Hello Tonya, Looking through your pdf files you emailed to me & I very much like how practicle your hat designs are. The cow & the elephant are my two favourite

Daniel

I just put this review on the chit chat thread so thought I'd better put it up here as well;

Tonya McNeill, class notes have some really nice & cute designs on them and a bargain at only $20 for the 10 designs because she also shows an extra 12 designs with no instructions but made with the same technique.
I very much liked the Giraffe, elephant and cow from the explained section and think the cow would look well funky with adding some udders to it
And from the extra 12 designs shown the Monkey, Santa and Frog are really nice with a special mention for the Zebra as this is one that can be difficult to make but looked good on the CD. It looked very much like the horse instructions with some added artwork, so a good buy when you see there are over 20 designs.
I think you would need to know the basic twists etc as not all the instructions are in picture form and step by step but they are all written down on the pdf file so the cd is fairly easy to follow for the basic twister.

Thanks Daniel & Graham,
I'm glad you liked them. A quick correction though, the CD is only $15.00 if emailed, $18.00 if you want a hard copy shipped in the US.
But hey, they can send the $20.00 if they really want to

8, What’s your favourite thing to make at the moment? Actually, my favorite at the moment (since I just learned it at T&S) are Patrick's birds. I make them every chance I get.

9, What is the most asked for model? It changes frequently, but for the moment, for boys: T-Rex, Puppies, and bow & arrow. For girls: Kitties, Mermaids or Fairies and Monkeys.

10, What do you tend to do more of if stuck in the 'balloon production line' model? Puppies, kitties, or bow & arrows

11, Who is your market aimed at? It's not specifically aimed at anyone. It's aimed at everyone that loves balloons!

12, What kind of work do you do mostly - parties? Corporate? Etc
I do a lot of sculpture deliveries for all occasions, but I also twist for birthday parties and am down to one weekly restaurant that I work at.

13, What is your favourite/ideal gig to do? Again, it's anywhere that they don't expect me to be a "balloon making machine". I like to take a little extra time and play and create at the moment.

14, What irritates you most at a gig? Dealing with rude, impatient and demanding people.

15, How do you book yourself?

I get many bookings from the restaurant I work at, and from word of mouth. And giving out lots of cards where ever I go.

16, What’s the biggest thing you’ve ever made?

Well, there are two answers that I could give. The largest single item I've made, is a David Grist type car to wear for a parade. But, it was too large and I had to put in on top of my Ford Sport Trac for the parade. (That was my first "big" thing.) Since then, I've made lots of large "scenes". When I had my storefront, I made several different window displays, and I participated in the large sculpture competition at DJ 2008.5, making a 3 little pigs scene (minus one pig), with the big bad wolf hiding behind a tree.

17, What has been your proudest achievement in our wonderful world of twisted latex?

hmmm, I think my proudest achievements are when I convince myself to do anything out of my "comfort zone". (example, doing the large sculpture competition, teaching the "mini class" as Twist and Shout, making the Adjustable Hats CD) These are things that I never would have DREAMED about doing, let along actually doing them. I have some good friends that kick me in the rear to do things like that. No matter how scary they are.

18, What advice would you give to someone starting out, or wanting to increase their business?

Don't be afraid to try new things. You never know where it will lead. And if you are just starting out, don't let anyone convince you that you are wasting your time, or that you CAN'T do it. I was told that many times when I first started. Luckily, I didn't listen

19, What road in latex do you see yourself taking in the future?

I would like to do more teaching, maybe even starting basic classes in my area, and educating more people in the "ART" of balloons.

20, What is your personal goal when you set off to work? Is it money or to entertain etc?

hmmm...actually, I think my personal goal is really neither of those. My personal goal is to make at least 1 new figure everyday. I may never use the design I make, but it helps keep things fresh.

21, What are your balloon goals for the future?

I basically answered in question 19. My only other goal is to get more CDs done.

22, If you could start all over again, would you change anything?

No, I don't think I would. I'm happy with what I've done. I think any decisions I've made both good and bad, have helped me to be where I am today.

23, How would you like the future of balloon modelling to develop?

I don't really have an answer for that at this time...I'll have to think about that and get back to it.

24, Who's the most famous person you have made a balloon creation for?
Unfortunately, I have not had an opportunity to make a balloon creation for a famous person yet.

25, How do you keep the enthusiasm going & what still excites you about our great world of latex?
Seeing all the new people joining the balloon community excites me. Watching balloons grow as they have, it means there are going to be many new, wonderful ideas coming about soon.



26, What inspires or is your thought process in coming up with a new design?
Being a part of these balloon forums is wonderful. Seeing what others post gives me tons of ideas. The other thing is when I do sculptures for birthday parties, I tell people that I will never duplicate a sculpture. I will make something similar, but will never do it exactly the same way. It challenges me to try different ways to make the same thing. I think it's important to do that, otherwise you get stuck in a rut, making the same thing all the time.

Who would you most like to make a balloon model for and why? What would you make them ?

Tonya how long have you had your shop and can you post a picture of it?
Does it bring in lots of foot traffic?

You have the last 3 balloons in the world... what would you make?

I have this one, and LOVE it. Tonya are you going to be at T&S 2010 - I am going to that one...

okay, Professor T Wist, you asked: Who would you most like to make a balloon model for and why? What would you make them ?

This was a really tough question for me to answer. I tried to think of a famous actor/actress, a world leader, singer, or anyone that I would really like to make a balloon for, and I came up blank. The only answer I could come up with is, I would like to make a balloon for any child in any place that has NEVER seen a balloon model before. I would love to watch their little face light up and watch their expressions while I'm creating something cool for them. As far as what it would be, I guess it would have to be something from whatever part of the world they were in so they would know what it was...lol.

Graham, you wanted to see a picture of my shop. Please keep in mind I was busy yesterday, and it's kind of a mess please. It is small, more of just a "work space" anymore, not like the storefront I used to have. But it works for what I need. I used to have a storefront, but I had to keep the window full of balloons all the time, and in the summer the sun was so hot I had to replace them on a daily basis it seemed. So I moved into an office space instead.
And no, I do not get a lot of walk in traffic, I didn't get much in the storefront either, except for people that expected "free balloons". It drove me crazy. Being in the office is great because I have a "hair free" place to work (I have 2 dogs at home). I have a place to keep my balloons not at home (I am obsessive about balloons if I have them at home), and it's a convenient place for people to come in and pay me, or pick up sculptures so I don't have to deliver them.


Martin, you asked, You have the last 3 balloons in the world... what would you make?

that is another super tough question. I would probably attempt the "crueller flower" one last time, and then make a simple balloon dog or something with the last one cause the first two popped...lol.

Twysted Kreations you asked if I was going to be at T&S in 2010.
I am going to do my best to be there, hopefully to teach a class (keep you fingers crossed for me please).