Happy Easter!

I hope that you had a fantastic Easter!

Here in Australia, we had a 5-day long weekend. There was Easter, but also ANZAC day on the Monday, and a public holiday for it was on the Tuesday. Not only that, this weekend is a three-day long weekend. Very cool.

Here is the special Easter balloon I made for the occasion:

I was quite happy with the outcome, it was the first time that I tried this original design for the rabbit. It also doubled as a gift to a birthday girl; more on that below!

Also, Tuesday (today) was my little nephew's 3rd birthday. We celebrated at the park, and of course I did the balloons! Not only that, my mother is a talented face painter (I'm sure I've bragged on that before!) and she pulled out her paints and delighted young and old.

My nephew, Brook! He turned 3.

Rawr! Tiger Princess Paris

Something different, no balloon photos of the event! However, balloons made include; a snake, ladybug on a flower, Pooh, Lightening McQueen hat and 1 2 3 skeletons! 

Not only that, but I worked with Hyper the Clown at a party recently, which was a fun outdoor event. The Easter balloon I made was the gift for the Saturday birthday. This coming weekend I also have another little one's birthday lined up... Yay! Bring it on, I say!

Tinkerbell and Parties

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to do a 60th birthday party... For twins! It was a fun evening, I enjoyed creating requests for the young children and those young-at-heart. Incidentally, I was not aware that the party was for a brother and sister, but luckily the balloon I'd made to take along was a parrot and a cockatoo on a perch haha Unfortunately I don't have any photos as I was rushing out the door!

Some of my favourite balloons of the night were a ballerina, and some lady bug bracelets. I had a bit of a challenge when I was asked for a platypus, might need to practice that one for next time!

Other interesting things that happened... I was asked for my phone number (sorry I'm taken!) and told I was fresh... like a minty. Don't ask! hehe

I'd brought some shiny new black patent shoes to wear that evening too, so my feet were a little sore. Not as bad as I thought they might get, thankfully. 

What was quite fabulous is that the bar manager at the party was very excited about the balloons, and ordered a special request for her sisters' birthday. (She was also very awesome by trading me food and drink for a balloon of her own after I finished at the 60th.) I thought it was quite clever as she brought numerous gifts for her that began with 'T'. After swapping some thoughts, we thought Tinkerbell would be a great idea.

I put a lot of effort into Tinkerbell for her, as I wanted to be as detailed as possible, amp up the 'wow' factor. I did make up the design as I went, as you can see my inspiration picture below. Thank you to the very talented Bonnie Davis whose head and neck instructions were the foundation for the head.

My reference picture

My client was very happy with the end result, and I really hope her sister will be too. It was a fun challenge, but now... I rest!

Until next time! (and one day soon I will finish my challenged balloons and put up some more!)

Katherine Markets and my Facepainting Attempt

Okay, so it's been a short while... hasn't it? I wanted to share with you some photos from my latest market that I attended. I feel there is far few pictures of me in action haha so I enlisted my mother to take some photos for me.

We didn't capture too many on the day, as mum is also a very talented Face Painter and took them between her little customers.

Thank you Mum! I think you did a great job ^___^

I had a great time at those markets. What was most fantastic is that there was a stall selling new books right next to us... and they had two balloon twisting kits! Two sweet young ladies (no relation) both told me that I had inspired them and so they brought the kits. I thought it was amazing and I wish them both the best of luck with their twisting!

Here is my recent attempt at painting my bestie's face... a little not a lot of stuff going on haha. I need more practice!

Got to practice more... that's for sure... hehe But it was great fun! I do want to learn to do better though..

A Gushing Review of Geniuses, and Supanova Plans

Getting ready for Supanova Brisbane 2011. A great excuse to dress up in costume, and make and wear a new balloon dress!

I wanted to share with you my inspiration of what I wish to create. Many of you in the ballooning world should have heard of Marie Dadow. What she does with her dresses is nothing short of amazing. If I can get to her level, I'd be so happy. Her amazing creations have been seen on the Victoria's Secret Runway, shows in Vegas, and my personal favourite; Disney's The Wizards of Waverly Place.

The dress that was made for an episode of Wizards:

Now, I'm not aware of any special event this may or not been created for, but the end result is absolutely stunning. From the colours, to the dress, to the makeup to the wig, to the model.... Everything!:

I hope to do something similar for myself. I have a talented friend who lives in Brissie who is a makeup artist who I will beg and plead for assistance (bribes I won't say no to!).

I am hoping to get a wig from the amazing Katie Bair. I don't know that I have sent a request for a quote with enough time with less than 3 months to go, but I can only hope. Due to the lead time she requires, it's not too likely for late March. I will wait to hear from her methinks (you never know!) then look at alternatives. Even if it's going to be too late for Supanova, I am determined to own one. A wig from Katie is an amazing thing and it will get a lot of wear regardless. The catch is if you order from her design services, you can't request what the wig will look like. The bonus of this is she is very creative and will come up with something amazing, most likely exceeding any expectations. Take a look at some of these examples from her website (there are hundreds there, a true master of her craft!):

(All above images (c) to Katie Bair)

Seriously, right!? They are a work of art, and the three above some of my favourites. But enough gushing.

I will keep you updated of any progress with my plans, or the outcome of my request to Katie. I am planning on putting a post on my other blog, She Said Whaaat?!, on my cosplay costume that I hope to make.

Worthwhile links to admire:

Balloon Art by Just Marie

Katie Bair's Petting Zoo

New Tutorial... Twist a Balloon Ladybug!

New balloon tutorial @ Youtube... How to twist a Balloon Ladybug by yours truely. Please visit and leave a comment! Hope to hear from you!

I think to try and put more up, I will try and do at least one a month... Maybe more. But at this stage I have a couple of ideas of items to twist and would like to get more out there. So we will see!

Sad story... I recorded the whole tut... without hitting record on my computer *sadface* so this was the 2nd video I made and hence why I have two in the end haha! I was going batty but I originally had a shout-out to my Ballooning friend from NZ, Magic-Ian, which I forgot to put into the 2nd :( So I am sorry, Ian.... But there is then next video! haha

Colouring Page

I've created a colouring page for you to download. Would love to see anything that you'd like to submit. Don't forget to email it to me @ soniastwisted.gmail.com! The artwork is by the very talented Hugh Freeman.

FAQ's

Being in the twisting business, there is inevitably questions! If you have any questions that are not answered here, or any suggestions, drop me a line!

Do you use special balloons for this? Mine keep popping easily!

I started with a simple kit from Woolworths, which came with a pump, small booklet and about 20 modelling balloons. The pump and booklet were very decent; as for the balloons, well they were useable, but the balloons of mediocre quality (I still use the pump to this day!) That began the start of my ballooning career!

The brands I highly recommend are Qualatex or Betalatex. Qualatex can be purchased from Spotlight, however due to the higher domestic cost I chose to buy my balloons in bulk from the US.

How long have you been doing this for?

I started with a kit I purchased in my lunch break one day at work in 2007. After getting bitten by the bug and buying all the books I could get my hands on locally (3 only!), I just kept twisting away. Things became more serious in 2008 and I haven't looked back.

Your hands must get sore!

Not really. My shoulder muscles, that's where it's at!

What's the biggest thing you can make?

Balloon dresses for sure.

What started you making dresses?

In 2009 I studied fashion design at Charles Darwin University. One of the units we were asked to do a short presentation on what we did as an artist. I decided to combine my love of fashion designing and balloon twisting for mine. It went down well!

How long does it take you to make a dress?

My very first one took me 6 hours, and the longest has taken me about 12. I've gotten faster as I've done more, and more complex in design.

Don't you ever worry about someone popping the dress while you wear it?

My level of worry is low. Even if someone where to do so, contrary to what you might think the dress will not suddenly deflate. I think people would be more worried about me getting upset if they popped anything! Everyone is on good behaviour.

How do you get in and out of the dress?

There are what are called 'Balloon Buttons' created by pinchtwists that begin a row, and the last bubble of the row is left loose to wrap around that pinchtwist to put on and off. Also a trusted friend to help me get in!

How do you make the dress?

On one of my dressmakers dummies, or if they are not available, I have made to with male mannequins which have worked well. If preparing to attempt this, you need to work with something close to the body shape of the person who will be wearing it.

I'd love to get started in making my own balloon dress! Do you have instructions or a DVD you could recommend?

I can't recommend Marie Dadow highly enough! It was instructions that helped to get me started. She's made balloon garments that have graced the Victoria's Secret runway (!) and Disney's "The Wizards of Waverly Place". She was even sweet enough to give me some tips personally on success and they really did improve my art. Check out her Balloon HQ profile to be inspired by her amazing work!

Again if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will add them to the list.