My favorite balloons to twist
Equipment
Cra-Z-Art Metallic Markers
Mar 19th
These Cra-Z-Art Metallic Markers work great on balloons, both light-colored and dark-colored. I love these metallic colors! And no shaking necessary (unlike paint markers.) The ink also will not rub off if the balloon is deflated (unlike permanent markers.)
Here’s an example of what they look like on a black, purple, and a light blue balloon.
Where to buy
- I found these at my local Walmart for about $4-5.
- You can also find them on Amazon.com. (The packaging looks a little different, but the product number is the same.)
I use my white paint pen and black marker the most, but having additional color options is great – just a little bit of color can add a lot to a balloon.
Gone fishing!
Sep 4th
Wow, another year with the 4-5 year olds class has passed by. Last year, for the last day of class, I made birds. This year, I made fish!
Fish balloon bodies
I chose this balloon to make for my class because they don’t take that much time to make, but are still quite detailed. The birds I made last year are were a bit too detailed and took more time than I originally planned. Also, these fish are a bit more sturdy – probably less likely to come undone and will last a little longer.
Fish balloons ready for transport
Tips: As shown in the picture, I made all the fish bodies first. The fish body is made up of one 260 balloon. I found leaving 3 inches uninflated was just right for me. The new neon-colored balloons I just bought looked quite nice.
After making the bodies, I added the fins and the eyes. You can position the eyes to be in the middle, closer to the front, or right in front. You can also mix and match different colors for the body and fins.
I have made this fish balloon before.
I originally saw this balloon on a youtube video (by BusterBalloon.)
To transport the balloons, I used a pop-up laundry hamper, which worked quite well. In the past I’ve used bags for transport. But this way, you can have more assurance the balloons won’t get squished. The laundry hamper also can fit a lot.
[ Video link: Clown Fish by BusterBalloon ]
Products I like
Aug 15th
I’ve been in and out on vacation (boy, the summer has gone by quickly!)
I haven’t been twisting as much (and consequently less posts), but I have posted some new pages under “Products I like,” including one that I just added about markers that I like to use on balloons. (Also see “balloons” and “balloon pumps.”)
I’ll continue adding more recommendations and descriptions of balloon (and other) products that I like.
Check them out!
Where to buy
Apr 21st
Although many party shops and toy stores sell balloons for twisting balloon animals, the ones sold in the stores are generally not very good quality, are older, and will often pop (leading to frustration!)
As mentioned before, I suggest buying good, quality balloons (I’ve been using the Qualatex brand and usually order mine online.)
If you want to simply buy a bag (of 100 or 250), you may want to buy it off Amazon.com to save on shipping. (See links below.) There are different sizes of balloons, but a bag of 260 balloons are good to start with. I’ll add a page for suggested balloon products at some point.
If you want to see what other balloon products are out there, check out Tmyers.com. They are a pretty well-known company with a large selection. If you are buying A LOT of stuff, Balloonmerchant.com seems like a well-priced shop too. I’ve ordered from both.
