Hi all,

I'm just starting out in the world of balloon decor, hoping eventually to earn some sort of living from it. I've been searching t'internet and found several useful techniques, which I've practised, and I appear to have got the hang of them. So far, so good!

The problem arose when I experimented with making a square-packed column! :x

I can't seem to blow the large and small balloons to the correct sizes so that they nest together properly, and I was wondering if there's a table of values, or a formula of some kind which would solve the problem :?:  :?:  :?:

Any help would be gratefully received.

Cheers,

Steve

Hi Steve

I usually inflate the larger ones to 10" and the smaller clusters to 7".  Both use 11" balloons though.

Hello Steve!

This one is 7" and 9" using 11" balloons, and a "party top".
I am sure there are many ways to make it though, for the look you want!

Hi,

Thanks for the replies, might have to try again using the sizes you both mentioned. Liked the 'party-top', makes a nice change from a single large balloon. The reason I'm trying to make square-packed stuff is this picture...[attachment=0:2wvc5oyt][/attachment]birthday.jpg[/attachment:2wvc5oyt]My niece found it and wants some for her upcoming birthday party! She can't remember where she found the picture though (typical :roll: ), and it didn't have dimensions, etc. I tried using several combinations of sizes, and it just looked AWFUL!!!

Cheers,

Steve

Hi Steve

The picture is a Chris Horne picture of his Amscan portfolio range.. And in it they are using 11" balloons inflated to 9 or 10" and 5" balloons inflated to 4"..

If you are looking to earn a living from decor, there are many training courses available to help with the best techniques of doing the work.  Believe me I tried doing it myself when I first started, the training advice works.

Pam
xx

Thanks a lot Pam, it was the small balloons I was having the most grief with. Better get some more 5"-ers and have another bash

picture does not show but both rows are 4 balloon clusters

Pam
xx

Hi again Steve

By all means use 5" balloons for the smaller clusters, but personally I'd go for 9 or 11" just underinflated as the balloons have much less pressure on/in them and are a lot more robust than say a 5" inflated to 4".

Quote from: "Pam Pearce"there are many training courses available to help with the best techniques of doing the work

I absolutely agree with Pam on this - apart from learning the correct way to do things from the experts before you pick up bad habits, often there are little nuggets of info, tips and tricks imparted by these guys that you simply can't get from looking at a picture.

Finally, and I don't mean it to be patronising in any way at all, like everything on the internet there are some great examples, and some, er, not so good.  Again, a professional training course will help with the 'right' way to do things.

I'd recommend any Qualatex run course, NABAS approved trainer course or buying the Qualatex QBN DVDs.  Actually, I'd recommend all three!  

--Neil

I did the Qualatex fundamentals course, it was well worth it! I started my own training on Youtube but this gave me lots of tips and made me feel more professional.

I also have been working my way through the Qualatex training. It has some excellent information even though it is a bit propagandistic at times.

Ive just completed the 3 qualatex dvds/exams and found them useful in a number of areas such as pricing etc but a bit too 'american' for me at times!  Definetly do a training course (NABAS) as this will give you a flying start and the confidence you need at the beginning.  One thing ive found extremely useful is the conwin series of videos - these cover a wide variety of topics in balloon decor in more detail than the qualatex dvds. The Phil Horne 'wedding in a box' is my favourite - full of usable ideas.  You sometime see these come up on ebay and are defiinetly worth getting hold of (there are 2 different sets that i know of -  one has 8 videos and the other has 4 videos)

Should it be Christopher Horne?

Yes...

xx

Thanks Graham/Pam,  it is indeed Christopher Horne (not sure how i came up with Phil!). For anyone interested, heres thre list of tapes in the sets :-

8 video set
1. beginners guide
2. classic decor
3. bridal fairs
4. beautiful balloon weddings
5. wedding workshop (this is the Christopher Horne video, also available a a 2 video set)
6. balloon canopies
7. themes and dreams
8. selling the magic

4 video set
1. romantic decor for elegant weddings
2. romantic centerpiece design
3. special effects for spectacular weddings
4. enchanting extras for the complete wedding