
Patty Jacobo, CBA, Nicole Greg, CBA, Shana and David Brenion, and Sean Rogers, CBA.

For anybody attending WBC in the future, I would say appreciate all the work that goes in behind the scenes.  I had no idea what it took to put on such a spectacular event, and I'm sure there is so much I didn't see.  I'm excited to go to my first WBC as an attendee and to see it from the other side.  Although I will miss the prep room."

I am really enjoying this first-time series of blogs from this year's World Balloon Convention. My final part (coming soon) will be from some first-time delegates and what they thought about their WBC experience.

A huge thank you to Avital, Nir, and Jackie for sharing their experience with us all!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com