Santa Hat and Snowman Ring Patricia Bunnell This holiday season I'm giving you two ideas. A Santa Claus Hat, Twisted Critter Style. That was inspired by Robert Dunn! Thanks Bro! And a teeny tiny Snow Man Ring. Wishing you all a safe and peace filled Holiday. Step 1...

Turkey and Stuff...ing Michael Philo Magical Balloon Michael At about this time last year I shared with you a Turkey using a 5" Round as the body, and this year I will share my Turkey Hat, along with a Bee using 6" Hearts as wings and a Bunny Rabbit using a 5" Round...

How to Inflate a Balloon by Mouth By Michael Floyd There are two ways to blow up a balloon. You could use a pump or your lungs. I highly suggest you use a pump. Blowing up a balloon by mouth is very difficult. Why are the thin balloons harder to blow up then the round...

Working with Foil Balloons Luc Bertrand, CBA Hi everyone, Remember last month's article on 646q arches? Well, Qualatex recently launched new colours. This month I'll discuss the detail of an arch we designed last week in a seminar. The students used the new mocha...

Balloon Fashion Design Just Marie Balloon fashions have become the latest rage in our industry. Balloon dresses are not new, but have recently gained world wide notoriety following a fashion show that took place in Shanghai, China. Designers from all over the world...

Line Work Ideas Jack Mattson

The Director's "CUT!!" Jimmy Leo Balloon Convention Recovery - Noun 1) The process of coping with no longer being the "entertaining one." Returning to everyday life. 2) The act of returning to normal while still fending off feelings of Euphoria. 3) The size of Jimmy...

Tall, Thin Heads by Daniel McCullough Here is a new technique I have come up with for making tall, thin heads. You will need 2x 646Q blush, 1x 350Q blush, 1x 260Q blush, 2 x 160 brown, 1x 5 inch round white and 4x raisin-twists. Cut the top off a 646Q and then drop...

Pumpkin Face by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a pumpkin or a Jack-o-Lantern. With Halloween coming this month, I'm going to share a pumpkin design with you. One that has a face built into it rather than just painted on it. You'll need 3 or 4...

Double Stuffing & Balloon Molar by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is to make a design using the double-stuff technique and also by removing some of the outer layer of balloon by popping it off to create interesting effects. Double-Stuffing a Dog...

Fabrizio's Vulture Hat by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ Challenge this month is a vulture or buzzard. While I was at the First Florida Twister's Seminar in Ft. Lauderdale (August, 2006) Fabrizio Bolzoni shared his new vulture design with me and he has allowed me to write...

The Best Balloon Pump Ever by Don Caldwell I have heard many people over the years, debate over what the best balloon pump is. Electric or manual? Hand pump or a free standing model? I feel that I have some special insight into this matter. My own personal favorite is...

Thelma Levitt's Dog by Ralph Dewey While in the UK recently I got a chance to meet a very creative twister named Thelma Levitt. She shared a nice looking dog balloon model with me and I liked it. She has been kind enough to let me write it up in my column. She sent me...

Boo Boo Bear & Fun Ball by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a character or animal from latex gloves. I've got two ideas for you this time, a Boo Boo Bear from a latex glove and a fun ball made from three #260 balloons. Boo Boo Bear Shift and...

Moose by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a moose or moose hat. Inflate a brown #260 fully except for about 4-1/2 inches and tie off the nozzle. Twist off two 1" bubbles and ear twist them. Twist off two soft* 6" bubbles then fold twist them both....

Walrus Hat by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a walrus or walrus hat. The Walrus hat is fairly easy to make. You'll need a mocha brown #350 balloon, two black round balloons, two white #321 balloons, one gray #260 balloons and one white #260...

Sitting Dog by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a dog. Here are some possible ideas, a dog with a bone in his mouth, a dog jumping through a hoop hat or a dog chasing his tail. 2006 is the Chinese year of the dog, so I thought that I would share my...

Easy Penguins by Ralph Dewey The Balloon HQ challenge this month is a penguin. Penguins are very popular these days. It's one of the most requested balloon animals. And I understand another animated movie featuring penguins will be at the theatres soon. So this month...

Bill Holliday: A Bit of Balloon History by Ralph Dewey This article is about a balloon twister of color from the early days. Bill Holliday was included in my balloon history book, Balloon Twister Origins, but here is some additional information. Bill Holliday was...

Balloon Preservation by Don Caldwell On June 21st, 2005, six, simple balloon dogs were twisted in an attempt to once and for all put to rest the quibbling and urban legends that revolve around the longevity of balloon sculptures. All six were created using red...

Reindeer Hat By Rob Balchunas Hi everybody! It's been just over a year since my last column, but I couldn't go through 2006 without writing at least one column. So here it is! Ya happy, Jimmy? For this holiday season, I decided to upgrade the reindeer hat that I've...