Knowing what a talented bunch you lot are I am hoping that someone will be able to help me out with some tips on buying stilts.

Not sure if I will take to it yet so I don't want to spend a fortune but there are different height stilts and I am not sure whether the shorter ones would be tall enough to work on (I'm 5' 6.5") or whether the taller ones would be too tall to learn on? Don't really have the money to buy both at the moment especially not with the marketing I have planned for this year too!

Any pointers would be gratefully received.  

I have a few London jobs coming up so I have been looking at a bag that I can also wheel so I don't have to carry it all the way.  On Saturday I was face painting and my colleague had a really cool rolling holdall from Argos and when looking I found this one http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/store ... EN+HOLDALL

Seeing as I usually wear a little miss T-shirt when twisting this will work well.

Can you use the glue and glitter on latex? or is it just for foils?  I've just tried it and the static on the latex has left a lot more glitter on the balloon than I had hoped for!

I have just spent the afternoon with a friend trying to sort out décor for her brother's wedding and have hit so many stumbling blocks that I could do with getting this one sorted!  Her brother is getting married in Cameroon and helium is not available (or at least not very easy to source) and my friend is flying out the day before the wedding.  We have come up with décor we think can work at the venue, without helium and in the time she has taking into consideration the volunteers she will have to help inflate balloons etc and what she can bring across in her luggage.

We have finally settled on rose pink and white theme but then I have discovered that Qualatex do not do the rose heart foil in a 36" only the pearl pink!  Not entirely convinced that the pearl pink foil will go with the rose pink latex but I have seen that they do a 36" latex rose heart but my friend wants to personalise them for her brother and his new wife.

I have been booked to deliver some balloons for a child's party on Saturday.  Some will be air filled and some will be helium.  I'll inflate and hi-float them the day before as I will have to leave home at about 9.00 to make sure I deliver them with enough time to continue on to Reading for 12pm for a face painting job.

Although we don't have much snow here it is very cold and I am just concerned that inflating them indoors and then transferring them to a cold car and back into a warm house is not going to end up pretty.

Am I panicking over nothing? or is there something else I should be doing to prevent burst balloons?

I have been asked to quote for a job making 2 x 3' bottle out of modelling balloons.  I can work out how to put it together but want to make sure I quote properly for the job and don't screw myself  

So what I am asking is, if when working out dresses etc if there is any kind of formula anyone uses to work out a) how many balloons they are likely to use and b) how long it will probably take them?

Short of making one this evening I am stumped! but then again logical stuff is not my forte - I'm more of a get stuck in and see if it works kind of gal  

My little man's class at school are working on transport this term.  Next week they are learning about hot air balloons and I would love to make a décor one for them.  I would put an order in but I've just finished putting in 2 different balloon orders and just had to order some glasses for myself I can't really justify it  

I am planning on making a bi-plane on Sunday to bring in too as I'm not sure the teacher realises how big the motorbike is  

Last night I dreamt about building a large scale Crocodile / alligator.  Not only did I dream about it in great detail but when my son woke me at about 1.30am the only thing that stopped me getting up and starting on it was the fact that we are having a major clearout / reshuffle and last night a lot of the stuff was in the dining room which also doubles as my workroom.  May have to see if I get time in the week whilst everything is still fresh in my mind.

Seriously worried about my sanity now   but then again I've never been what you would call sane  :roll:

Caroline and I have been at it again today  :? and this week we have made David's ride-on motorbike.  Results below   [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] Copy of Motorbike.jpg[/attachment:3l6em7co] [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] Copy of Motorbike_with_rider.jpg[/attachment:3l6em7co]

I am hoping someone will be kind enough to help "Help for Heroes" out.

I have been passed a number of a wishing to organise a balloon release for Help for Heroes in Windsor on 28th November (I think).  I have just costed it up as I would prefer to do it for expenses only but as soon as I add my petrol on (over 100 round trip for me) it bumps up the expenses by too much.

Don't suppose there is anyone nearer to Windsor than me that would be prepared to offer their services is there?  I need to get back to her by the end of the day or tomorrow morning at the latest!

Alternatively if you are not close enough to help but think you know someone that is please let me know asap please and I can peste.... opps I mean beg them directly  

Had my first bash at making a princess today.  Would have preferred to have made the one that Ken makes from start to finish but couldn't get the bits I needed so plumped for Snow White as that was the closest to having all the parts I had.  I also had some help from my friend Caroline making the skirt and bodice.  She would have stayed to help me finish but we ran out of time   [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] Balloon Chat Snow White.JPG[/attachment:27wgm0nf]

Found out last night my job for the weekend was going to be for a Moshi Monsters book signing session and the client had asked if I was able to try and make some Moshi Monsters for the kids instead of the usual.  

For those of you that have never heard of Moshi Monsters here is a link to the site  //http://www.moshimonsters.com/.  It would appear that it is some sort of online game aimed at 7-11 year olds to which they have started to merchandise!

However, in my eyes (and with the time available between now and Saturday) they do not lend themselves to twisting so have come up with this instead:-
[ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] DSC04348.JPG[/attachment:39jom8vx]
I feel that this is recognisable as Moshi themed to fans and to anyone else looks like a fairly Halloween-ish type balloon!  I will probably use friendly eyes for the girls and scary eyes for the boys.

However if anyone can come up with anything else on this theme that I can make for the queue whilst they are waiting for their books to be signed please do share.

I am still starting out in décor and I have worked out all my prices based on Qualatex' formula / job cost form but I am finding I am not getting the bookings and I suspect this is because I am priced too high especially for my area.

I have yet to ring round my competition to ask for quotes for stuff but to be fair it is not the same as just ringing for twisting or face painting as there are too many variables etc. I am also finding it difficult to find out what Clinton's / their party shop branch charge for balloons.  If I could find out how much they charge and pitch slightly higher I feel I could get the jobs merely on the basis that I come to the venue, will consult with them, am not limited to what can be transported from the shop to the venue by the customer and that I can do it considerably better than them!

Everything else is pretty much sorted but I just cannot get my head round how to price everything so that I am pitched just right for my area and my skill level.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

But I have finally managed to access my old website and update it.  I am still working on the new one but this will give me a little breathing space.

I would be grateful if people could take a look at the site and let me know if there are any errors and to check it all works properly for you.

www.loonyballoony.co.uk

It's my Adam's 4th Birthday today and it would seem his favourite present was the 2 bags of 160's and his mini pump!  He desperately wanted to take them into school for show and tell today but the way he was playing "rocket balloons" with them I suspected the teachers wouldn't be so pleased.
[ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] Adam with his new kit.jpg[/attachment:3k0z7gti]
He is now able to pump up his own balloons after being shown once and hopefully my stock will be safe ... well for a week at least until he uses up his 200 balloons!!!

My little man (who is 4 a week today) has got really into his balloons this week and with my help (inflating and tying off the balloon) has mastered the 3 twist dog.  So well in fact that for his 2nd show and tell at school he made this one to bring in. [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ] Adam & his 3 twist dog 17.09.10.JPG[/attachment:2kmt2hex]
Talk about proud Mummy moment especially as my 6 year old is loving the face painting so in 10 years time I can see me having a real family business going  

Just off to Graham's shop to buy Adam a mixed bag of 160's and a small pump as an additional birthday pressie just from me  

I am really struggling to get my new website up and running due to the amount of work involved in it and the lack of hours in the day I seem to suffer from.

Anyway I decided today was going to be a website day and I have spent ages scanning pictures from the Qualatex Retail Portfolio folder for the site (some to be standard bouquets that I will keep in stock and others to be examples of bespoke bouquets).  However, I have discovered they seem to be printed on anti-scan paper as the quality is terrible.  I had assumed (stupid I know) that because you are allowed to use the retail portfolio folder for display in your shop should you have one that it would be okay to scan them for your website but obviously this is not the case.  I am really cross with myself for not checking until I had scanned all the ones I want to offer  :evil:

I am now in a lovely catch 22 where I can't really take my own but can't really advertise on the website that I do deliveries without photos!  I have tried to take my own photos but not only does my photography suck but I don't have any plain walls or any other suitable place to take the photos.  I have a pop-up light box but it isn't large enough for bouquets and have tried to rig up sheets etc as a plain background but nothing so far has worked.  I have even looked into getting a proper photographers backdrop on it's own frame but the cheapest ones are around £60 which I don't really have at the minute as work has been so quiet this summer.

I also am having problems with photos of larger stuff like arches and canopy's.  I hired a hall weeks ago and a semi pro tog friend of mine offered to take the photos but I'm still waiting for those due unforeseen circumstances.  I would hire a hall again and take my own photos but I only have between 9 and 12 child free so can't really get anything done in that time so I am at a loss of how to get photos for my website?

I could really do with some creative ideas as to how I can get photos of what I can do for my website without it costing me an arm and leg so that I can finally start advertising!!!

Just watching a little TV with my youngest and on Boomerang they have just shown a new McDonalds Ad promoting their new happy meals with The Last Airbender toys.  In the Ad to cartoon type carachters are chatting about the film in a cinema when one says "You know - I'm an Airbender" and promptly makes a balloon bird.

I can't find the ad on the net anywhere and it is different to the one that seems to have aired in the US but I liked it and it's may also encourage tweenage boys to find twisting a bit cooler!

Hi guys

I am doing a booking in Isleworth on 19th Sept for balloons and face painting which is a about an hours drive round the M25 from me but since work is really quiet round here at the moment needs must and all that.  

Just hoping that if someone has any jobs in that area that they can't do if they would think of me please!  My job is from 12-2pm and I won't be able to accept any jobs near where I'm based before 4pm as the traffic on the M25 can be hell and I would hate to be late for a job!

Please bear in mind this is my first attempt, however, the head (for which Tonya very kindly gave me a step by step for) is fine it is my feeble attempts at the body that let it down  :roll:



Can't seem to get the image button to work so here is a link to my Facebook album http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= ... 8334193324

I would just like to say a huge thank you to Tonya, Graham and Patricia.

Tonya went out of her way to explain to me how to do the fantastic dalmatian she posted a little while back so I can replicate it a few times for my daughter's birthday party on Saturday.

Graham for trying in vain to get me the balloons I needed, again above and beyond customer service.

And Patricia (because I can't remember if I have said it already) for sending me instructions for her fab Ariel model (which I still haven't had time to make!).

Actually whilst I'm at it I should also thank Pam and Roger for all their help on the décor side of things as I wouldn't have been able to take on the 2 jobs I have recently without it  

Goodness me this sounds like an Oscars acceptance speech!!!