December 24 - Candy Cane Swords

"Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."

~ Gandalf

They still sing songs of the Great War - of a time when the peoples of the realm stood shoulder to shoulder as the Dark crept outward, uncaring and unfeeling.

Men, elves, craftsmen, bakers and all manner of free folk held the line, united by a single purpose.

And when the Long Night came, every hand that could lift a blade was needed.

The plaque reads:

This shrine is dedicated to Snap and Krackle,

Bearers of the twin red-and-white blades of the Keebler clan,

The last defenders of the Frosted Pass.

---

These are *actually* a couple sword designs from the Balloon Brothers balloon tutorial release called "Weapons of Wonder".   

Technically, every balloon is a weapon if you're enthusiastic enough about it, but these are some fun sword-adjacent designs that you might be able to talk your way through security with.  

... and failing that .. stab your way?

(view other swords)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers:

September 19 - Pig Bubble Buddy

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig... but already it was impossible to say which was which."

~ George Orwell, Animal Farm

Certainly the most important test you can perform on any balloon technique -- "does it purple?"

Let's see!  *squeak squeak squeak* (twisting noises)

I would say that as kind of final notes on the technique, that it's "not the quickest build".  The fullness and shape of the head is great, the jaw pieces does a great job at separating the head from the body and create a nice/hidden flow between the two sections.  You can also easily "cartoonify" these by replacing the eyebrow area with white for gigantic eyes.

The votes have been tallied, the verdict is in and I'm going to rubber stamp "DPP Approved" on the package - purple pig is porkfect for the technique.

Bubble Buddy has the right amount of chub for this bub.

(view other pigs)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by The Balloon Brotherse:

September 18 - Penguin Bubble Buddy

"If you never try, you'll never know what you're capable of."

~ John Barrow

The usual suspect when making balloons using a design style is a penguin.

It took a couple attempts to hone in on a face I was content with, worth it in the end I think - the big beaked bubble buddies were a bit bonkers.

The design style of a Bubble Buddy tends to be more tsum-tsum and I suppose in hindsight I could have made a penguin sliding on it's belly.  But the head has two mounting positions and the "up" position needed a different body because the belly is a bit limb-y as designed.

(view other penguin)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers:

September 17 - Caterpillar Bubble Buddy

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."

~ R. Buckminster Fuller

Inside the chrysalis, its whole body melts into a bug soup.  A few tiny discs survive that build themselves into a butterfly.

It sounds impossible, it sounds like science fiction.

But it's caterpillar puberty.

--

Just a doodle when playing with the Balloon Brothers Bubble Buddy face/body design.  Using white gives a bit of a cartoonish look to the head, this might have worked well sitting up as kind of a Jiminy Cricket.

(view other caterpillar)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers:

Septermber 16 - Bubble Buddy Seal

"If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air."

~ Chief Seattle

Harp seals start out as little fluffy marshmallows, but their name actually comes from how they look after they outgrow this whitecoat pup stage we all know them for.

As adults, their fur changes to a silvery gray, and a typical fur pattern has darker patches wrap over their shoulders and down their sides, forming an elongated C - like the neck and pillar of a harp.   

I feel like they kind of look like a pair of dark wings, I would have gone with "blubber dragon".

--

This seal is using the Bubble Buddy form from the Balloon Brothers instructions.  I think the front flippers gave good elevation to the head.

(view other seal)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers:

September 15 - Lion Bubble Buddy

"The holder of authority is like the rider on a lion - he is envied for his position, but he well knows his position."

~ Ali ibn Abi Talib

English has narrowed the meaning of "jungle" over time to be a dense tropical forest.  But it was originally used in reference any wilderness or uncultivated lands.

Also, "King of the Jungle" sounds a lot more regal than "King of the Scrublands".

--

Here is another Bubble Buddy example from the Balloon Brothers, this oversized lions mane works well for the head, and using a wider body base helps balance out the body.

(view other lions)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by The Balloon Brothers:

September 13 - Bear Bubble Buddy

"If you're not a little afraid of a bear, you probably shouldn't be out there."

~ Bruce Smith

I don't typically watch a nature cam, I'll watch a highlights reel instead.  The prospect of tuning into a nest to see if maybe something is there doesn't compel me.

That was before I saw the National Park Service bear cams set up at Brook Falls in Alaska.  Multiple camera angles watch, where the bears are lazily catching the salmon that are shooting out of the river. 

Chat is into it too.  "Hey is that #86?  Nice to see he's back this year"  "no no that's #110, check the grey left ear, but #86 was around earlier".  

--

This is a Bubble Buddy taught in the Balloon Brothers download for the concept.  I struggled a bit with this one, the chubby body made it seem like I was constantly re-adjusting the face to look up.

(view other bears)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by The Balloon Brothers:

September 12 - Bunny Bubble Buddy

"It is a happiness to wonder; it is a happiness to dream."

~ Edgar Allan Poe

I just learned that rabbits get a special kind of zoomies - called "binkies".

It's when a bunny is so ridiculously happy that it launches itself into the air and does a little mid-leap spazz-out that it just can't contain.

Chaotic joy.

--

This is another one of the designs taught by the Balloon Brothers in their Bubble Buddy assortment, the larger feet help give a little space to lift the head.

(view other bunnies)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by The Balloon Brothers:

September 11 - Fox Bubble Buddy

"The fox changes his fur but not his habits."

~ Proverb

What does the fox say? ..

... did we ever get the answer?

I suppose while I'm asking, was it live or was it Memorex?    

--

This fox design is another showcasing the Bubble Buddy design from the Balloon Brothers collection.

I spent some extra care trying to get the head attachment angled better this time, but still any head-on pictures are simple "all face".

(view other fox)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers:

September 10 - Husky Bubble Buddy

"Some of our greatest historical and artistic treasures we place with curators in museums; others we take for walks."

~ Roger Caras

Husky dogs have a vibe.  I'm into it.

The ancient soulful eyes of a wolf, a powerful bloodline of arctic survival, and a scream-song at 3AM because 'noise'.

When it comes down to it, I'm definitely more of a Labrador.

---

Bubble Buddy is one of the balloon designs from the Balloon Brothers collection and this Husky is used to show the main concept.  They have a 'tsum-tsum' look to them, giant head on a loaf-of-bread body.

The way the head attaches forces a low profile.  You can angle the head into a kind of sitting or begging pose, but it didn't really photograph well.  This is all about the giant face, it's meant to be held.

(view other dogs)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers:

August 18 - Ghost Wands

I don't believe in the stars or the planets
Or angels watching from above
But I believe there's a ghost of a chance
We can find someone to love
And make it last

~ Ghost of a Chance - Rush

Joe Mock showed how he builds a quick ghost wand at Bling Bling Jam this year, but honestly a big takeaway might have been how solid these two and three-color flower bases look.  They've got a polished, layered feel - you could use a plain round on top and literally drop it like a mic.

I've decided that wands are better than bracelets.  Wands are a display with a handle built in.  They're interactive, they demand motion.  They're built to be swung and pointed and bonk the next kid on the head.  (*Disclaimer: no kid party experience.)

Also, if you squint - it kind of looks like a little magical tornado swirl pushes these guys in the air.

Lil' Devil and the Hampire felt like appropriately creepy wand mates.

(view other ghosts)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers (Joe Mock):

August 1 - Chub Chub Bling Bluey

"It was only a colour out of space - a frightful messenger from unformed realms of infinity beyond all Nature as we know it; from realms whose mere existence stuns the brain and numbs us with the black extra-cosmic gulfs it throws open before our frenzied eyes."

~ H.P. Lovecraft - The Colour Out of Space

Did I black out?

No.  I remember going to sleep, despite the whispers growing louder.   

They're gone now, but in their place is a ... a tone I can't describe.  It glows somehow - a sound you don't just hear, you .. see.  Or at least ... can't unsee.

It was JUST a blue dog.

It's out there.  I feel it behind my eyelids.   

I don't open them.

--- 

A "Chub Chub" is a balloon concept from Joe Mock of Balloon Brothers fame, and is a decor-style basic body shape with a bit of a short column stack look, one would imagine is perfect for a tables or tying into most decor really.

Bluey wasn't a design taught at Bling Bling Jam (thankfully?) - I'm just playing with the concept and being a silly goose.  (Honk!)  I tried adapting the faces from both Darren and Sam(my?)s Blueys  - this balloon design has a lot of "play" in how much detail you choose put into accessories, I suppose in this instance the face is an accessory.

(view other Bluey)

---

Other balloons by and inspired by the Balloon Brothers: