In Part 1 of this two-part video tutorial, I demonstrate how to create the perfect frame for this super cute "Baby Moon" design. For a direct link to this video, click HERE. Here is a reminder of the materials and equipment that you will need to make the frame:
Frame Material and Equipment List:
1 x 3m length - 6mm or 1/4" Aluminium Rod
Pipe or Bolt Cutters
Gaffa or Duct Tape
Pipe Bender if you have one but it's not essential
NOT (Lamp) Base - this is an inexpensive IKEA (lamp) product that many balloon professionals use to support designs.
NOT (Lamp) Pole x 1 (If you don't have access to an IKEA NOT Base and Pole you will need to find a good, similar alternative.)
White Floral Quick Drying Spray Paint
String or ribbon to measure
Circular Template - such as a hoop
Balloon Material List - you can change the balloon colours to suit your client's needs.
5" Pearl White - optional, but it does give a slightly different textural look to the plain white
5" Diamond Clear - approximately 10
7" Chrome Gold - approximately 10
260Q Chrome Gold - approximately 15
260Q Pink - 4-5
Other items:
Gold Metallic Confetti
Ultra Hi-Float - I use the NEW Mini Bottle - 148ml (5oz) as the nozzle is perfect for using with 5" and 260Q balloons
Premium Twin-Air Sizer II Balloon Inflator - this will help you naturally size your balloons using the "10th's of a second" timer adjustment. While you can use any inflator to make this design, I use the Twin-Air as it makes the sizing of the balloons very easy!
Castration Pliers - to stretch open the 5" balloons
You may also want to use a few Uglu Dashes when connecting the foil balloon and pink ribbon for a nice finishing touch!
I hope that you have enjoyed learning how to make this beautiful baby design, and I wish you every success making and selling this design in the future!
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. 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.
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.
There is nothing quite as exciting as the impending arrival of a new baby for both the parents and families alike. A new baby opens the door of opportunities for balloon businesses, starting with baby showers. These have been popular in the US for a number of years, but are a growing trend in other countries, too. Decor for baby showers can have a theme, especially if the gender of the baby is already known.
Decor by Sue Bowler, CBA
Baby Shower Moon & Stars
I love the "Baby Moon and Stars", and the "Baby Dots" range. Both are simply perfect for creating beautiful decor for baby showers, newborns, and for first birthday's too!
Baby Girl Dots #55388
Last year, I had the honour to decorate a baby shower for Becca Gaines of Pioneer Balloon Company. This was my first baby shower and I wanted the decor to be fun but elegant, too!
Choosing a range of balloons to work with helped me to select my colour palette and other balloons to complement the decor that I had designed.
Decor by Sue Bowler, CBA
For the decor, I chose to make two main focal designs: a balloon wall and a small table Arch that sat over the "treats" table. The balloon wall set the scene in the room. It made the perfect backdrop, great for photo opportunities, and it really helped to bring together all the other decor. The table Arch framed the treat table perfectly.
The lovely Becca Gaines Decor by Sue Bowler, CBA
Design by Nir and Avital Schechter
It’s going to be a royal year in the U.K. this year, starting with the impending arrival of a new Royal baby in April! Anything to do with the Royal family creates a fabulous marketing opportunity. I hope that retailers don’t miss out and build this and the other Royal events into their seasonal marketing - I am looking forward to seeing some fabulous window displays!
Design by Nir and Avital Schechter
Design by Nir and Avital Schechter
Nir and Avital Schechter, CBA’s, of Baloney Nir in Katzrin, Israel, have the magic touch when it comes to baby designs, and have created some truly fabulous decor that would be perfect for any baby Prince or Princess!
Design by Nir and Avital Schechter
Design by Dante Longhi
Here are a few more of my favourite baby decor designs. The new Baby Footprints Deco Bubble is such a fabulous balloon. It can be enhanced by adding a message balloon inside or by personalising with vinyl lettering. Dante Longhi, CBA, of Dream Factory Decor in New Jersey, USA, uses a fabulous weave technique to create a stylish column. He re-enforces the "Baby Footprints" by adding cut-out footprints to his design.
To learn how to create this weave, watch the "How to Make A Sweet Baby Balloon Centrepiece" video clip below.
Design by Tina Giunta
Tina Giunta, CBA, of Shivoo Balloons in Melbourne, Australia, creates this fabulous Welcome Baby arrangement and uses twisted160Q balloons to spell “BABY” - so simple but so effective. I love it! Below is another of Tina’s adorable creations. I love her use of balloons and textures in this design.
Design by Tina Giunta
Marketing Tips Plan your Instagram baby campaign. There are some fabulous photographs available on the Qualatex® website (including all these featured in this post). QBN members can log in to download hi-resolution photographs, perfect for your website and other marketing opportunities. Plan your window display. Any time is good for a baby window display. However, April might be a good month to create an eye-catching Royal baby theme display. Statistically, more babies are born in September than any other month of the year (work that one out), so again this is always a good month for a baby display. Update your website. When was the last time you made changes to or updated your website? Google and other search engines are stimulated by changes and therefore website activity is always good. And, QBN members, don't forget to download this fantastic poster!
And check out this trending post - 130 Million Opportunities to Grow Your Business Each Year - packed with some great baby information, gender reveal parties, and some fabulous tips from Nir and Avital Schechter. Happy Ballooning! Sue www.suebowler.com
I cannot believe that it is my adorable baby granddaughter's first birthday! A baby's first birthday is a real milestone and a great opportunity to create some wonderful memories.
There are some very interesting birthday traditions in a number of countries, and having a lavish affair for a baby's first birthday is becoming more popular, which many liken to a mini wedding! A baby ‟cake smash” is a more recent trend that began in the U.S. and is trending in the U.K. Families will give the birthday child a small cake of their own to literally smash their way through it! I think that this wonderful photograph by Sarah Hardy says it all!
30" Tickled Tiger #16189
In China, it is believed that tigers protect children. On a child's first birthday, family members and relatives usually bring many tiger-themed gifts.The parents will also place their child in the centre of many symbolic objects, such as coins, a calculator, dolls, and other trinkets that encircle the baby. It is believed that the first gift the child chooses represents their future career path.
Singing is an integral part of the traditional Mexican first birthday celebration ritual in which the family sings songs wishing the baby great blessings in life.Parents will also hang a piñata over the baby that is filled with sweet treats such as candy, cookies, and cakes. When the piñata is cracked open, the baby is showered in sweets!
Japan is very well known for strongly preserving its unique cultural traditions. Traditionally, Japanese culture did not celebrate birthdays. Japanese people thought everyone became older on New Year’s Day rather than the day of their birth, which is part of the reason why New Year’s is such a big holiday in Japan.
In fact, it wasn’t until around 1950 that Japan began to celebrate birthdays in the Western sense. While birthday cakes are present in most celebrations today, many Japanese parents prefer rice cakes commonly known ‟mochi.”
There are many wonderful opportunities for us to offer the perfect decor for this very precious occasion. There are so many great Qualatex® balloons to choose from. I love the Number One Microfoil® balloons, including the Pink Hearts and Blue Stars. There are so many fantastic designs that we can create with them! Anne McGovern, CBA, of Elegant Balloon in New York, U.S.A. created this super design using the 38" ‟Sapphire Blue Number One” Microfoil balloon on a pedestal made from a Pale Blue 646Q balloon with the fabulous 11" ‟Big Stars” in Dark Blue and Pale Blue. And as a finishing touch, she added a few 4" Sapphire Blue Microfoil stars!
U.S. Patent No. 6,782,675 No. 6,758,71
What could be more perfect than this very pretty 1st Birthday column design made from a base of 11" ‟1st Baby Circles Hearts — Girl” and 5" White balloons topped with the 38" ‟Number One Pink Hearts” Microfoil balloon and 22" ‟Disney Minnie Mouse 1st Birthday” Bubble Balloon?
I love these personalised columns by Debbie O'Neil, CBA, of Wow Balloons in South Benfleet, U.K. They really show how we can add even more value to these wonderful designs.
U.S. Patent No. 7,121,915
Jacqui Young, CBA, of Classic Touch Balloons in Wishaw, Scotland, shows us her beautiful centrepiece design using the wonderful braid technique as demonstrated by Tina Giunta, CBA, of Shivoo Balloons in Victoria, Australia.
To find out how to create this wonderful braid just watch the video below!
Check out the great Design Inspiration article, ‟Catch Baby Fever,” by Tina Giunta in Images magazine April/May/June 2016. I really like this 1st Birthday balloon bouquet with the 22" ‟Disney Mickey Mouse 1st Birthday” Bubble Balloons, and the 11" ‟Birthday Circle Stars—Boy.”
What I really love about this Bubble Balloon is that there are so many different Qualatex balloons that we can coordinate with it! Look at the detail on the balloon; you will see stars, polka dots, and much more. A great way to get our creativity flowing! Here are a few more lovely 1st Birthday bouquet design ideas using coordinating Qualatex balloons.
In Part 2 of this blog, we will look at children's birthday party decor on a grand scale. Happy Ballooning! Sue www.suebowler.com Please note that not all of these balloons are available in all territories. Please check with your local Qualatex distributor.
