June 17 - Rainbow Flowers

"Today you are You, that is truer than true.
 There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

~ Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!

Not all rainbows come from the sky.

Some take root in the ground and bloom spontaneously when you aren't even expecting it.  

Give them light.  Give them room.  Give them love.

🌈

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(view other flowers)

June 16 - Rainbow Fuusen

"Every single person, no matter who they are, has the right to be themselves."

~ Jazz Jennings

June should be full of rainbows, and not just because of the weather. 

It's a symbol that radiates joy when it lands, magical despite the science.

... and such a bright/fun thing to build.  It's the easiest cheat to match colors beautifully --- "all of them, please". 😁

So whether you're marching, reflecting, celebrating or just surviving this month - this one's for you. 

🌈

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This was inspired by Fuusen Aikoukai - #66 on his YouTube channel.  I made my cloud a bit small to fit the rays and it's lollipopping a bit.  

    

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(view other rainbows)

June 15 - Elitex Sweet Corn

It's corn
A big lump with knobs
It has the juice
I can't imagine a more beautiful thing

~ Tariq - It's Corn (link)

After the Great Shattering, many different balloon companies have embraced twister balloons to try and fill the gap.  Unfortunately it's a little restrictive as many of these brands are only available at one distributor in country - I honestly can't imagine that lasting long.

But Marigold is a color that I need a replacement for, and EliteX is a brand carried by my local distributers. Sounds like a match made in negotiated retail inventory overstock protection and management to me! 💛

The color "Sweet Corn" is on the end of the yellow spectrum and compares very closely to Honey Yellow (image comparison on blog).  The texture of the balloons is good twisting sponginess, though I feel in some ways like I'm trying to describe the notes of a wine bouquet.  I really do need some some comparatives better than "a good medium squish with a slight dry back end".

For the sake of future comparisons.  I do think of "wet" or "dry" not as the feel, but more like a tree branch.  A dry balloon snaps cleanly, a wet balloon is potential chaos exploding.  

Overall assessment, looked and worked great -- I admit I intentionally beat the balloons up a bit while making the giant letters, but these performed well without complained.  A couple of these designs are becoming somewhat standard to use as a sort of test as to the abuse they might be able to withstand.  

Other "color day" balloons:

June 14 - French Bulldog

"Dogs welcome.  People tolerated."
"Who rescued who?"
"I work so my dog can have a better life."
~ Bumper stickers that make me smile

I don't have a beef with a French Bulldog.  I do worry about them though, no dog should need a sweater.

It's just too easy to imagine the wheezing snort these guys make as they move from sitting position and waddle to another sitting position.  

Is it an art object?

.. and should an art object have impacted anal glands? 

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This is the second dog design Shana Sharp shared just recently on her YouTube channel - I love the unique design and how it captures those fatty face folds.  I had a bit of an 'ah - that makes sense!' moment when seeing her assemble it.  I did try playing around matching the colors of some images I looked up, but think the original/grey has the most personality.

(view other dogs)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Shana Sharp:

June 13 - Chihuahua

"It is not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, but the fight in the dog that wins."

~ Arthur G. Lewis

Peanut.

He fit right through the fence slats and used them strategically to come torpedo little feints at our ankles as we walked by the neighbor's house.  The only reason I even knew his name was the half-hearted yell from his owner, "Peeaaaaanut!"  (Maybe we were supposed to throw them?)  

It's like being attacked by a goose - there is a brief moment of "what are you thinking? - I could completely crush you!" that you want to impart as you are running away.

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Shana Sharp recently shared instructions for a couple dog videos on her YouTube channel (link).  One of this was this chihuahua.  I meant to say more about it, but apparently Peanut is still living next door in my mind.   Shana is brilliant creatively and artistically sure, but she and Mr. Sharp are simply the best kind of weird.  Catch her Twitch streams, you'll see!   https://www.twitch.tv/sharpballoons

(view other dogs)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Shana Sharp:

June 12 - Wriggler

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito."

~ Dalai Lama (attributed)

A "wriggler" is another name for a mosquito larva.

Sometimes, like writing a school report on leeches, you just do it for the educational value.  ... and this WAS a great form to practice a few specific skills on.

Clear balloons are some of the squeakiest, stickiest balloons to twist - regardless of brand.  Maybe they are underpowdered to keep that transparency?  They're unforgiving, too.  You can't hide your mistakes when the whole structure is see-through.  That awkward knot?  Still awkward.  Still visible.

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This design is a fairly recent one from the Isopresso members creepy crawly creature section.

(view other insects)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

June 11 - Earwig

"He put... creatures in our bodies... to control our minds. He made us do... terrible things. But we don't remember."

~ Commander Pavel Chekov, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

"We interrupt this broadcast - citizens are urged to remain indoors.  Reports continue to pour in of monstrous creatures, estimated at nearly four feet long, moving with terrifying precision through the downtown districts."

(static crackles)

"The government assures the public that... Wait - something is coming out of the ground.  My God, it's - No!  Stay back!.."  

(static crackles)

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This design is another one from the Isopresso balloon insect collection.  It's not an overly complicated to build, but there is a lesson in each of these.  Like the maggot, this is more than a flat weave, it curves, it breathes, it lives.

(view other insects)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

June 10 - Mole

"The moles came bearing their lamps and then the most ancient and magical creature that ever danced beneath the moon was lost in darkness once more."

~ Robin Jarvis, The Oaken Throne

What did the mole do?  Exist.  WHACK.

"I wonder what the weather is today..."  WHACK.

"Owww! What was that for?"  WHACK.

"What is even the purpose of this game!?!"  WHACK.

"ARRRGHH!!"

   ~  Some Mole, probably

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These mole designs were shared by Isopresso, one slightly anthropomorphic - poking up out of the ground like a gopher, and then one that is more realistic in the members section.  They are uncomplicated designs, unfortunately the exciting/different bit of the advance mole is not very visible in these photographs/shadows, the tiny eye really stands out in person.

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

June 9 - Maggot

"What am I working on? Uhhhhhhh, I'm working on something that will change the world and human life as we know it."

~ Seth (Jeff Goldblum) - The Fly

Today's is really more of an exercise than a passion project to build a maggot balloon.  Just so we're clear.  Hakuna Matata.

These didn't have legs (yay!) - so I made a few.  I tried to follow the organic shape, having a single color requires it to be more than a series of loops.  A maggot isn't just a tube, its bulbous, it ... undulates?  ..  Also, my audiobook was/is fantastic.

Oh, and then I made one of them fabulous. They'll all become flies.  One will be so fly. 

(view other insects)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

June 8 - Decomex Blue

Blue, there is a shell for you
Inside you'll hear a sigh
A foggy lullaby
Thеre is your song from me

~ Joni Mitchell - Blue

I know every color is it's own formula, so doing individual color bags of balloons probably isn't as scientific of an approach as working through a bag of assorted colors.  So my unscientific and purely emotional opinion of these is - love them.

I've used both these and their chocolate and both had a great sponginess to them despite feeling like the would be tough enough to twist into a spare car tire if needed.   Durable without becoming "tough" in a way some balloons can if that helps.  These were fantastic.

When playing around, I used them to prototype Carl's heart boxers.  I put a balloon dawg in them as sort of a "Wrong Trousers" thing, but it made me think of those JINCO jeans.  Which I have to stop myself short of saying are absurdly hilarious because I remember myself wanting parachute pants. 

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Other "color day" balloons:

June 7 - Budgett's Frog

"Frog went a-courtin', and he did ride, Uh-huh."

~ Bob Dylan

Typical frog balloons are of the green/tree frog type, so I was excited to take a look and build this blobby body guy.

These frogs were named posthumously after John Samuel Budgett, a zoologist who (unfortunately literally) devoted his life to their study, as he caught fatal fever following his final foray into the fregion.

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This design is from the Isopresso members section.  I could/should probably have tucked the front arms up and under the body as it would be in nature while it's waiting for food to walk near it's mouth.  Those front legs are only really out like that when it's trying to awkwardly reposition itself.
 
(view other frogs)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso:

June 6 - Flea

"The smaller the creature, the bolder its spirit."

~ Suzy Kassem

Once again, I find myself luring my dog with treats to take a picture next to a bloodsucking parasite.   It's never really a pose - more like a panic heist with a hasty retreat to safety.  Like he knows what it is somehow ..

I might owe him an extra treat.

This flea is an Isopresso design from the members channel, featuring a kind of leaf weave technique at one end.  This one benefits in that the legs don't really need to match closely, they vary in length and are not visible pairs.

(view other insects)

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Other balloons by and inspired by Isopresso: