Thanks to all of our clients who asked us to create some really cool balloon decorations for them. Here are a few examples of what you can expect from Balloonamations.

A pair of Grave Diggers ready for the show!

First, some people with the Monster Truck Show here in San Antonio found us, and hired us for face painting  – but they also wanted a couple of these for the “Party in the Pits”…..

This was created using the clients Optical-themed balloons (roughly 10'x10')

We also recently were called upon to provide a face painter, a balloon artist and a few balloon decorations like this spiraling balloon arch for a client.

So, when your event requires traditional balloon decorations, or our special “deco-twisting” designs, please give us a call. We will make sure your event “pops”!

We know how busy we can all get during the Thanksgiving to Christmas season – we have been so blessed to be a part of so many fantastic holiday events. We enjoy providing balloons and face painting for all the birthday parties, office parties, corporate Christmas parties, but the thing we enjoy most are those clients we get to see every year!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you can find some time to really reflect upon the reason we celebrate this time of year, and that your home and business are blessed with laughter, smiles, hugs and good cheer.

Thank you all for letting Balloonamations be a part of your celebrations during 2011, and pray that you are all blessed greatly during this and every year.

Merry Christmas!!

Ernie & Sheryl Shown

People often wonder what to call this of us in the balloon entertainment industry. Here are the most common categories (as I see it)…. There are basically four types of balloon entertainers out there.

First, you have the basic “balloon twister” — someone who usually has a couple of dozen balloon designs that they can crank out really fast. They often do not have the time, or the inclination, or the ability to learn new stuff, since they can usually make people happy with what they have learned.

Next, you have your balloon decorators — people that can produce some amazing designs with round balloons and foil balloons. You’ve probably seen some beautiful columns, arches and canopies this type of artist can produce. They often are called on for large projects, like weddings, High School proms and dances, etc.

Absolutely adorable! Ladybug and Fairy.....

The third category of balloon entertainment are the balloon artists – We here at Balloonamations have moved WAY past just making simple balloon designs. Some of our pieces could actually be considered works of art!

The final category are the deco-twisters — people who have combined the balloon art and the balloon decorating concepts. If you ever saw the TV show “the Unpoppables”, this is what they were involved in.

Balloonamations has dived into this last category, incorporating some advanced balloon art into some larger balloon decorating events. Picture a half-dozen 6′ tall Pink Flamingos; or life-sized people and vehicles, balloon dresses, etc.

Got a decorating challenge for us? Call us to see what we can conjure up for your next occasion!

We understand the Spurs fan!

We recently had the opportunity to go out and make some incredible balloon creations for a group of local San Antonio Spurs fans. This event, held at the Stone Oak Lion & Rose, was sponsored by the San Antonio Magazine and was attended by a bunch of crazy Spurs fans. Also on hand – Brad and Barry Klinge were taking time out from hosting Discovery Channel’s “Ghost Lab” show. And, the most awesome team mascot in the world – the Spurs Coyote – was on hand to delight and amuse the fans.

So, if the NBA ever decides to play ball, and if the Spurs decide that their fans deserve the best balloon makers in San Antonio, we will see you at the game!!

We've been doing balloons at Spurs games and events since 2003!

Anyone who has used our services usually gets a customized “Thank You!” card from us . The card may have had a photo of your event, or more likely, a photo of the balloon sculpture we created for your event. And I’ll bet you and your family smiled and maybe laughed at when you received that card.

For those of you who wondered how we produce those unique greeting cards, here is our secret – SendOut Cards. This system allows us (or anyone else involved with SendOut Cards) to upload digital photos, add some text, and create a card the says “Thank You!” in  mere minutes.

SOC allows us to keep an online database of all our important clients, so it is very easy to keep in touch with someone.If you don’t have a digital camera, or just don’t want to create your own cards, you can choose from about 18,000 cards SOC has in its online catalog. This catalog contains cards for nearly every occasion imaginable.

SOC also allows you to make some extra cash, if that is more your cup of tea.

If you are curious about the SendOut Cards system, go to www.sendoutcards.com/15878/  and check it out. Watch the 3 minute video, send a free card, and let me know if I can get you started with SendOut Cards! And again – “Thank You!!”

The Balloonamations crew is always being tasked to learn new, neater, cooler, more spectacular balloon designs. Sometimes this is in response to a customer’s request “Do you know how to build a ____________?”  Other times, we find really exciting designs we know will blow people away on DVD’s, photos on the web, or classes we take. So what?! — this means our clients can hire us for more than one event and be pretty sure they will get something new each time! So if you need some really awesome balloon creation to make your event extra special, give us a call!

Here are just a few examples of new (for us) balloon sculptures we have had to come up with since July 2011 –

We often dazzle people with our amazing balloon creations – but where do we come up with these wonderful latex designs?

The truth is that we learn new ideas and concepts from some of the best balloon artists in the country. Balloonamations has a really large collection of DVD’s that allow us to re-create some of the best, cutest, coolest, most interesting balloon art pieces you will ever see.

We also learn new stuff by attending balloon jams (a bunch of crazy balloon artists getting together to play with their balloons) and balloon conventions. But the best way to learn new balloon designs is to attend classes being taught by one of country’s best balloon artists. Balloonamations was honored to host Stretch the Balloon Dude when he recently visited San Antonio, TX.

Modeling school finally pays off!

Stretch taught two classes based upon his “Wizard of  Ahhhhs” DVD and his “Twisted Toppers Too” DVD. The first class demonstrated how you can use 360 and 650 balloons to truly “Wow!” your audience, while the second class focused on how to make some really cool hats that all use a 6-balloon double hexagon concept.  The photos show examples of this heady concept!

If you are a balloon twister trying to get better, we highly recommend just about any of Stretch’s DVDs. And if you need a really awesome balloon performer for any event in the Dallas area, Stretch is the guy. He can be reached through his web site at http://www.stretchc.com/

We want to thank Stretch for coming down and teaching these classes — we learned a lot, and had a ton of fun!!

Summer time is definitely here in the San Antonio area — and the triple-digit heat just keeps on coming! This situation makes it extremely difficult for our balloon artists and our face painters to do their best work for your event.

Balloons really do not like high temperatures – and neither do the balloon artists The latex in the balloons breaks down rapidly under intense heat/sunlight, resulting in extreme “fogging” in some balloons, and super-critical expansion in others — they POP! We rarely pop balloons while we are working – we are professionals, after all – but we pop a LOT of them when attempting to build complex creations when working outdoors in very hot conditions. This means each balloon creation takes even longer to build. Then, the balloons tend to pop when you just set them down on a table or chair when it is very hot. And the wind is always blowing here in Texas, causing more balloons to pop.

Our face painters also have problems when working outdoors in very hot conditions. Often, the paint will not stick to a sweaty face or arm. The hot wind tends to dry out the paints, so it takes longer to finish the task.

You can help make your outdoor event a lot more enjoyable if you:

> Have it early, before it gets too unbearably hot;

> Supply LOTS of shade – pop up tents, trees – the artists and people waiting in line will appreciate this!

> Have plenty of icy drinks for  people waiting in line, and the artists as well

> Giant outdoor fans can help some, too

> Forget all that and just have it indoors !! It is usually shady, and cool in there!

We want everyone to really enjoy your event, and if you help us stay shady and cool, we  can produce some fantastic balloon art and/or face painting for your guests. Let’s all pray for cooler weather and a little rain!

Ernie just returned form Dallas, TX , where he attended a couple of advanced balloon  techniques classes. T-Jam-on-the-road is a nationwide tour being sponsored by T. Myers Balloons & Majic and the Betallic Balloon companies. This particular session was taught by Steve Jones, a nationally known decorator and pioneer in “deco-twisting”.

Steve is especially well known for his balloon weaving skills, and he demonstrated how to use those techniques to build some absolutely amazing stuff (check out the giant Beer Mug hat and the Spartan Helmet!) Later on, he showed us how to use Link-O-Loons to pretty dramatic effect – the wearable birthday cake is pretty darned awesome!

Overall, this was an outstanding chance for us to learn from a really gifted balloon artist, and to network with some other very talented balloon artists, too. The bumble bee and balloon dress were entries into the balloon sculpture contest which was held after the classes – and most balloon artists are so darned nice that they will tell you how they created these masterpieces (as well as answer just about any questions you may have). The after-class jam is often extremely educational — you can learn a lot about the balloon biz, as well as how to build some phenomenally cute stuff!

If you want to improve your skills at anything, seek out those with fantastic talent who enjoy teaching — Steve Jones is one of those people! Now that we have seen Steve in action, Balloonamations can offer some incredible new designs for our customers’ events. Thanks again to Gus at T Myers, and to Betallic balloons for bringing Steve to Texas!

Kid’s Nights at Chick Fil A — Balloonamations provides balloon art and face painting to several San Antonio area Chick Fil A restaurants. Kids eat free (some restrictions apply), and the Balloonamations services are, too! For now, you can find us at the Chick Fil A at Ingram Park on the 2nd Tuesday of each month; the Chick FIl A at Bandera Rd/1604 (dates vary – check with the restaurant for details); Chick Fil A at 7010 FM 78 (near Woodlake Pkwy) on the 2nd Monday of each month; and the Chick Fil A at Austin Hwy (near Wal Mart/Lowes — dates vary – check with the restaurant for details).

We love working for organizations that are family friendly, kid friendly and fun — Chick Fil A is that and more!