Pick Cadillac

I was contacted to make up table top center pieces for a fund raising event that centered around automobiles and racing. After a little discussion we came up with Pink Cadillacs. I decided to take Don Caldwell's ride in car design and to downsize it for table tops. The first sample was too large ... they want the guests at the tables to see and talk to one another. This is the second sample and I will make one more out of 160s, which are half the size of the balloons in the photo. This week you will see 2 posts as I will photograph the smaller one when I finish it on Sunday.

Wonderful Winter ... Not !

The week passed really fast. Fast enough that I'm already a day late ! Balloon twisting wise it was pretty slow, but that's not a bad thing. December gets pretty crazy with balloon gigs, so it's nice to have it slow for a bit.

I did make a trip last month to a Chicago Jam that my buddy Pete Kovacevich helps put on. It's always fun and educational to meet up with other balloon artist to share different balloon sculptures and how to make them. A few of the Chicago artist make their living as full time entertainers or decorators.

This month's balloon sculpture is an original. I was brainstorming with Betty(my lovely wife) and she suggested a snow shovel since we have done a lot of that lately ! Hence my title ... I really do not like winter. A little snow around Christmas time is great, but then it can disappear as far as I'm concerned ! Give me Sunshine and warm weather ... but alas I am here because our family is here and they bring me my greatest joy. So I guess I can put up with a little cold and snow.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to post the photos.

In the beginning ...

Well here I am creating my own blog. My daughter will get a kick out of it ... I once told her I thought blogs were just a place for people to spew their thought out into the world. After seeing a few well run blogs I've changed my mind and think that this will help me keep in touch with all my friends and customers that enjoy my twisting talents. My hopes for this blog is to weekly journal a new balloon sculpture and any fun or interesting twisting gigs that I've participated in. My daughter-in-law has inspired me with her new program to try and add daily entries to their family blog. (Thanks Kelly!) But I am not that ambitious and think that I might be able to keep up with a weekly schedule instead of daily one.

The other reason for this blog is that I am a terrible journal keeper. There is just something about taking the time to put pencil to paper (besides my horrible spelling skills) that I have not been able to overcome. Our church encourages us to keep journals and once a year Betty gives me a new journal to take to Scout Camp. I can usually make 3 or 4 entries and then get too wrapped up with keeping the boys on track to finish their merit badges. I'm hoping that this will be a better way for me to "journal". I wish that my parents had left me with more information on their lives. The Standiford family has never been very good communicators.

So I'm glad that you've found or been invited to read about my adventures in the Wonderful World of Balloon Sculptures !