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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.
“The Unpoppables” show
Jan 24th
I watched this show called “The Unpoppables” on YouTube and thought it was totally awesome!
“The Unpoppables” is about three balloon artists working together at New Balloon Art, who design and make humongous, incredible balloon structures for various events. The show reminded me of “Cake Boss” (which was also on TLC)…except this one is about balloons!
The Eiffel Tower, a balloon wedding gown worn by a bride during an actual wedding, a castle you can drive through, a life size fire truck, a couch you can sit on… check it out! There 6 episodes.
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.
How to make a basic balloon animal “Khooler”
Mar 29th
So you’ve got the basic dog balloon down. How can you make it a bit more fancy? “Khool dog” here offers three quick ideas.
- Make the balloon animal bigger. I used a 350 instead of the usual 260 balloon. A 350 balloon is three inches wide and 50 inches long, whereas a 260 balloon is two inches wide and 60 inches long. You’ll have to adjust the amount of air that you pump into the balloon. Some animals that usually require the entire 260 balloon may not work as well with the 350 balloon.
- Add eyes. I used a small 5″ white round balloon twisted in half to make the eyes.
- Add a bow tie. With a small 160 scrap, I made a bow tie and added it around the neck. You could also attach it to the ear using a raisin twist, but that will take a little more time.
Basic twists
Nov 8th
There are three basic twists to know when you start balloon twisting. The first two most basic ones are the loop twist and lock twist, followed by the pinch twist, which you’ll eventually want to learn. I may post some pictures of them and describe them at some point, but I found the below web site does a pretty good job of illustrating them.
The lock twist, loop twist, and pinch twist are the first three listed, followed by some more advanced twists.
Check them out here.
Balloons – are you using good quality ones?
Aug 17th
Balloon twisting is sometimes harder to do than it looks, but it might not be you! It might the balloons you are using.
The balloons you find at the toy store or local store are often pretty old and not so high quality. Professional balloon artists use high quality balloons, which are much less likely to pop and just easier to manipulate in general.
I’ve always used Qualatex balloons (in my limited experience) and they seem to be used by many professionals. Bellatex is the other major brand. If you know me, feel free to just ask me for some balloons and to borrow a pump, if you want to try it out. I usually have more than enough balloons. (The Qualatex bags come in 100 count and 250 count.)
You can buy these balloons from Amazon.com:
Qualatex 260 Balloons (100/bag) Assorted colors
Qualatex 260 Balloons (250/bag) Assorted Colors