New Colours Added to the Range

One good thing about the Spring Fair and other such trade fairs is that manufacturers have to think about what they might need to add to their range. Belbal have just attended the big toy fair in Nuremberg and have launched 8 new colours. 4 in their standard range standard range - prune, cocoa brown, almond & wood pigeon and 4 in their metallic range - mustang brown, turquoise, ruby wine & almond.

We have been asking for a brown for about 5 years now and - at last here it is - better late than never!

Double Bubble Balloons - or a balloon in a balloon!

We often get asked how to make a balloon in a balloon. Well it takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it then it's quite easy.

You need a clear balloon, or a clear balloon with a pattern on, a solid colour balloon to go inside, helium, a balloon stick (a straw, piece of wooden dowel, a pen or pencil also works!) and a length of ribbon.

The clear balloon on the outside can be 11", or you can go for a 14" or 16" balloon. The bigger the balloon the more helium you will use but it will also float longer. The image shows a 16" balloon with an 11" inside.


Slip the 11" plain balloon over the balloon stick or straw and then insert this into the neck of the clear balloon. If you are using an 11" clear balloon you may need to wrap the balloon slightly around the straw so it fits easily through the neck. Adjust the balloons so that the necks line up.

Put the helium nozzle between the necks of the 2 balloons so that you are inflating the clear balloon and inflate it to between a half and two thirds of its capacity. Remove the nozzle, readjust the necks if necessary and then insert the nozzle into the plain balloon. As you inflate the balloon the outside balloon will also get larger. Remove the nozzle from the plain balloon, making sure to keep hold of the necks to stop the helium escaping, if necessary you can add a bit more helium to the outside balloon to size it correctly.

There are 2 ways of tying off the balloon. You can either stretch the neck of the outside balloon and tie it around the neck of the 11" balloon or pull the 11" balloon down so that the body of the balloon acts as a plug in the neck of the outside balloon then tie the neck around the neck of the outside balloon. I personally prefer the second method as the inside balloon always sits nicely and it is easier to tie the balloon and can even tie it directly onto the ribbon or tulle, the downside is that the neck is more unsightly but if you are using tulle this will hide that.

Either tie a ribbon to the neck of the balloon or use a length of tulle. The 6" tulle is best but if you can also cut the normal 12" tulle in half lengthways. I wouldn't recommend using tulle with an 11" clear balloon as it will add too much weight and considerably reduce the length of time that your design will float but it is ideal with either the 14" or 16" balloons.


NB. When fully inflated a 14" balloon holds twice the helium of an 11" balloon and a 16" balloon uses three times the amount of helium, so if using a 14" balloon then inflate the clear balloon to 11" before  inflating the 11" balloon, if using a 16" balloon you can inflate to 14" before inflating the 11" balloon.

Don't Forget Balloons For New Year

We are all on the home run to Christmas. Everyone rushing around trying to tie up all the loose ends, buy those last minute presents, post off Christmas cards to people you'd forgotten, and all before the shops close on Saturday.

But next weekend is New Years's eve and everyone wants balloons for the New Year!! Our first day back after Christmas is usually one of our busiest days as everyone suddenly realises that it's only a few days to New Year's Eve and they don't have any balloons.

More and more wholesalers now close down from Christmas Eve until after the new year and it is getting more and more difficult to buy in extra balloons and nets in the week between Christmas and New Year so when stocks are gone they're gone!

So don't get left without balloons for your New Year's celebrations. Order your balloons now while we still have plenty of stock!!

Countdown to Christmas - a letter from Santa perhaps

So we are in December, the kids are opening their advents calendars, preparing for school nativity plays and generally getting excited about the prospect of Christmas morning.

You might also being looking forward to Christmas, time off work, Christmas Parties, Midnight Mass, Christmas dinner with family and friends but it is also such a busy time that it's so easy to spend the whole month panicking about what you need and how you are going to pay for it that it's easy to overlook those little things that could make such a difference and even more exceptional!


How about a personal letter from Santa for someone you love, these can be sent anywhere in the world and contain up to 12 personal references. He will know their pets and friends, their most wanted Christmas present and even the colour of their front door!


Their enchanting letters from Santa will arrive on beautifully illustrated stationery with a realistic handwriting font and a North Pole motif on the front of the envelope to keep it real.


But now Santa has employed some new elves and is getting much more high tech so as well as a letter you can now  get a live phone call, personal dvd message or even a text from the big fellow himself!


Wish my kids were still young enough to appreciate one!

Sky Lanterns

Sky Lanterns make a beautiful display and are a wonderful addition to any evening event but, like balloons, when they are released they will eventually come down somewhere but unlike balloons many of the Sky Lanterns are just not completely biodegradeable. Even some that say they are have metal wires holding on the fuel cells or for attaching the fuel cells to. What metal is biodegradeable - new one on me! But what happens when the light dies and the lantern falls to earth, the metal will land somewhere causing a hazard to farm animals and wildlife.

A second concern was highlighted on TV when property had been set on fire, some of this was due to people not reading the instructions properly but more concerning when the lit fuel cells had fallen off or dripped as they flew overhead.

But most of this is due to inferior products which are flooding the market. There are however several companies that supply the good quality lanterns so, to ensure that Sky Lanterns are just a beautiful addition to your special event only buy the wire free lanterns with the non drip fuel cell and have a safe an awe inspiring event.

The company that despatches the Sky Lanterns below have confirmed that they are fitted with non drip fuel cells so Happy Flying!

Deco Bubbles Christmas Balloons

Qualatex new deco bubbles have proved to be very popular and they have now added the new Festive Trees & Snowmen to their seasonal range to accompany last year's A Visit From St Nicholas.

These balloons are made from a stretchy plastic and are inflated to make a perfect round wrinkle free balloon - like a beach ball and are non-allergenic and self sealing.


These need to be inflated using a standard latex inflater tip as the foil valves with an automatic shut off are not powerful enough to inflate them to the round wrinkle free look. Each balloon comes with full inflation instructions.


Bubble balloons are stronger than normal balloons and are pop resistant,but are not pop proof. They can withstand outside pressure changes however, exposing them to extreme heat or sharp objects may cause them to burst. 


 They will float for about 2-4 weeks so you can inflate them ahead of your event and they never oxidise like latex balloons so look great for longer - especially ideal as a decoration to last all over the Festive Period.


Great fun decoration!

Are latex balloons really environmentally friendly

There are two distinctly different types of balloons which are sold in the UK today - latex and foil. 

Collection of sap from a rubber tree

Latex balloons are produced from the sap of the rubber tree. This is collected by using an environmentally safe, age-old process similar to that used for collecting the sap from maple trees for maple syrup. This is process does not harm the tree in any way and dedicated forests are planted because of the demand for the rubber. The forests are grown purely for this purpose and are a very valuable and well-protected natural resources. These trees play an equally valuable ecological role in the earth's fragile ecological balance by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which works towards preventing global warming.

A latex balloon is made from 100% organic material and is 100% biodegradable. Left to the elements a latex balloon will start to naturally biodegrade. If you want to use it at a later date then protect it from the air in a plastic bag and keep out of the daylight. Protected in this way a latex balloon will last months or even years.


When you inflate a balloon the stress from this will start it's decomposition cycle. Exposure to sunlight will accelerate the process and oxygen and ozone will then continue this molecular breakdown even in the dark. Deterioration is clearly obvious within a few hours as it begins to oxidise (goes cloudy or dull - this is especially noticeable on a clear or dark balloon) and soon the balloon will start to break apart. Research has shown that under similar conditions latex will decompose as quickly as an oak leaf.


The Green Balloon Campaign has been set up by BAPIA, a balloon trade association, and they will send one of their campaign members to your school to deliver a short (45 minute) interactive presentation to the children to show where latex comes from and explain how the rubber trees benefit the environment and that latex balloons are 100% natural and biodegradeable. If this is of interest then go to their website for their contact details.

The other type is a foil balloon and is often referred to, especially in the USA, as mylar. This is actually incorrect as they are made from a metallised nylon (plastic) and are NOT biodegradable. These are much more expensive than latex balloons and should NEVER be used in balloon releases.