Zany Zebra Party Animal - a quick and easy design that is perfect for children and children's parties!

I love to create something that takes me only a matter of a few minutes to make! 

This adorable Zebra took me less than 5 minutes and by using the Premium Balloon Accessories Candy Bouquet weight at the base we can truly add value to our design. 

Simply fill the weight with sweets and candy and we have now created the perfect gift or party favour!

Zany Zebra Party Animal - design created by Sue Bowler CBA

Have you ever wondered what it is like to take part in a competition? Part 3 continues our fantastic journey with more great personal stories and a little insight as to what a 'twister' can gain from attending WBC!

I am very excited to introduce my next two contributors Bram Parola from Belgium and Jill Shortreed from South Carolina, USA.

We're going to start with Bram Parola, Bram's competition experience was very different from our other contributors,  his adventure did not take place in the competition room, in fact he had not planned to compete at WBC until he entered the Jam Room!

 Bram Parola - Ballonplooien.net

Bram Parola

Have you ever wondered what it is like to take part in a competition? Part 2 continues our journey with more great personal stories and experiences from WBC 2014

Competitions are a quintessential element of any balloon convention, the opportunity to see balloon artistry at it's very best! 

For delegates & Instructors attending, the public visiting and those who see the photographs posted on Facebook and in Balloon Images magazine, we are in awe of what we see! Balloons that come to life and take on the form of an amazing sculpture, beautiful dresses and hats, inspiring centrepieces and deliveries and columns unlike you have ever seen before, there is no end to the creativity and exciting techniques demonstrated.

For those who enter the competitions, they have had months of planning and preparation and in many cases they have also worked hard to secure a team of willing balloon artists who's help is invaluable to assist the designer/s to build their vision!

Mike & Sara Harris have very kindly shared their WBC 2014 competition journey...

Mike & Sara Harris - For Every Occasion, Rhyl, Wales

Sara & Mike Harris

At WBC 2014 we entered the Large Sculpture Competition and the Balloon Column Competition.

We were persuaded (or rather Mike was!) by Michelle Comerford from Pioneer Europe during an alcohol infused conversation at BACI 2013!!  I was then informed on his return what ‘we’ had agreed to do!!

Part 1. Have you ever wondered what it's like to take part in a competition? Here's what some of our WBC competitors say...

Have you ever thought about entering an industry competition but for one reason or another decided not to?

As both a past competitor and occasional judge I am extremely passionate about competitions, I believe that everyone in the balloon industry benefit greatly from the skills, creativity & diversity demonstrated by those who take part in each of the categories!

So what does it take to enter a competition? 

On my return from the World Balloon Convention, I asked if anyone who had taken part in any of the competitions would be happy to share their experience with The Very Best Balloon Blog and I was overwhelmed by the response that I received! 

Teri Stokes - Happy Heart, Kingwood, Texas

Teri Stokes with her winning medal and award! Congratulations to Teri!

No Bake Cupcakes! A fun and easy display that will certainly get your customers talking!

Recently I created a display of balloon 'cupcakes' to add into a window display that I designed for Qualatex at this years Spring Fair.

Hello Kitty Display created by
Sue Bowler CBA

The aim of the display was to attract attention to the display and the new Qualatex balloons being featured, but it also stimulated many conversations with potential customers looking at the displays... how much better to open a conversation with "they're really fun, and calorie free"! Rather than with the usual "can I help you" opening line!

With Mothers Day and Easter fast approaching, it's time to get creative and make some exciting and fun displays to promote these great events!

To make the cupcakes is really very easy and with beautiful cake cases and cardboard display stands you can re-create this lovely display in just a few minutes!

Easy Step by Step on how to create a 5-Balloon Cluster Garland...

I know that when I first started making garlands especially when using 5-balloon clusters I use to get into a bit of a pickle, trying to hold down the balloons, keep the balloons flat and getting the garland tight enough, so that it did not just fall apart or pop out of shape!

So, here is a very easy step by step clip that will show you how you can do it and take away all the stress!

How to create your own Facebook cover photo using PicMonkey Photo Editor

Creating a good image for our business is vital to social media success! 

Our Facebook page is our showroom, window or portfolio and is not a market place like ebay!

Creating the right image can be achieved through your cover photo! I created the above cover photo yesterday to see what reaction it got and I was very impressed at how many positive comments I received!