I've been playing around with some bases for displays.  These 2 bases use GEO blossoms.  The first one (momma duck and duckling) uses 2 - 6" GEO blossoms connected with a 260.   The second one (Momma Goose) uses 3 - 6" GEO blossoms connected with 3 - 260 pinch twists.  

I'm really liking the additional attachment points and the ease in which the bases go together.   Hope ya'll like them too.
Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

Good morning. These are the instructions for a 160 snowflake.  

Supply list: 4 white 160s.

Both Qualatex and Betallic/Sempertex users will need to stretch the first 160 really well both before inflation and after.

Good morning ya'll,

I got my first "lick" Friday while at my Friday restaurant.  That sounds so funny, and it was at the time too. I was asked to make a guy a special hat without the guy's knowledge so I decided on the Rolling Stones Hat (big set of lips with a huge tongue sticking out).  The person who made the request tipped me in advance.  

I made the hat while at another table, then walked up to the unsuspecting guy and said, "I was told you would just loooove wearing one of my hats so I chose my favorite hat of all just for you."  Then I smiled, wiggled the hat up and down, and said, "By the way, you gotta be careful about nodding to people while wearing this hat.  Not everyone appreciates the invitation."  Then I placed the hat on him amid lots of laughter from everyone around us, watched him turn beet red, and then I walked away.  

About 10 minutes later the guy who received the hat came up to me and used the hat to lick my face, laughed while thanking me, and then handed me an additional tip.  He is the first one to "lick" me in the 6.5 years I've been making that hat.  Usually they just "lick" the person sitting next to them. lol  I thought it was a hoot.

Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

This is a ride-in Army tank I made this weekend for a Bparty.  I couldn't fit it in my car with the wheels on so I assembled the wheels after I arrived at the party.  The tread was made in advance.

Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

Well this parody was sure fun to work on... not! lol

When I first started working on Queenie last night I had "thought" that the construction would be a bit different than what it ended up.  I had intended to use 6" hearts to make the bodice but much to my dismay discovered I was out of 6" black ones.  Then I thought that I would use 660s but not a single red nor black could be found. (I really need to start paying more attention to which balloons my grandson plays with. lol)  So that left me with using 6" link-a-loons.  I wasn't real thrilled with the prospect because I knew I would need to use raisin twists to attach the cleavage part.  (Now don't get me wrong.  I'm a big fan of l-o-ls normally but they don't handle raisin twists which will be under a lot of pressure that well.)

So anyway... I build the bodice and upper arms.  Everything looks fine.  She has a nice "V" line for the bodice and everything. (You can see the place where the raisin twists are used best by viewing the back of the dress.) Then I start work on the head.  I find 1 and only 1 pink 660. (You know I don't even remember letting my grandson into my stash of 660s.  :? ) The head finished I go to attach it to the bodice and found myself in a world class wrestling match.  :shock:  If I had had a 2nd pink 660 I would have started the head over and built it onto the bodice instead of trying to attach it.  I finally win the wrestling match - or so it seemed.

Next came the chevron pattern of the skirt.  It went together without a hitch so I start work on the rest of the skirt.  I only had 2 connection points at the waist so I build a frame, fully intending to cover the frame later.  I construct each half of the skirt like the full skirt that I use for my princesses, except instead of having the waist meet at a center joint, they balloons are connected to the frame. I look at the skirt and realize it's too big if I intend to add an outer layer.  (By now I've been working on Queenie about 3 hours.  I'm tired.  I just want to finish.)  I decide she doesn't need an outer layer after all even though I have the base of the fringe already incorporated into the skirt.  :oops:  I add the white fringe and connect the fringe to the inner skirt.  5 popped balloons later the skirt is finished.  Then I try to "clean up" the waist.  I pop 2 of the bodice l-o-ls... one front, one back. grrr.  I replace them but the connections are now sloppy looking so I add the tip ends of 360s to the connection point to cover up the ick.  It looks fine but not as nice as it did before.

Now to add the details.  There aren't many thank goodness!  I attach the first side of the collar.  It was a bit awkward but doable (that fat chin was in the way).  I shape the collar and try to attach the second side.  Back to the wrestling match.  I struggle to get the connection made.  Just when I succeed... off pops her head!     It lands about 5 feet from me.  :lol:  If it hadn't have been so funny to see, especially with the words "off with her head!" ringing in my ears, I would have laced the air blue with colorful adjectives. The wrestling match starts again and the head is finally reattached. I add the lower arms and hands.  Attach one hand to her waist and the other to a 6" heart.  She is as done as she is going to get.  

Hope you enjoyed the read. (If you want to see larger photos I'm going to add them to my Facebook page.)
Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

Keith is the ideal customer.   He's friendly, chatty, and willingly accepts whatever balloon creation I feel like making him.  I test many of my new designs on him.   Keith's brother on the other hand is just about the opposite.  He is so reserved and bashful that at first he seems unfriendly.  Just getting him to make eye contact with me took weeks and for the longest while the only thing he ever managed to say to me was "I don't want a balloon."   I would have left it at that but there was this spark in his eyes that said far more than he did.  The spark clearly said that he wasn't really opposed to getting a balloon if it made me happy to make one, he just didn't want to be the center of attention and have people laugh at him.  Now that I can understand and respect.  However...

It is my job, my goal, to entertain everyone and that includes those who don't think they need entertainment.   So, over the past several months I've made it a point to tease him until he either blushed or talked to me, make him balloon creations he swore he didn't want, and to see how often I could get him to smile.  

Tonight everything seemed to just gel... Gone was the young man to bashful to say anything to me and in his place was a quiet young man with a sparkle in his eyes that was down right chatty - well at least chatty for him.  And the best part - he was comfortable enough to smart back at me over something I had said.  I was sooo tickled!  I knew it was time I made him a balloon hat.  

He swore he wouldn't wear it.  I told him he would because he didn't want to hurt my feelings.  Keith laughed, the brother shot Keith dirty looks.  I reminded him that no one would be looking at him.  That in fact, if a poll was taken afterward, almost no one would be able to even tell me what color of shirt he was wearing because their eyes would be on the hat.  I also reminded him that balloon hats were "chick magnets".  He blushed.  :lol:  As I neared completion of the hat he says he has to leave the table.  I tell him nope; that he just has to stay and model my hat.  He grumbles.  (If one only listened to the words being said one would conclude that this young man would refuse to wear the hat but if you looked into his eyes you could see that he was enjoying the verbal sparring and would, at least for a short while, wear the hat.)  With finished hat in hand I tell his table mates to get their phones ready because they had about 30 seconds to snap a photo.  As phones are raised I tell the brother how to hold his head so that his face won't show in the photo.   Keith's brother models the hat, everyone laughs as photos are taken, then instead of me walking away, I take the hat back and plop it on Keith's head.  Now the brother smiles too.  I call that a win-win situation.   I thank him for being a good sport.  

Tonight when I got home this photo was waiting for me.  This is the brother wearing the hat and what is so great about this photo is that it was not taken at the restaurant.  The brother posed a second time so that I could have a photo of him in the hat knowing full well that I was going to post it on the internet if I ever got a copy of it.  I'm thrilled! I'm not so thrilled with the hat.  I "thought" I had arranged the deelly boppers better with them all curving downward and the colors separated more.  I guess that shouldn't matter when the important part is that these two brothers took the time to make sure I had a photo to post for all of you to see and were such fun to twist for.  They made my night.

Hope you enjoyed the read.
Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

This is the barnyard turkey hat I made for my Ugly Duckling story time series and also my grandson's favorite of the whole series.  His body was made with a Q350 mocha and the matching 260s are Batallic caramel. Except for the eyes, beak, and snood, all the rest of him was made with 260s.  His eyes were pushed toward his beak to make him "mean" looking.

These are two of the designs used during my Ugly Duckling story time:

The Barn Yard Hen has a main body made with a 360.  The head, tail, wings, and legs are 260s.  The beak and eyes are made with 160s.  The eyes were push toward the beak to show how mean she was.  I made a second chicken with wings "flapping" but forgot to take a photo of her.  She looked particularly aggressive.  If I have time today I will make another and upload the pic.

The rooster wasn't really mentioned in the story other than as a barnyard bird.  I just wanted to try out a new design idea.  His head, interior neck, and body are made with the same 360.  The tail feathers, wings, and thighs are 260s.  The rest is 160s.  In this photo he is tilted too straight up and down.  He looked much better once I titled him forward a bit, but I forgot to take a photo of that.  :oops:

I have been ordering my balloons from a supplier out of Florida, Twisted Artz, for quite some time now and have never had a complaint with prices, shipping charges, nor service.  Johnathon Gerber, the owner, is quick to call me and let me know if something I have ordered (like the last bag of B160s) are not up to par and to recommend getting Q160s instead.  

This weekend Twisted Artz, went above and beyond to make sure I received an emergency order.  I ordered somewhere around 11am Friday.  My order was waiting for me at the post office by 9am today!  I am just so impressed that Johnathon rushed my shipment through processing so that I could have it at lease a day before I expected it to arrive.

For those US buyers looking for the kind of supplier that will not only provide quality products but also service above and beyond what is considered the norm, check out Twisted Artz.  No order too small nor too large (and no added fee for small orders!) Drop Johnathon a line ( mailto:johnathon@twistedartz.com">johnathon@twistedartz.com ) and have him check on what shipping would be to your area.  You might be surprised at the savings you will find.

Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

Summer time is here and so is "Bracelets by Bonnie, The Balloon Lady".  Bracelets are a staple to my repertoire especially during outside twisting events.  These bracelets use 3 - 4 balloons each.  This instructional CD is in a printable PDF format. All 22 instructions come complete with step-by-step, full color photos.  I've also included a cover sheet containing photos of all the bracelets.

The CD contains instructions for: Flying and Perching Bluebirds, Butterfly, Cardinal, Chicken on Nest, Croc Hatchling, Darning Needle, Flying Dragon, Dragon Hatchling, Ducky, "Print" Fish, Tail Fish, Wading Hippo, Nessie, Orca (killer whale), Perching Owl, Pterodactyl, Red Wasp, Spider, Black Swan, Kissing Swans, and a White Swan........ All but one of these bracelets are quick enough to make during my regular restaurant & Bday twisting.

The price is $25 USD (e-mailed or to US mailing address). Add $5 handling charges for CDs mailed outside of the US.

PAYMENTS may be sent via PayPal to: mailto:ionaford1@yahoo.com">ionaford1@yahoo.com

Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady
P.S. Here is the link to a larger photo of the cover sheet: (//http://www.partypackage.balloonhq.com/complete.php?portid=5277&page=1&id=80770&category=0&idl=8 )

I wrestled with myself over whether no not to share this with ya'll because it highlights a sensitive area for me (me losing part of my hearing), but what the heck, ya'll already know my hands shake and I'm sure I'm not the only twister out there that has a hard time hearing over the squeaking of balloons. Anyway...

A lady in my area wrote a book about dealing with the loss of her loved ones.  Another lady dining at my Tuesday restaurant told me about the book and that I was mentioned in it so I checked it out of the library today. In the book she tells a story about going to a Mexican restaurant not long after the passing of her sister, a sister that was an avid collector of frogs.  Here is a passage from the book, Haunted, I Will Be by Rhonda Knee:

"...The balloon woman stopped Kylie and asked her if she can make her a hat.  Kylie said, "No."  Kylie is seven and she is very sweet and shy.  I guess the balloon woman noticed Kylie's shyness...The balloon woman asks Kylie, "Are you sure I can't make you something?"

Kylie says, "Okay, you can make me something."  The Balloon woman asks Kylie what color she would like, and Kylie tells her, pink.  The woman takes out a pink balloon.  She blows it up and twists it into a flower like shape.  Next she takes out a green balloon.  Kylie sees this green balloon.

She says, "Green was my aunt Keim's favorite color."  She looks up at the balloon lady and says, "My aunt Keim just died."  The woman just keeps on working with the balloon as if she never heard  what Kylie just told her. (I didn't hear the little girl because if I had there would have been no way that I wouldn't have offered my condolences.) At this time, the form of what the woman is creating is taking shape.  

Sammie and I just look at one another and say, "Is that what I think it is? Is that a frog sitting on a lily pad?"  The balloon woman still doesn't say a word. (I do remember this incident and them questioning if it were a frog. I just smiled without confirming nor denying what it was.) She takes out an orange balloon and makes two round balls for eyes.  When she is finished, she takes the balloon masterpiece and places it on Kylie's wrist.  It is a green frog sitting on a pink lily pad with orange eyeballs.  She draws a smiling face on the frog.  The balloon woman is amazing.  I asked the balloon woman why she made Kylie a frog.

The balloon woman said, "It just came to me to make it."

I then explained to her that my sister Keim had just passed away from breast cancer, and that she had collected frogs.  I told her that she had left her frog collection to my two girls.  I then explained how Sammie and I had just been baptized and I was just remarried.

I said, "The frog bracelet that you just made for Kylie is an awesome reminder that Keim is still with us in spirit..."

Just in case ya'll didn't recognize the balloon bracelet from this lady's description, it was Jeanine's frog bracelet that I made that night.
Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

For the last couple of years I have struggled with my latex allergy (and several others too).  I've had to limit my balloon twisting to just the few hours I work each week or pay a rather heavy price (nearly non-stop coughing and hacking - like I'm trying to retch up a lung. ugh!) Now I'm finally getting the allergy(s) into a more manageable state.  Meaning I can "play" again if I'm careful to take my meds and not go crazy with twisting here at home.  

Now that I can "play" again, I feel more like participating/sharing here on the forums but I find myself hesitating to do so.  I've built up a rather large repertoire in the past 6 years.  Most topics I can just go through my personal file and find a sculpture I've made to match the topic and post it.  

So that brings me to the reason for this post.  When ya'll start a topic and post a sculpture you have made (not the kind of topic where one is asking for help or ideas) would you consider it poor etiquette for me (or anyone else) to come along behind and post photos?  I have a lot to share but I sure as heck don't want to tread on anyone's toes or seem like I'm trying to show off.

Looking forward to your input.
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

Summer is here and with it an increase in outdoor gigs.  At outdoor gigs I make 2 kinds of sculptures: hats and bracelets. OK, occasionally I make swords too. Anyway, here is the first in a series of "splasher" bracelets I've been making.
Orca (killer whale)

Swans kissing bracelet. Perhaps a bit too detailed for my normal restaurant twisting, but for an extra special occasion, it would be perfect. (Happy anniversary! Congrats on your engagement!)

If done with 260s instead of 160s, I can see this design being used as a centerpiece.

Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

I've got it and boy or boy is it ever filled with usable goodies!  My favorite is the second version of the eagle (one with the white tail).  I'm gonna get soooo much use out of that one!  

This is one CD well worth getting!

Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

I was playing around with a new way to make a doll head for the larger princesses that I take the Bgirl when working her party.  I think I really like this style. It gives the doll a stable neck, a chin, and a way to anchor the hair.

Step 1) Inflate a 350/360 about 6" and tie off.  Inflate a matching 160 about 7" and tie off making sure there is about a 2" uninflated nozzle section before the knot.  Inflate a 160 for the hair leaving about 3" uninflated nozzle section.
 
Step 2) Tie all 3 balloons together as close to the nozzles as possible. (Frog princess 010).

Step 3) Marriage twist the 350/360. (Frog princess 011) A marriage twist is the same as a tulip twist except instead of just stuffing the nozzle into the balloon, another balloon is attached to the nozzle first.

Step 3a) Break off the excess 350/360 and tie off - making sure to capture the marriage twisted knot.

Step 4) Gently tug on the "hair" balloon to make sure it isn't trapped inside the 350/360. (frog princess 012)

Step 5) Position the neck balloon (matching 160) off center.

In the Balloon Chat birthday topic it was suggested that we post our most used design in the real world. Well my most used design is not my favorite design but I can pretty much guarantee that if there are little girls at a gig I'll end up making at least one cat (this cat).  Also 95% of the time the cat will be pink and white. (If more than one want a cat, then I use a variety of cat designs and/or color combinations.)

Happy Birthday Balloon Chat!! May you have many more years of continued success!

Bonnie, The Balloon Lady

This is a 5' spinosaurus made for a little boy's birthday.  I knew I would have trouble getting the sculpture to stand on it's own so I added the cake to stabilize it.  Even with the cake supporting the dinosaur, I couldn't get the rear feet to both touch the surface at the same time. I re-adjusted bubbles, moved bubbles around, tightened joints - all to no avail.  I finally said, "Good enough. Stop being so picky" and then took my photo.

While editing the photo I noticed what had escaped my attention before... I had one upper foot bubble a little less than an inch shorter than the corresponding bubble.  After replacing the short bubble with one the correct size, I had no trouble getting the dino to stand properly.

I don't know why I am continually surprised that just one bubble can make the difference in a sculpture since I've known for a long while now that it's the attention to detail that can make the difference between a decent looking sculpture and a good looking one.

Happy twisting,
Bonnie, The Balloon Lady
P.S.  If you are looking at your monitor thinking that the lime green color of the dino seems a bit off, it's not your monitor.  That's the result of making candles while working on the dino. What ever was in the candle wax besides wax doesn't come off the hands too readily and apparently slightly discolors latex.

I don't know if I have a talent for this yet or not, but I sure am having fun finding out.  :lol:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?li ... d=27413332

Over the past several months I have been slowing gathering the supplies needed to learn how to make sterling silver jewelry.  (I've been beading jewelry for over 15 yrs.) And tonight, I finally made my first, start to finish, pendant.   The workmanship sure needs improving  :oops: , but I'm just pleased as punch to actually finish a whole pendant.

Bonnie, The Balloon Lady (who can hardly wait to go melt some more solder.   )

My family reunion was this weekend so my kids, grandson, and I make the 4 hour drive up the winding road of the Ozark Mountains to join the festivities.  Upon arrival I discover that my nephew is now manager of one of the local restaurants.  As we are chatting about his new job he "casually" mentions how great it would be if I could stop by and make a "few" balloons for his customers.

I laughingly agreed to stop in that evening and say hello and make a "few" balloons.  So just before the dinner rush was due, about 20 of my family members, including my grandson, and I descend upon the establishment.

First thing I do is make my grandson a T-Ball hat then let him run around a bit chasing the dangling ball which set the stage and gave the rest of the customers a glimpse of what was to come.

Now that I have everyone's undivided attention I start working the room and introducing all these new people to the art of balloon twisting.  Amid the laughter and conversations generated by the designs I'm twisting, every so often my grandson yells out, "Dramma Bonnie, I miss you!" or "Dramma Bonnie, I love you!" to the totally amusement of all within earshot.  

Then I pop my first balloon.  My grandson yells, "Who did dat!?" and looks at me.  I point to the kid sitting next to me and my grandson gives him his best "stern face" look but says nothing.  The other customers are now laughing out loud.

Not 5 minutes later I go to snap off the end of a balloon which has too much air in it which results a pop loud enough to stop all conversations.  My grandson whips his little head around and looks at me still holding the rest of the balloon and says, "Dramma Bonnie! Balloon abuse!" and while shaking his finger at me says, "For chame! For chame!"  I did the only thing I could do at that point... I hung my head in mock shame and agreed, then promised to play nicer with the balloons. He responded with, "OK, just be careful".  The rest of the customers just roared with laughter.

When I resumed work on the balloon in hand, I used exaggeratedly slow movement and said loud enough for all to hear, "Well I would go faster but I don't want to take the risk popping a balloon which would get me in trouble again."   Then I turn to my grandson and say, "See Tanner? Gramma Bonnie is playing nice with the balloons!"  Again, a great round of laughter followed the comments.

My grandson replies, "Good! I love you!".  I've never had an entire restaurant utter the "awwwwwe" sound before, but they did then.  

Happy twisting,
Gramma Bonnie, a.k.a Bonnie, The Balloon Lady