1st Birthday Celebrations Part 1

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.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Hardy Photography

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.

© 2016 Carte Blanche Greetings Ltd ® cbg.co.uk

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.


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Can an unhappy customer be your key to success?

Guest blogger Jill Shortreed, CBA, of Charleston Balloon Company in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A. has a wealth of business experience. She enjoys  studying business books and engaging in online education seminars and classes to keep up-to-date. Jill has recently set up a new Facebook group called The Business of Balloons. This group is aimed at those who own and operate a business that sells balloon decor, retail balloons, balloon deliveries, or entertaining with balloons.

Jill shares her experience with us and explains how an unhappy customer can be your key to success.

‟All complaints have a similar theme – something that was supposed to happen did not. Something didn’t work(i.e., a balloon drop or a special effect.) You didn’t deliver on schedule, were late to set up, or missed a delivery. Your client’s expectations were not met; your client thought they were getting X, but you delivered Y.
By the time a customer is ready to contact you, they are upset and emotional. 
So how do you turn this around?

• Make your client feel heard, – Let the client vent; they deserve it. While it is only natural to get defensive, truly listen to their complaint and pick-up on nuggets of information that you can use to make them a loyal customer. 

• Do everything you can to delight your client. - Sometimes you cannot undo a problem, but there are ways you can find to make it up to your client. If you go slightly above what your unhappy client is expecting as a resolution, then it can go a long way into making them a repeat customer who will refer new business to you.

• Protect your Brand from negative mentions. - Before smart phones and social media, if a client had a complaint they called you or wrote you a letter. Now, it is easy for an unhappy client to damage your brand in a matter of seconds. So how do you handle this? Unresolved and ignored complaints tend to escalate. Respond promptly online and continue to update the situation so potential clients know that you care. This will go a long way and if the client leaves you negative feedback, you can try to balance it with a positive solution. Do not engage in an online argument with your client. This will just escalate and end badly for you with negative publicity.

• Build and maintain a positive reputation. – So what happens when your unhappy client is transformed into a satisfied one, or better yet, a thrilled one? They become more loyal than your best satisfied customer. Why? Because your satisfied customer received what they were supposed to receive from you. Your unhappy customer was hoping for a resolution that probably was not going to happen, and you delivered beyond what they were expecting. So you know that they will do? Tell everyone about their unbelievable story! There is nothing like unsolicited positive mentions to improve your brand – to me that is a win! 

• Welcome complaints as a way of improving your business. - If an unhappy client tells you about a problem, how many more have possibly experienced the same issue but haven’t said anything to you? When you incorporate complaints from your clients as a way of improving your business, you show your clients you care and help your business avoid the same issues in the future. Most clients will accept a human hiccup or occasional error; how you respond is what will distinguish you from your competitors.

So next time you have an unhappy customer, sincerely thank them for bringing this to your attention and take the appropriate action to turn this into a positive way to build your business.”

Jill Shortreed, CBA – Charleston Balloon Company 

A huge thank you to Jill for sharing her experience with the Very Best Balloon Blog! If you have not already found her group “The Business of Balloons,” I strongly recommend it, as it is a wealth of information and business support! 

Happy Ballooning!

Sue Bowler
www.suebowler.com

Maximise Your Sales for Father's Day!

Father's Day is right around the corner, giving us a great opportunity to promote and sell balloons and balloon related gifts for this special day!

Our target market is wives, mums, and children, and let's face it, choosing the right gift isn’t easy. Dads can be tricky to buy for. So what can you do to help them out, and make their choices easy, and the day special for fathers everywhere?



If you own a shop or store, create a fun and exciting window display that appeals to adults and children alike. Your window display is your silent salesperson who constantly promotes and creates many sales opportunities! Display what you want to sell; have a set number of predetermined design ideas that appeal to all budgets, remember, it might be a child spending their pocket money to buy a Father's Day gift.

Much like Valentine's and Mother's Day, many people leave buying their cards and gifts to the very last minute, so why not start a "Countdown to Father's Day" campaign? Use your social media channels and website to remind people that they only have X number of days to place their order. How about offering customers an incentive to pre-order their balloon bouquet or balloon gift design?

Learn How to Create Precision Bubbles to Add Value to Your Designs.

Adding small extra details to a design can really increase its value, but the cost to you can be minimal. One of my favourite accent details is to use a chain of precision bubbles, usually made from a 160Q or a 260Q, depending on the design. In this Mother's Day design, I used a chain of bubbles to accentuate the Microfoil^® balloon.

Balloons and the Great Outdoors

Outdoor Numbers by David Mahoney of Balloons Everyday,
Carrollton, TX, U.S.A.

Making outdoor decor is not the easiest job. It can bring all sorts of challenges —rain, wind, dirt, heat, 
cold, plus many other potential obstacles. With a little care and planning, we can overcome most of these.

There have been a number of great articles written about this subject in Images magazine and on Balloon HQ. We also discussed outdoor decor as part of a Round Table session at the 2016 World Balloon Convention, with some great information and tips being shared amongst the group. I was particularly drawn to comments and advice given in an article featured some years ago on Balloon HQ by Wynn Bell, CBA. I first met Wynn and his lovely wife Lindy at International Balloon Arts Convention (IBAC) 1997.  Their work was absolutely breathtaking,  they subsequently went on to win a number of 1st place awards for their large sculpture entries at successive IBACs. Wynn and Lindy’s inspired designs and elegant decor are regularly featured in Images magazine, even though Wynn has since retired from the balloon industry. I also received some great advice from David Mahoney of Balloons Everyday, Carrollton, TX, U.S.A. David and his team regularly install decor outside in all weather!

Soft, Elegant and Very Sophisticated - Qualatex® Balloons and Tulle

U.S Patent No. 6,782,675

Recently I had my first experience of working with a tulle covered balloon. I have seen so many beautiful photographs of this effect and wondered how easy it actually was to do. 

Save our balloons!

California is in the process of trying to ban sales of all foil/metallic balloons. 

This is serious folks!

This bill would totally ban the sale and use of helium-filled metallic balloons in the State of California, as of January 1, 2018.

•Selling and distributing balloons made of, or attached to, electrically conductive materials would be punished as follows:

–A first offence is punished as an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $250; and

–A second subsequent offence is punishable as a misdemeanour/criminal act.

•The bill will wreak economic havoc and possibly destroy hundreds of balloon and party businesses.

•Legislation in California can have a ripple effect on other states and will severely hurt anyone in the balloon business

22,000 jobs are dependent on balloon sales in California, and 60,000,000 foil balloons are sold annually in the state. Direct and indirect sales from balloons are estimated to be nearly $1.1 billion. (Source: http://www.theballooncouncil.org/take-action/)

If you live outside of California, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about or why balloons are such a big problem in California.

The issue all started over 30 years ago when the random release of helium-filled foil balloons caused some very serious power outages. Proponents of the ban suggest that balloon-related outages cost Californians millions of dollars each year, but they don’t provide much information on how they calculate that number.

In 1990 the California State Legislature passed SB 1990, a compromise bill supported by the balloon industry enacting a law to regulate the sales and use of helium-filled foil balloons. The law was passed in an effort to reduce power outages related to balloons.

In short, to be in accordance with the California Balloon Law and reduce electrical power incidents, all retail shops that sell balloons should follow the guidelines below:

• Weight all helium-filled foil balloons.

• Tie all ribbons to the weight so if they are released they will float away individually. DO NOT tie ribbons together before attaching to weight. Tie them to the weight with one knot each.

• Do not use metallic ribbon with helium-filled balloons.

The balloon industry has promoted these standards throughout the world, and it is working to ensure these Smart Balloon Practices are known and implemented by everyone who sells balloons.

In 2008, the issue resurfaced and a California legislator proposed to ban the sale of all foil balloons by the year 2010, once again due to the claimed increased number of power outages. An opposition grassroots campaign, “Save Our Balloons,” was set up by florists, special events planners, and small businesses to fight this new bill. Once again, due to the strong opposition, a compromise bill was passed. Because of the state’s financial crisis, the governor vetoed all “non-essential” bills and the California Balloon Law has remained the same since 1990.

So here we are again, faced with the same frightening ban that could truly affect our industry worldwide!

 So what can we do?

Party decor fit for a princess!

 

Pretty dresses, crowns, magical wands, fairies, and even frogs! There are lots of fun ideas for us to use to create a magical "princess party".

Anne McGovern, CBA, of Elegant Balloons in New York, U.S.A. captures the essence of this theme perfectly with her princess, centrepiece designs using the 18" ‟Princess Tiara” Microfoil^® balloon, dressed with tulle & feathers!

I designed this fun princess castle entrance backdrop for a photo shoot to promote the Rachel Ellen - Birthday Princess range of balloons and partyware. 

The colours are vibrant and bold. For this decor, I used Caribbean Blue, Pink, and Wild Berry as these colours complimented the balloon and party range perfectly! 

I have also made a version of the lovely ‟Birthday Princess” that stands approximately 4ft tall (1.2m).

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!

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!

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.

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

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

"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.

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.