I did a birthday party yesterday and got asked for a "Annikan Skywalker, holding a light saber, on a hat".   Given the time that I had, I talked him into just the light saber and preceded to make him a big one out of 350's.  He loved it.  A couple of kids later the mom of this child brought the balloon back to me and said "just a suggestion...the next time you make this you might want to put a handguard on it to make it easier to hold".   I replied that I could do that no problem, but most light sabers don't have handguards.  She looked at me very put off and said "well most Jedi's arent' 10 years old".   I couldn't resist so I said "You're absolutely right Ma'am...those are called Padiwans".   Of course I then put a handguard on the light saber.  

Thanks,

  Michael

Hello all,

  When I have a coworker transferring to a new assignment (military) I typically make a balloon sculpture to give to them at their going away luncheon.  

   I have a coworker who will be transferring to Hawaii and has asked for a Hawaiin themed balloon.  I thought about making her a balloon lei (flower necklace).  

   I make several of the standard type flowers/roses/etc, but have never made a Hawaiin type of the flower with balloons.  

   Any advice on a balloon lei?

  Thanks,

  Michael

It's Dr. Seuss week and my kids' school and today is crazy hat day.  I made my son a tall cat in the hat like top hat and my daughter got a headband hat from David Brenion's new DVD.  

  Michael [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] Ian_Hat.jpg[/attachment:12g7lkk7] [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] Sarah_Hat.jpg[/attachment:12g7lkk7]

Howdy,

  I'm curious to know how much balloon stock do you keep on hand?  I buy my balloons by the color for most sizes with some exceptions and always try to have an extra bag of each in storage.  I twist as a part time business and do not have a weekly gig at the moment.  For that reason I'm not going through nearly as many balloons as many of you out there that do this for a living.  

   With that in mind, how much stock do you keep on hand outside of your working bag/apron?  I should mention that I do twisting exclusively...no decor...yet.  

Thanks,

  Michael

In September of 2008 I was involved in a nasty motorcycle wreck.  In the wreck I broke my clavicle and 7 ribs on one side, my left wrist on the other.  After a surgery I was at home healing and surfing Youtube when I came across David Brenion's old channel.  I became fascinated by the fact he was mouth inflating all the balloons for his sculptures (this was astonishing to me at the time).  I thought to myself, I wonder if I could do that?  I bought some cheap balloons and began trying to mouth inflate as a way to rehabilitate my lungs after having so many rib fractures.  I started making his creations and others from Youtube artists such as Michael Floyd.  

Needless to say I healed up fine from the accident and found a new skill (more like obsession) and late last year started my part time business.  I attended my first convention this year (Twist and Shout).  For all of you who were there that I had a chance to meet...Thank You for taking the time to make me feel welcome and sharing your knowledge.

 Michael
 Airbender Entertainment

Hello,

  My name is Michael Hughes.  I'm active duty military in the U.S. Air Force and have been twisting for about 3 years.  I just returned home from my first Twist and Shout where I had the pleasure of meeting and learning from Graham, Tony Twist, and Natalie (Ms. Ballooniverse?).  Got the website info from Graham, so here I am. Looking forward to sharing and learning a lot here!