Friday, April 29, 2016

Ballerina party decor ideas for girls birthdays and Bat Mitzvah's.

Being a ballerina is a dream for many little girls, so having a ballerina party is a must! 



18" ‟Birthday Girl Ballerina”
© Rachel Ellen Designs Ltd 
www.rachelellen.co.uk 
Licensed by KJG Ltd
 

This Rachel Ellen 18" ‟Birthday Girl ballerina” Microfoil® balloon is so very pretty.


I made my own little version of this beautiful design created by Rachel Church - click on the link to find out more about the designer behind Rachel Ellen balloons! Rachel was a professional ballet dancer, so this balloon is very special to her!






Monday, April 25, 2016

Are we allowed to reproduce trademarked characters and logos?
















With the 2021 Olympics in Japan only a matter of a few months away, I am sure that we will see a fabulous range of balloon decor and designs to celebrate this awesome world sporting event. I am sure that in many cases it will be a replication of the Olympic rings. I recently did an image search on the internet using the keywords  Olympic, Rings, Balloons, and the page filled with many different interpretations of this iconic symbol made with balloons. 

So, my question is, are we legally allowed to reproduce trademarked characters and logos such as the Olympic rings?

The 2012 Olympics were held in London, U.K. There were several reported cases of small businesses getting into trouble by the Olympic committee. A florist was asked to remove "tissue paper" rings from her shop window. A butcher who had created a sign depicting the Olympic rings as sausage links was told that if he did not remove his sign that he would get into a lot of trouble. Even an elderly lady who had embroidered the Olympic rings onto a doll's outfit to sell for charity was informed that it would be against the law for her to sell it!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

When did you last change your passwords? Protect yourself from cyberattacks!

What did we do before the internet! We are all becoming more internet-based, selling online and advertising our businesses.


The internet brings huge business opportunities and benefits, but it brings risks, too. Every day there are cyberattacks on companies, attempting to steal information and money, or disrupt a business. It is increasingly important that we manage these risks to take advantage of the internet whilst protecting our business.

Safety essentials checklist:
  • Download software updates. The timing of these updates are always when we are our busiest, but they are so very important as they often contain vital security upgrades. So don't delay, update today!
  • Use strong passwords using numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters and symbols. See the YouTube clip below for some really great tips.
  • Delete suspicious emails. If an email looks suspicious, don't even open it; just delete it immediately. If it appears to be from a friend, just message that friend and ask them if it's safe to open. In most cases you will find that your friend's email account has been hacked!
  • Use an anti-virus software. For free antivirus software, check out moneysavingexpert.com
  • Train your staff.
I found this great YouTube clip about password safety. In only 5 minutes it explains exactly what you need to do to have the safest passwords. T his might be the best 5 minutes you have ever spent.



Thursday, April 7, 2016

Circus-Themed Decoration For Kids Parties





I recently wrote an article, ‟Birthday Under the Big Top,” that was featured in the Design Inspiration section of the Jan/ Feb/ Mar 2016 edition of Images magazine.



The colours and vibrancy of these new circus balloons are just stunning. Perfect for any age and ideal for both boys and girls, too!





36" ‟Big Top Circus Lion”
#25234
#25239 (pkgd.)
11" ‟Big Polka Dots Colourful Assortment”
#10240 (50 ct.)





‟Polka-Dotted Circus Surprise.”

This is a really effective and simple to reproduce balloon arrangement. Coordinating the new 36" ‟Big Top Circus Lion” with the fabulous 11" ‟Big Polka Dots Colourful Assortment” is an absolute winner! 



















For a truly fun and exciting entrance, how about creating this ‟Circus Parade Arch.” The fantastic ‟Wavy Stripes” Quick Link balloons™ are just perfect with the pedestal bases and the 22" ‟Circus Parade” Bubble Balloon®

U.S Patent No. 6,782,675





Friday, April 1, 2016

Ice Cream Theme Party Decor Ideas! - Updated August 2020


The great thing about this exciting theme is all the wonderful Qualatex® balloons and the fabulous colours that we can use! 



Tanya Joselowsky, CBA - The Pop in Johannesburg, South Africa






Here are some fabulous ice cream-themed centrepiece ideas created by Tanya Joselowsky.

Everything coordinates at this party, from the balloons to the chair covers and table napkins. It looks fun, exciting, and very professional. Great job, Tanya!









Tanya uses ‟Big Polka Dots” and SuperAgates to give her decor that  ‟sprinkles and swirls” effect.























I love the idea of the upside-down ice cream cone.







Have you been watching "Happy Hour" with Cam Woody, CBA, and Eve Antonello, CBA? They recently created some super 'cool' Ice Cream designs! Happy Hour is a weekly Live show that can be viewed at 1:00pm CST on Mr Q's Facebook Page or over on Instagram at @eveantonellocba! If you miss it, never fear, you can always catch-up afterwards on either of these platforms.

Eve Antonello and Cam Woody




If you would like to learn how to make these fabulous design check out the video below! 




Here are some great ice cream-themed Microfoil® balloons in the Qualatex range! 


Rainbow Swirl Ice Cream - available in 14" and 45"







I love this delivery arrangement that features the new Rainbow Swirl Ice Cream, with the fabulous new 11" Colourful Dots latex and the 18" Birthday Rainbow Dots Microfoil balloon.













I love this window display deigned by Luc Bertrand, he incorporates a great selection of balloons that compliment each other very well to create this exciting design! 

Design by Luc Bertrand



How about this cool - almost good enough to eat - "Sweet Treat" delivery! Using the 22" "Birthday Frozen Treats" Bubble balloon is the perfect topper for this great design! 












30" "Rainbow Poop Sparkles"
#97534



A huge thank you to Tanya, Cam, Eve and Luc for sharing their wonderful creativity and inspiration with the Very Best Balloon Blog!

Happy Ballooning!
Sue

www.suebowler.com
Follow me on Instagram @suebowler


Tuesday, March 29, 2016

"Ship ahoy!" - Pirate theme party ideas.

40" ‟Pirate Ship” 
# 11813
#16439 (pkgd)



Designing decor for children's parties can be so much fun! Creating magical memories that you know will last for many years is one of the best things about our job!


All little boys love pirates and pirate parties.
The ‟Pirate Ship” Microfoil® is a fantastic balloon. It works really well for decor and centrepiece design, too!






I love this ‟Arrrgh, A Birthday Buccaneer!” centrepiece deign that is featured in the Qualatex® Balloon ideas section on www.Qualatex.com.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Creating a woodland-themed window or decor with some lovely balloon creatures!

When I first saw the new 37" ‟Enchanted Tree in Bloom” Microfoil® balloon, I was very excited to see all the wonderful, different elements featured on this balloon. When I was asked to create a window display around this theme, I found it pretty easy!

People often ask me how I find my inspiration In many instances it's really easy; just look at the balloons you are working with and draw from them.

This balloon has so many exciting features; a tree, flowers, butterflies,  a snail, a caterpillar and a toadstool.
Window display by Sue Bowler, CBA.



Starting with the tree and looking at the proportions, the tree's trunk it quite thick.  I decided to use 6-balloon clusters, working with under-inflated 11" and 5" Chocolate Brown latex balloons, which I think worked really well. To make the top part of the tree, I added 11" and 5" Lime Green 4-balloon clusters to give the tree the correct height, and then added in 3-balloon clusters of Lime Green latex balloons to fill out the tree to give it a finished look. Just keep on adding the clusters until you are happy with the result. It takes a while until it starts to look like a tree!

I then added in twisted balloon flowers using the same colours as shown on the "Enchanted Tree in Bloom" balloon.