September 30 - Tatyana's Mouse

The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that held it together. She began nibbling and nibbling until the rope broke. The lion was able to shake off the other ropes that held him tight. He stood up free again!

The lion turned to the mouse and said, "Dear friend, I was foolish to ridicule you for being small. You helped me by saving my life after all!"

~ Aesop The Lion and the Mouse

The moon is not made of cheese, but most of my photo captions tend to be.

Tatyana DjeTa Lyashko hit on another fantastic design with this mouse, and the perfect framing to put it on a moon shaped block of cheese. I had to cheat a bit once I had the moon structure since I didn't have any 9 or 11" yellow rounds, and used Big Bear Heads for the larger sections.

I'm really enjoying building these large delivery pieces, she puts in so many details and techniques that could be applied elsewhere.  It's like an advanced balloon class homework assignment.

This mouse moon hung as a chandelier in our house for a couple days.

Of mice and the man in the moon	The moon used to be full, Now the mouse is.
... The More You Know .....

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Other posts with Tatyana's designs: Show all

September 29 - Garden Gnome

Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2:...
Phase 3: Profit

~ Underpants Gnome South Park

If you are a balloon twister on Facebook, chances are you already know Linda Truscheit's work and why she is one of my favorite twisters - what she makes is just .. so full of personality ... so awesome.  I keep a special folder of her artwork as inspiration.

When I was recently looking over my notes from an early balloon webinar I realized I hadn't built this one in a while and not yet for the blog. I have used this form for a wizard using a purple robe and staff, but I also wrote in my notes that it might make a great Papa Smurf, Santa or Duck Hunter if you play around with the colors. Here it is as she taught it - a garden gnome.

There many things I like about this balloon creation, but what I like most is the way the beard is constructed. It's one of those things that seems obvious once you've done it - but would have never occurred to me. Balloon artistry? More like balloon wizardry.

The gnome was taken into work and immediately found a home in our break room.

To gno-me is to love me	Hangin' with my gnomies in the break room
We're going where gnome man has gone before.

Other posts with Linda's designs:


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September 28 - Tatyana's Turtle

“When we were little," the Mock Turtle went on at last, more calmly, though still sobbing a little now and then, "we went to school in the sea. The master was an old Turtle - we used to call him Tortoise -"
"Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn't one?" Alice asked.
"We called him Tortoise because he taught us," said the Mock Turtle angrily: "really you are very dull!”

~ Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland

Russian balloon artists have an amazing and unique style to their balloon twisting - Tatyana DjeTa Lyashko has a collection of PDFs available that are incredible.  Even more than decor, I would say this could qualify as a competition piece.

I have had some of her PDFs on my list of things to build for a long while, and since she just recently posted a few of her newer Halloween designs I figured I should get busy!

This turtle is easily the most involved and difficult balloon I have made to date.  It takes a total of 18 hearts with multiple sidewall bubbles to create just the basic form of the shell.  If Buster's kitty helped me get confidence with multiple sidewall bubbles - this one made me a balloon surgeon with the delicacy I had to work with some of these connections.  Thankfully those that I struggled with didn't cause a domino effect of weakening the others.

I love the droopy eyes, I love the leg distortions, I love that I was able to complete the shell - but I was so scared of popping something - I didn't adjust the connecting bubbles to the inside in some places which might have made building the shell trim easier.  Now I know why I waited so long to attempt this one!  Phew!

Hey heyyyy, Tippi Turtle!	I crossed the finish line - hare less
Ok, now give me that sexy "I'm just barely 125 years old" smile

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Other posts with Tatyana's designs: Show all

September 27 - Sweet Beaver

Pines a thousand years old. Every year they must go farther for them: they recede, like beavers and Indians, before the white man.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is it! - the final balloon from Eric Weinstein's Sweet Cheeks Volume 2 - and yes he did get a bit "cheeky" with this one.

This beaver is probably the most involved creation on the video, there are a lot of different balloons and you must pay attention to the sizes of a few elements or it will be a mess as my first attempt was.

I made a giant beaver out of these awesome new Betallatex 11" hearts, but it got me thinking about (and this might show my age) how big and awkward Beaver got on Leave it to Beaver.  Cute as a tiny boy to say "Gosh Wally!" - but so awkward that they tried to pretend he was still so young in the later episodes.

Oh Ward.

Here is the full list of Sweet Cheeks from volume 2:
Ladybug
Monkey
Panda
Mouse
Hippo
Bull
Lemur
Yellow Angry Bird
Lion
Beaver (you are here!)

Big Beefer	When is lunch?  Tree o'clock.
Well I'll be dammed!  We've finished building all the sweet cheeks!

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Other posts with Eric's designs:


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September 26 - Big Monkey

Now, statistics prove, prove that you've one birthday
Imagine, just one birthday every year
Ah, but there are three hundred and sixty four unbirthdays!
Precisely why we're gathered here to cheer
A very merry unbirthday to you, to you
To me? To you!
A very merry unbirthday
For me? For you!
Now blow the candle out my dear
And make your wish come true
A merry merry unbirthday to you!

Alice in Wonderland - The Unbirthday Song

Buster Balloon is has a monkey, a big adorable monkey.

This monkey is from his Adorable DVD, and is big and goofy with it's giant ears.   This one took a couple attempts at building, though the design is fairly straightforward - when you build something this large, sizing of certain elements becomes important.  In my case, I made the face so wide that the ears were just big moons sitting far away from the head.  Plus I had built the ears separately and ended up with two sizes.

Really what one should do is watch the designs built and then build it as you see fit from memory.  I was listening to the Balloon Artist Podcast with Addi Somekh recently who said something along the lines of "Imagine someone going up to an old jazz great and asking them exactly what notes to play to play a certain song ... it would break his heart."  Balloons are not exactly jazz but the quote is good in the sense that, especially with these larger pieces - you're creating a form, how you get there is jazz ba-dee-dee-deep-ddoo-doo.  When you teach someone a design, it's oftentimes done from the efficiency of teaching it - but when you build a design it's done from the organic best way to build.

A couple friends had a party recently, they are sisters and since they couldn't have one on their birthdays so they decided to dub this their unbirthday party.  I'm not quite sure what kind of gift to give for someone's unbirthday party, so I figured a couple gigantic monkeys would be appreciated.  I confess I felt a little guilty wading through kids who 'ohhhhh! I want monkey!' - such is the dilemma of balloon twisters delivering and attending the same party.  I probably should have brought a bunch of smaller guys as well...

Unbirthday sisters, going bananas for their gifts	We've got your slippers
Ears my monkey friend!

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Other posts with Busters's designs: Show all

September 25 - Flying Pig

When Pigs Fly is a store that is right up the road from us. It specializes in local artist wares, and as you can guess by the name - many of them are fantastically porcine.

To fit with the theme of my wife's birthday scavenger hunt, her gift was a "dragon feeder". (Though I'm told it works well with hummingbirds as well.)  It's a really neat ornate bit of copper leaves that holds the glass bottle, but we recently tried to filling it and noticed there was a small hole in the glass which caused the liquid to leak out. Not a break or a chip, just a slight imperfection in the side. These things happen in non-commercial artisan made things, had I bought it at a local fair I might have tried fixing it with some epoxy, but the store is so close and on the way to the park we take our dog, so we came in to exchange it.

The sweetest lady runs the store, she was arm deep in an art project of her own but was profusely apologetic and immediately offered others in exchange, I built her this flying pig as thanks.

Support local artists!

Can we go?  Can we go?

September 24 - Sweet Lion

“Courage~
What makes the flag on the mast to wave? What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot?

~ L. Frank Baum The Wizard of Oz

I only have a couple more balloons left to build from Eric Weinstein's Sweet Cheeks Volume 2 - I can't decide if I'm happy or sad to be finishing, I guess it's a little of both.

These designs are so adorable and smooshy-cheek cute that they are fun to give away - people always seem to be amazed! 😄 If you are a twister and don't own this video yet, you are really missing out.  Even for us non professional balloon artists, you will make your money back easily - the folks at my local Starbucks forced me to put my money away.

This Lion is one of the more involved creations on the video and does take a little bit of finesse, but the effort is worth it, it makes people squeal with delight.

Since Qualatex doesn't make a goldenrod heart - I was forced to use an under inflated round.  Despite the cheeks being a slight bit oblong, it worked perfectly.

One more to go!

Welcome to the mane event!	Simba down, I can Mufasa
Some cute lions!  ... I'm not lyin' ..

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Recent posts with Eric's designs:


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September 23 - Boma's Hippo

I love you You love me
We're a happy family
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you.
Won't you say you love me too

~ Barney I Love You

Mr. Boma (Jerome Santucci) released another great design on YouTube recently of this hippopotamus.  Mr. Boma's videos are almost all fantastic and this is no exception, and if you are his supporter of his Patreon account - you will get early access to his latest creations!

This hippo looks like a baby, so add +5 adorable points, especially with that bow in it's hair.  Mr. Boma also suggested in the video that it could be a good form for Barney, so built one in those colors to play - and in the spirit of most YouTube comments, someone made the same suggestion as well.  Both are right I think. :)

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, Whoever came up with it didn't have the disease!  (link)	When a hippo is angry at you, his ears wiggle - or so says EVERY JUNGLE CRUISE driver
Barney - the difference between Jurrassic Park and your ass kicked park.

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Other posts with Mr Boma's designs:


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September 22 - Sweet Bunny

“Human beings say, "It never rains but it pours." This is not very apt, for it frequently does rain without pouring. The rabbits' proverb is better expressed. They say, "One cloud feels lonely": and indeed it is true that the sky will soon be overcast.”

~ Richard Adams Watership Down

This is it! The final Sweet Cheek design showcased in Eric Weinstein's Sweet Cheeks Volume 1.

A couple of the balloons from this video I made prior to it's release based on pictures I had seen and a webinar I had attended so they're close but not exact.  I had resisted building this last one because I have built so many rabbits in the days leading up to Easter and I've exhausted just about every Dad joke and pun I can think of...   But lets do this - it feels good to complete the video series!

Sweet Cheeks are your ticket to build pretty much any animal you can think of in cute cartoon fashion. They are quick to build and scrumptious to the people who receive them. I ended up taking these bunnies into the car dealership when taking my vehicle for service and made a grown man squeal with delight.

That is one of the beautiful things about twisting balloons, they don't last. It forces a situation where I need to find someone to give it to, and random acts of ballooning has been one of my favorite things, it really brightens someone's day.  The downside is that if I don't find someone, I have to destroy it myself after it wilts with all of the random bits and practice balloons, so I'm getting better.

Sweet Cheeks Volume 1 is:
Worm in an Apple
Snail
Penguin
White Chick
Rabbit (you are here!)
Cow
Dog
Sheep
Yellow Chick
Red Angry Bird

Ears looking at you!	Carrot-y chops -- yum!
Don't scurry, be hoppy!

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Recent posts with Eric's designs:


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September 21 - Milkshake the Kitty

“A kitten is the delight of a household. All day long a comedy is played out by an incomparable actor.”

~ Champfleury The Cat Past and Present

Buster Balloon is so freaking good at what he does.

He calls his kitty "Milkshake" after the pink cat on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, but I'm going to call mine Sidewall due to the sheer number of them to make this complicated face. I must have watched his kitty video three times, intimidated about even beginning it. But Buster explains and demonstrates deftly how it's done, so I put on my big boy britches and tried what this big boy teaches.

The key to Buster's designs is definitely "the squish". Everything he does is so nice and squishy that you can do seemingly impossible things with them, even after making multiple sidewall bubbles in these hearts, I still have enough play to be able to manipulate things. The face is made up of so many crucial twists that if any one of them failed, you would probably have to rebuild it in it's entirety, but I can say that after following his demonstration closely, it all built without problem. The only deflation I had was a slow leak in a leg that I caused by manhandling and stretching to get it the same size to have it stand up straight, and I blame myself for trying to make two obviously different sized hearts work.

If you want to practice and get confidence at sidewall bubbles - this is your design. I wouldn't build this in front of anyone because I still make a "I hope this doesn't pop!" face when connecting sidewall bubbles, but I built the black kitty with ease, despite black balloons being very "sticky"(?) - they are difficult to manipulate side by side and really create a lot of friction.


Tosh (our furry real black cat) hates balloons, he freaked out as I tried to get him to pose with his balloon doppelganger.   Then once he realized I was after him, pretty much every picture was a blur of him attempting to get away.  Trying to get him to do what I want is like herding 2-year-old children.

My kitty brings all the boys to the yard	Tap water? You've gotta be kitten me ...
He's purr-ty - I'm purr-ple

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Other posts with Busters's designs: Show all

September 20 - Motorcycle

"A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air…"

~ JK Rowling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Pieter Van Engen uses so many marriage twists, he ought to be ordained.  He really is a master at using them, I really like the way his deep marriage twists create a divot in the main balloon, it makes for an interesting shape to the headlight and ... engine?

There are a lot of great features to this motorcycle, a hybrid using some of the intricate ideas in this smaller motorcycle and the details in Dylan's larger sized Pocket Chopper (link) would be epic.

This is actually the second of Pieter's motorcycles I've built - but I cheated on a few of the marriage twists (made them double-pinch) and I guess I didn't take pictures because of it, I can't find any at least.

This is perfect size for Purple to ride, so I built it in lilac.

Ride when you're two tired, not when you're too tired.	Lilac it a lot!
Now I know why a dog sticks it's head out the window!

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Other posts with Pieter's designs:


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September 19 - Minecraft Party

Hippo, birdie, two ewe.
Hippo, birdie, two ewe.
Hippo, birdie, hippo, birdie;
Hippo, birdie, two ewe.

~ Sandra Boynton

I know based on a couple recent blog entries that I might be a working balloon twister now.  That's not the case, things just kind of stacked up on top of each other!

These balloons were made for party my friend Owen was having, who just turned the magical age of 7 and somewhat of a Minecraft fan (aren't we all?) - Happy Birthday Owen!

The Creeper is constructed similar to the fuselage of the David Grist biplane, the feet make it a Falloon Flower Bud, but mostly it's derivative of Christopher Lyle's Creeper on the Crapper (link).

The swords and pickaxe are all based on a recent image posted in the Balloon Twister Central forums by Michele Turner. I love our balloon community - we are full of people who love to share their art and creations and it's such a valuable resource to search through when planning what you want to build. I have "inspiration folders" full of stuff that I want to attempt to copy at some point!  Thank you for sharing, Michele!

On another note, today marks the first day of my new exercise routine.  I've signed up for a membership at a gym and it includes a couple visits with a personal trainer.  This is like going to the dentist when you haven't flossed since your last visit -- I know better, but I really need to take my medicine, let them "let me have it" and do my best not to prattle off excuses.   I'm nervous.

Sssssssssssssss.... words!	Owen don't fear the creeper, Nor do the wind or the sun or the rain! (we can be like they are)
I'm thinking I could make some sort of diamond throne out of these ...

September 18 - Baby Ambassadors

“When a child is born its sense-organs are brought in contact with the outer world. The waves of sound, heat and light beat upon its feeble body, its sensitive nerve-fibres quiver, the muscles contract and relax in obedience: a gasp, a breath, and in this act a marvelous little engine, of inconceivable delicacy and complexity of construction, unlike any on earth, is hitched to the wheel-work of the Universe.”

~ Nikola Tesla

Yesterday I was invited to participate in a Baby Ambassador event put on by the Top Ladies of Distinction (http://www.tlodinc.org/), a non-profit humanitarian organization.

This event in particular is celebrating and bringing awareness to infant health and promoting healthy children through all areas of critical development and is a fundraiser for the March of Dimes and a local community playground. Children and their families participate in providing education and resources to achieve and maintain health for their children.

The original task was to create centerpieces for the function, and if there was any extra time - maybe something a little more exciting to encourage patron generosity. The centerpieces use Juan Gonzales's baby design tide to a few clusters of balloons. This was the first time I've tried to make any sort of decor like this, and my first time working with tulle and ribbon accessories. I think it was pretty effective - but I would probably draw another face on the backside to make it visible from all sides.

Issue #83 of Balloon Magic Magazine included with it a bonus video by Pippity-Pop of a baby in a small bundle, perfect for being carried by a stork - I thought they would make good photo accessories or nice giveaways. I also built a bassinet out of quick links for a few of Phileas Flash's babies inside.

All of the balloons were very well received, I had to scramble away early since my youngest was performing that afternoon at an art/street festival. I hope the event was a great success! Thanks Bridggette!

We ordered womb service for four ...	Babies - feeding the hand that bites you
I think they like my jokes, they haven't fully groaned yet.