I am after advice for next time really!  I have been booked for a series of jobs in the run up to Christmas in my local shopping centre but through another painter and a PR company.  I did the first job last week and today get a call saying that the client has requested I dress up in costume for the remaining jobs.  This time I have agreed to do it mainly because I have already committed to the jobs, the PR company are providing the costume and I have the potential to get more work from these jobs.

This has, however, made me curious as to whether any of you have done character jobs? What would you do if the terms of the job were to change and you were asked to dress up?  Would you just go with the flow or would you refuse?  Is this something that I should learn to expect?

I have left everything to the last minute again  :roll: and am working alongside Santa tomorrow night in a shopping centre.  Now I can do a fair range of basic to intermediate balloons (if I can remember what I can make   ) but I have yet to learn any Christmas balloons as this is my first yuletide season.  

Do I really need to know any / many?  
If so does anyone know of a email book that I can order today of good, quick and not too advanced Christmas balloons?

I just did DD's School Fair yesterday and not having done many balloon jobs yet I kept forgetting what I could make each time I was asked  :roll:  Does this happen to any of you and if so what do you do to get round it?  I ended up making about 5 different things because I just could not remember what else I could!!!  :oops:

I am in a bad situation with my website.  Through my own stupidity and that of my previous and current webhosts I have lost my old site (which I kinda liked but wanted to change) and am making do with a temporary one I whipped up one afternoon last week.

I make the new one using templates provided by my current webhost but really do not like it and wish to change it asap but am really uninspired as to what to do.

I need a website that equally showcases my face painting but also promotes my balloons as I think my business name (chosen when I was actually afraid of balloons  :roll: ) does not encourage people to click on my site.

I suppose what I am asking is what would you expect to find on a website for someone who does face painting, twisting, temporary tattoos, mini makeovers & blood & gore parties?  Also what are your opinions as to what it should look like bearing in mind that I do wish to attract corporate customers as well as private party bookings?

I have the perfect opportunity to get this right but am unsure as to what I REALLY need rather than superfluous drivel that will put potential clients off.

You can see what I currently have on my site by clicking here.

Thanks in advance for your help  

I have been booked by a local secondary school to do Glitter Tattoos and possibly balloons for their fireworks display next Saturday evening (they have booked for 2 of us but won't decide what services they actually want until Monday).

They are looking at re-couping some of my fees by charging for the tattoos / balloons which is great but I have never done a pay per balloon event before and have no idea what to suggest they charge.  This is a school in a not so affluent area of an affluent town and they do want to make things affordable for the kids and are not too worried about raking in a profit.

I have just been booked to do balloons at a party for one of my younger cousins.  Now a lot of my family seem to think what I do is just a nice little hobby and I would really like to knock thier socks off (especially a certain relative of mine that made really bitchy comments when they discovered I now dabbled in latex too) but would really appreciate a recommendation for ONE DVD that has some really good models on it to wow the crowd with.  

Also if I do well there is 20 more kids that will have my card and want to book me for their parties hopefully!!!

I currently have quite the first 5 of the Dave Grist ones but I daren't watch them too much as they are on VHS, Graham's first one and 3 of the cozmic balloons ones.  They do need to be DVD's really as it takes me 10 times longer to learn them from written instructions  :roll:

Thanks in advance for your help.

If so do you think you could contact me off list?
My email is mailto:yvonne@thefacefactory.co.uk">yvonne@thefacefactory.co.uk

Having a really crappy birthday today so decided to cheer myself up (and tried to cheer the kids up too) with some twisting.  I have attempted one of Bonnie's wearables before using the recommended balloons but have found 360 awkward to use so today decided just to use 260's and here are my efforts.

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Like I say sorry to Bonnie as the CD is absolutely brilliant and my attempts really do not do her designs justice.  If you haven't already got both her wearables cds then why not?  

I need to up grade my apron as it is tiny ... which is great for combined fp and balloon jobs but not so good for a days twisting or even for a twisting only party.

I would love to hear others experiences of both and why they prefer what they use.

Please also bear in mind that I am a feeble girly with a bad back so no recommendations for a triple busking bag as even if I could lift it off the floor I would cripple myself with it  

I am also looking at investing in an electric bumbag balloon pump once I get the twisting side off the ground as a stand-a-lone business so what ever I get needs to be compatible with this as I can't justify having to buy yet another apron/bag    :lol:

Cheers in advance.

It is my little girl's birthday on Sunday and she is Spongebob mad!! We are having a Spongebob themed party and I am going to do some twisiting for her and her little friends but would love to make her a balloon version of her fave.

I know quite a few of you do a version of Spongebob so if one of you would be so kind as to post a step by step for me (newbie and no time to suss it out before the weekend  :roll: ) I would be eternally grateful    

Right I am still very new to all of this and am getting very close to starting up with a separate website for twisiting but I have no idea of how to set up my charges.

I have spoken to a few locals and have decided on my hourly rate which is great but do those of you that are established charge your hourly rate regardless of how long you are booked for? or do you charge less for subsequent hours after a certain length of time? or do you have day rates for anything over say 4 hours?

Also if a corporate client wishes to book for more than one event do you discount then as well and if so by how much (%)

Sorry for all the questions but like I say I am new and nothing sounds more unprofessional than someone who has no idea what they are charging  

Hi peeps.  I have just had a call from a lady looking for a twister for an hour in Stevenage, Herts for an hour somewhere between 12-3pm.  

I have all the lady's details but she is really hoping someone can come back to her today so if you are interested please give me a ring on 07732 390716 and I can let you have her name and number.

I have not quoted prices as I am not available.

Since I now have my new business name (I think   ) I thought I would post up some of the other suggestions (from my fp forum) on here for those of you still looking:-

twist2u?
jungle balloons
twist 4 fun
popballoonfun
poppettsballoons
poptasticballoons
Twist A Balloon
Balloon A Bubble
Me And My Balloons
Book A Balloon Twister
Twistastic balloons
Balloon Magic
The Balloon Twister
Balloon Lady
Balloon twisting lady
Balloon Platoon
Balloontastic
BeautifulBalloons
BalloonsForU
AmazingBalloons

Not checked if anyone already uses any of these or if any of the domains are available though.

This thread only started this afternoon so if people are interested and there are any more suggestions I shall post them up here too.

I have offered to ask on here to help someone else out.  A lady I know through a fp forum has been asked for a risk assessment for her twister but neither of them has ever done one before.

Do any of you guys have one that would wouldn't mind sharing with her (and me I guess as I would tuck it away for the day I get asked too)?

If you do would you be so kind as to email it to me at mailto:yvonne@thefacefactory.co.uk">yvonne@thefacefactory.co.uk.

Cheers

I know someone posted the same thing recently but I need help too  :shock:  :roll:

I am at present a face painter who does a bit of twisting but I am hoping to build up the balloon side of my business so they are 50/50 and I am going to do myself a completely new website for twisting only (obviously with a link to my face paint site and vice versa) but I have no idea what to call myself.  I can't use my fp business name as it is The Face Factory and most will not even look at my site if they are looking for a twister.  My own name is also out as most cannot spell my first name let alone my surname (Hodgskin!!!) so a website with this name would never be found. Oh and obviously whatever I end up with I still need to be able to get the domain name too and not be the same as anyone else local to me  

I am also after help with the look of my alter ego.  I'm not a girly girl so anything too girly or pink is out straight away!!!

Oh my head is spinning just thinking about it - please help!!??

So chuffed I did a 2 hour twisting job at a Territorial Army Family Day.  I am still buzzing from it and what made it even better is that it was a really nice group of people - I didn't get one complaint about waiting or anyone trying to jump their turn  :shock: .  

Definitely, decided that as soon as I get 5 mins spare I shall do myself a 2nd website for twisting so that hopefully I can start getting more bookings for only this rather than as an add on to face painting like I have been doing up to now  :lol:

This is one of my little girl's favourite programmes on Nick Jr and we have just seen a little girl (about 8 years old) called Sian make a balloon dog in the show.  Does she belong to anyone on here?

Michelle has had to change the date of her jam from the 18th May to 11th.  The venue and times remain the same.

If interested please pm me or LizzyB and we can let you have the address etc.  Although Michelle is registered on here she is having difficulties logging on and staying logged on so we are not sure if she would receive any pm's people sent.

http://www.staples.co.uk/ENG/Catalog/ca ... xedcode=WW

I don't have a decent art shop near me other than the delightfully overpriced Hobbycraft so was wondering if these would be any good?

I really need a white marker as I have just learned how to twist a simple 2 balloon spidy   and I think he would look better with white eyes outlined in black.

Also can anyone recommend a good silver for balloons as I was thinking you could do the spidy in black with the web drawn on in silver and you could have venom.  I am sure someone else will have already thought this one up already but I am new to this    

I have only done a few jobs where I have twisted after I have finished face painting but near enough every time have the little darlings have crowded in around me, forced me into a corner and some of the delightful sweeties have even started helping themselves to my balloons  :evil:  :evil:  :evil:

I could really do with advice as to how to avoid this situation as I find myself getting cross as I ask them persistently to back up and sit down on the floor and it is incredibly hard to keep a smile on my face.  Also how do you nicely say "Don't touch the balloons and certainly DO NOT help yourself"?  I just feel like a really grumpy old moo when things are like this!

The main reason I am asking is I am doing my first twisting only party on 17th May so I have loads to teach myself between now and then as my twisting is basic to say the least and I am not going on a care & share until afterwards  :roll: