Balloon Waterfalls Elevate the Atmosphere

Balloon Waterfalls Elevate the Atmosphere

Balloon Waterfalls elevate the atmosphere in marble, black, gold, silver, and mini pearl balloons. This party idea is stunning and brought a stately, modern, explosive and presidential impact to a very special event! This party inspiration started when Calli, my daughter, was studying the election process with her Civic's class. Her tutor decided to add some real muscle to the material by having a class election, followed by a an inauguration ceremony to swear in the winners, and to put the icing-on-the-cake, an inaugural dinner and ball! 

Inaugural Ball! Enter Lifted Balloons with a little, no-actually a LOT of dance in my step! I volunteered to bring some serious luxury balloon swag to this fun, family, educational event! Confession. This was my opportunity to style one for the very FIRST time! I knew that I'd be offering Balloon Bursts and Balloon Waterfalls on my menu of products for party style, BUT I needed an event to play around with technique and make clumsy mistakes without the pressure of performing for a client. This could not have lined up more perfectly. I was overjoyed to create a beautiful balloon installation with high drama!

Balloon Bursts and Balloon Waterfalls-

are the best party idea for visual impact that is unforgettable! Attendees of this event still talk about this balloon installation months after the ball!

Sometimes art is so innovative and new that the world doesn't even know what to call it. My research shows that this level of balloon art / balloon work has only been on the scene for roughly two years, which I consider very new-and most of this kind of work is being pioneered way outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. I have found that the balloon industry/party event industry hasn't really figured out the perfect name for what I am showing you. The terms "Balloon Arch" and "Balloon Garland" are what is currently being used to describe what you see at Liftedballoons.com and the subject of this post. However, as you can see, it does not look like an arch in any way, nor does it resemble a garland. My team and I have wracked our brains to create names for these balloon creations and balloon installations that strike an accurate impression of what they actually look like. I don't know if I will be able to turn the vernacular to my chosen interpretation, but at least my Lifted Balloons clients will have a clear picture in mind when I suggest a Balloon Waterfall for their wedding reception entrance or a Balloon Burst for their Graduation Party. The above balloon installation falls under the category of a Balloon Waterfall, but I prefer to call it a Balloon Burst as it doesn't cascade over itself like a waterfall. It doesn't have the same movement and is fixed in place in an architectural fashion like a balloon sculpture. The color palette came from the tutor and I was relieved that she chose such an elegant color story. 

Photo booth idea that is sensational!

The students loved posing in front of this over-the-top balloon backdrop.

Homeschool students generally don't have many social special events to get dressed to the hilt for, so they embraced the semi-formal/formal attire only dress code with enthusiasm. I am proud to say that Lifted Balloons brought a photo booth balloon backdrop that matched the formality one hundred percent! Don't they look so stately and dignified posing in front of that sensational photo backdrop?

Calli is sworn in as Class Secretary-

"I, Calli Angeline Gilmore, do solemnly swear to uphold..."

What a dramatic focal point to this community clubhouse space?! The Main Clubhouse at Sycamore, is a beautiful space, yet it's a neutral canvas just begging for serious event styling. Calli is sworn in as Class Secretary after she and her running mate won the class election, in front of a Balloon Burst visually exploding with balloons of all sizes while hovering over a massive fireplace. Her tutor is a first class lady and polished educator, and it was so grand of her to give these students and our families this elegant ceremony and ball! It is noteworthy that the tutor also taught all the students, third graders up to high school, some basic ballroom steps and required every student to participate. It was such a joy to see fathers dancing with daughters, sons dancing with mothers and the younger students bravely asking each other to dance. There were several sets of pretty little shoes on top of their daddy's feet spinning around the ballroom floor! My eyes welled up many times as families carved memories into eternity while swaying, swinging, dipping and twirling. The gentlemen made sure their daughters and wives knew how spectacular and beautiful they were and the young men felt the freedom and fun of leading a lady in a dance. 

Balloon Burst is Center Stage

An unforgettable night of ballroom dancing!

Everyone had a fabulous time and didn't want the enjoyment of the evening to end. Months after the ball families continue to discuss what a magnificent experience it was from start to finish! Also, I still receive praise about the Balloon Burst that I styled for the event and how they had never seen anything like it. Personally, I love how it turned out and how it really transformed a community space into a sensational event styled in a presidential fashion! 

Veteran's Day Giant, Royal-Blue, Luxury Balloon

A giant, royal blue, luxury balloon hit the mark for a glorious Veteran's Day Assembly.

What an honor! I was asked to create a balloon for a special school assembly hosted by Berean Christian High School. My client fashioned a beautiful hospitality table with breakfast treats and coffee. She wanted a Lifted Balloon- giant, luxury balloon to lavish the veterans with praise and honor. It was my joy to participate. I cried during the whole assembly and marveled at the amazing quilts presented to the brave men who received them. 

As mentioned, we decided that a giant, royal blue, luxury balloon would coordinate the best in the school gym that is painted blue and gold. For the tassels on the custom, hand painted tissue tail/garland, I chose to let the bright red tissue shine, threading in a little creamy white and royal blue. To showcase this custom garland I went heavy handed with the gold metallic fringe! It really was spectacular as it spun softly under the spot lights of the assembly.

It's very important when custom ordering a giant balloon, and selecting a color palette that you consider thoughtfully the space and room decor that it will live in. For patriotic party ideas red sometimes needs only to be an energetic accent color, especially in a busy background like the one in this gymnasium. When we say " elevate the atmosphere ", this is what we're talking about right here!

The giant, royal blue, luxury balloon hovers like fireworks above a sweet spread.

This blog post would be amiss without a photo of the guests enjoying the yummy treats that are showcased under this fantastic giant balloon in red, white and blue. It is hovering about the sweets and treats like a burst of fireworks! If you are looking for patriotic party ideas then look no further. Lifted Balloons are a party decor gift for Fourth of July parties, Memorial Day presentations, Veteran's Day assemblies, summer picnics, and parades. 

Every Order Custom

"Every Order Custom" means that I will thoughtfully create any kind balloon styling, garland, balloon waterfall or event styling service you can dream up. My custom balloon tassels are hand painted with gold metallic (or metallics of your choice), and embellished with anything to support your special event vision or party theme.

Oh the enchantment of the design process! My clients are so inspiring. I love every one of them. Often my clients will text me photos of a color palette, a Pinterest clip, a movie clip, a seed packet, or even an outfit and I customize a look for their event. However, sometimes a client might say, I want to have a Par Kour event and there isn't any point of reference, because it hasn't been done yet. The image above was me playing around with textiles and falling in love with possibilities. In this case, I used some hardware, chains in varying weights, to create a young, edgy and urban vibe to the custom tails. Although the client opted for a softer look, omitting the chains, the pics I posted on Instagram were a big hit! In fact, those chains did make it on a custom birthday balloon but in a completely elegant way! It's kind of like life sometimes, it's not always about the destination, but the beauty is in the process. Also, hang on to those ideas that excite you, because there is opportunity for them in the right timing! 

I fell in love with balloon styling idea.

In this next photo, I whipped up some balloon styling with silver metallics, light grey and charcoal tissue tassels. In addition to the chains, silver metallic fringe, and hand painted silver metallic tail/garland-is the experimental balloon light! Balloon lights are a great way to embellish a giant, luxury balloon! Another party tip is to do what I did below when event styling, and create a mock up. We discovered that the red balloon light was too small and cast a pink glow which was no the look we wanted for a bar mitzvah palette of red and grey. Eventually, we evolved into using white fairy lights on the custom tail/garland, which was just right. 

Below, you can see a close up of our balloon styling mock up. You know, when you see an event styled to perfection, or glorious, addicting Pinterest ideas, you are not seeing hours of vision casting, choosing materials, mock ups, bloopers or failures. I'm enjoying showing you a little window into what balloon styling and event styling is like. The red glow of the balloon light and the chain draping down from the balloon is gorgeous! It may not have suited our client but the ideas are locked down and as I've mentioned before, they will reemerge when the timing is right!

A Giant, Luxury Balloon for a 50th birthday Surprise Party

My client wanted to surprise her charming husband on his 50th birthday surprise party with a Lifted Balloon's giant, luxury balloon.

She wanted it to be a, "Surprise! The party isn't over!"-which is a brilliant surprise party idea! Her plan was to have a giant, mocha balloon waiting, home in their sitting room/bar when they returned from a decadent dinner in the city. I'm sure they enjoyed a nice after dinner drink by candlelight in the company of this massive, masculine balloon. This balloon is one of my favorite Lifted Balloons EVER! It was so masculine, handsome and strong with a fiery autumn ombre, custom tail/garland. I'm just going to say it- it was sexy! I'm a lady and I don't usually say such things, but I can't find a more appropriate expression for how it looks next to this Harley except- "bad-ass!" Forgive me.

I couldn't resist posing the balloon with this bad boy.

Tucked in front of the bar. You can see my beautiful client in the mirror too!

luxury balloons for glamorous wedding decor

Luxury balloons are a genius wedding decor idea to elevate the atmosphere with a little glamour! Recently I had the joy of creating two luxury, giant balloons for my niece’s wedding reception.

She chose blush balloons with 7’ tails. I was giddy over the color palette: blush and charcoal, which are gorgeous with gold metallic paint. I feathered in the colors and added the jeweled gold tassels that I’m obsessed with lately. I also added some cream and silvery tulle with a touch of sparkle as a nod to the wedding veil. I finished the look with a few blush rosettes staggered through the custom hand painted tails.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Kline

The beautiful couple enjoying a dance in the company of a luxury balloon.

Actually, I was overjoyed! My niece Carrie is a doll! She was born when Jon & I began dating, her middle name is Nicole, and my daughter looks more like her twin than a cousin. It was an honor to do some balloon styling for her magical wedding day.

Falling in love with the materials.

rosette embellishment

It's all about the details.

We staged the balloons behind the head table and flanked the large screen, creating lovely symmetry with the head table. The venue needed the girth of the balloons to fill and soften the space.

Setting the Stage

All of the tassels on the handmade tails are adjustable, a feature I am proud of.  We styled them behind the head tables which meant that the bottom length of the tails were hidden. I was able to slide all the tassels up high in the sight line. It created a much fuller waterfall effect that was gorgeous and elegant! Blush up-lighting was added, illuminating all the sparkle as they gently twirled.

Up-lighting!

Also, because the tassels are adjustable, Carrie can use the tails as garland in her new home for a personal and memorable home decor. She can combine the tassels from both tails onto one to create a longer garland or a fuller one-another reason that I love adjustable tassels!

Save the tails for gorgeous garland to decorate with. The tails are simple to remove from the balloons and with gentle care they will last forever!

Just for fun I made a little balloon bouquet to tie onto the 1965 Malibu Sport getaway car that my husband would be chauffeuring them in. After I made the bouquet I discovered not one spot on the vintage car had an opening that I could attach it too. I opted to set it right on top so that they would see it immediately as they approached the car. This was the best pic I could get in the day light.

the getaway

cheers to a fabulous honeymoon

I was thrilled that all of my family loved their Lifted Balloons creations, especially the new Mrs. Kline!

Congratulations Carrie and Zac!

A Luxury Balloon for a Golden Anniversary

It only takes one luxury balloon with a custom hand painted tail to elevate the atmosphere of a golden anniversary! One giant balloon in gold and the custom tail/garland was one of my most loved tail creations to date. Lynn and Wally are a beautiful, gracious, and engaging YOUNG couple! You would not believe that this was a 50th wedding anniversary party. 

gorgeous family waits the arrival of the guests of honor

The whole time I worked on thier balloon I marveled at the power and story that this marriage tells. Fifty years of saying "I do!" and also being more in love than ever is beyond impressive and worthy of taking notice. I wanted this balloon to be pure golden magic!

wired gold decorator ribbon transformed into tasseled gold chain jewels

I was able to create gold tassels that dazzled like jewelry! It was anchored to a centerpiece on the table, nestled between a bottle of champagne and a magnum from their personal cellar. Their kids enlarged black & white photos from their wedding day and mounted them on the rustic walls of an intimate private room at Postino. It was stunning! 

In party styling, I'm a firm believer that less-is-more! Choosing a few elements and giving them room to breath will make an impact that is extremely effective and remembered. Who will forget those photos that transport you back to the wedding day in 1960's fashion icon style?! You don't need decorations everywhere your eyes land. Also, one of the reasons to celebrate in a restaurant is for ease and these decorations were easy and quick!. Elegance and sophistication requires much so much less than people think, but planning is crucial. Those lovely photos had to be ordered, but for installation only required a few pieces of double sided mounting tape. The luxury balloon was delivered. This family decorated with perfection! One giant, luxury balloon dripping in gold, a few enlarged photos that fill the space, close family and exquisite food. That's it! The gorgeous couple loved their golden anniversary celebration! I received a text that evening: My dad can't stop talking about the balloon. He keeps saying:  " 'Well, the balloon is spectacular! It really makes the party!' " 

Less is more! One luxury balloon, three perfectly placed nostalgic photos- a perfect recipe!  

WEDDING SHOWER LUXURY BALLOON AND GARLAND

Seeing the very first Lifted Balloons on Facebook back in April, my friend Cindy tucked the idea away for a luxury balloon for her niece's summer "Brunch and Bubbly" bridal shower. She loved the Wedding at Wente color palette paired with a white balloon, but tagged on permission to "just have fun with it," regarding my balloon styling.

styled on a farmhouse chair

She also asked if I could make her a coordinated custom hand painted garland. YES! If you don't see something on the website, please ask! The answer is always YES! 

garland on dessert table

For the neutral element of the tail & garlands I used parchment, vanilla, ginger, lemongrass and gold tassels. I also incorporated a few sparkly ribbon tassels to give it a little twinkle and glamour.

bride-to-be

Before becoming a balloon stylist, I styled small, intimate events and special occasions. I've known this client and her family for many years and was happy to step in and help her with some party styling before guests arrived. I noticed that her sink was full of the most stunning, velvety pink roses. Since the balloons had been styled sweetly on a lovely farmhouse chair and the hand painted garland had been draped and pinned on the dessert bar, I just asked if she needed me to do anything with the beautiful blooms. She was very grateful and set me free to create arrangements for all of the dining tables. She showed me her inherited collection of vases and vessels, which made personal and stunning party decor. I was in party styling heaven and enjoyed weaving in some wonderful, fragrant clippings from her abundant garden. 

I styled blooms with pink roses the hostess provided and clippings from her garden. Lifted Balloons is more than just luxury balloons! 

The hostess' home is a restored historic farmhouse and belongs in the pages of a design magazine. I suggested that when she recovered from the festivities and "bubbly" that she hang the garland from the fireplace mantle. She sent me this photo! It took my breath away! Not only did she drape the hand painted garland on her mantle and enjoy it as part of her home design decor, but she also collected some of the floral arrangements I had styled and set them there too. One of my go to party styling tips is not to spend your party budget on things that are quickly thrown away. Look around, bring out your special things and when you do spend money, spend it on things with high impact. A giant, luxury balloon will soon be gone, yes, but that hand crafted balloon tail transforms into a stunning garland that can adorn a beautiful interior space long after the party is over.

Loveliness! 

This last picture is adorable! The bride's cousin is a doll! She perfectly models how Lifted Balloons can be used in styled photo shoots like senior portraits.

Sweet!

Lifted Balloons elevate the atmosphere, they are full of personality and they are ready for your next event!

Graduation Party Balloons

My sassy and niece chose her graduation party balloons to elevate the atmosphere of her grad/ send off party. Leaving in a few weeks to attend Chico State, she chose red and black, bold Wildcat colors.

close up of the tassels

So my niece saw this chevron striped tassel on balloon design I had posted on Instagram and requested I use it for her custom graduation balloon tail/garland. I loved her vision! Please follow @lifted_balloons on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. You will see designs that are not available on the website, because the textiles are a limited run or even one-of-a-kind! Every order is custom, so if you don't see it on the website, please ASK! 

a nod to pom-poms

For example, these balls of yarn make these balloons one-of-a-kind! Most of my balloons have hand painted gold metallic tails and reflective ribbons, but due to the bold graphics of the Chevron stripes I l chose sweet and simple, allowing the loud color story to stand alone. I found these balls of yarn and they reminded me of pom-poms. Sophia is a cheerleader so I had to use pom-pom embellishment!

enjoying the balloons in the beautiful light before heading out

There were two balloons for the party, one red and one jet black. It was a simple juxtaposition. We all loved how they turned out. 

loved her memory table idea

Helium expands in the heat. It was a sizzling summer day so we decided to plant the balloons in the cool indoors. Here we flanked a sweet memory table. A great party idea Sophia used was the Memory Jar. Next to the jar she had square sheets of paper and a pen for guests to write a memory, blessing or wish for Sophia and then they dropped it in the jar. Those cards will be a joy for her to read and reflect on forever! I love simple, meaningful party ideas that also double as easy party decor! This graduation party tip can be used for birthdays, wedding showers, farewell parties, and even anniversaries.

As a balloon stylist I love offering balloon tail/garlands with adjustable tassels. This is great for Sophia because I know she will use the tails as garland for her dorm decor or for a sorority event. Since she had two balloon tails/ garland, I wanted to give her the option of combining them into one fuller garland. Adjustable they just slide off the ribbon and thread right on to another easily. My niece is super creative and I can't wait to see how she incorporates them into her new space! 

well, hello there! 

Thankfully it did cool down enough to bring them outside. I tied them to chairs and let them sway in the breeze. 

the afternoon heat relaxed into a perfect summer evening

Later the breeze picked up so I moved this one to the bar area where they could shimmy freely without being too interactive.

It was a lovely party with street tacos, a Polaroid photo area, outside games, photo journey of Sophia's life and lots of anticipation for the adventures ahead in this new season for everyone!

sophia, isabella, damon and dawn

CONGRATULATIONS SOPHIA! 

Giant Balloons for a First Birthday Party

FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY INSPIRATION

The smile says it all! 

Jessica saw one of my luxury balloons on Instagram and thought it would be perfect party style idea for her baby's first birthday. Pretty pink was the balloon color and I began creating a custom hand painted tail just right for the sweet and spunky Eloise.

Eloise was in LA, so I packed it with great care as I didn't want a single strand to get crumpled en route. Jessica received it in perfect shape! She had a local party store fill the balloon with helium, and attach the custom tail/garland per my instructions.

Jessica is a very busy lady. She is the founder of Beauty Arise, a movement that now has offices in 6 countries, empowering women with the message of beauty, identity and value. She travels all over the world with her husband and baby and needed a party that was over the top in fun and easy to pull together. She chose a simple pool party and this party idea is BRILLIANT! Everyone could swim with Eloise in the beautiful pool, and decorations could be minimal. The only decoration needed was one giant Lifted Balloon that was easy to see, set the tone and could easily be moved when time to go home. One giant, pretty pink balloon is able to elevate the atmosphere, even outside at a simple, casual pool party.

Eloise seems thrilled with it too!

Happy 1st Birthday Miss Eloise! 

Giant balloons and art!

Lifted Balloons, three to be exact, were the only party décor. Giant balloons with hand painted metallics in icy cool blues were perfect for a home celebration honoring Tom Matousek, the newest member of the Disney Fine Art family. If you’re not familiar with his work, treat yourself to a visit through his page at Disney Fine Art and click on the area that reads “Introducing Tom Matousek”. His work is absolutely stunning, exciting and fresh! Make sure to see the section “originals” as well. You’ll want them all!

    It was an intimate outdoor celebration on the patio with family and close friends. I was given carte blanche to create so i pulled the color palette from his painting “Oswald”. Icy blue greens, silver, creamy white and pops of midnight green were a soft and peaceful palette under giant pearl white balloons. The tails were tied with gold, sheer, organza ribbon and varied in length. 

    It was a balmy summer night and the balloons were unruly at times, making me work hard for my photos. A great feature of Lifted Balloons is how they can be moved with great ease. Even with the wind factor, guests enjoyed posing for pictures with the giant balloons. If you're looking for fun dynamic photo booth ideas then Lifted Balloons are second to none. My favorite photo came the following day when I received a picture of my client's 10 year old son sitting on the sofa, playing a video game, with the giant balloon right by his side like a new friend. It was a texted to me with the caption “He takes the balloon everywhere with him!”