Brighton Murals: The Return of Lisaloons!

When I was a kid, my sister gave me one of those "how to make balloon animals" kits for my birthday. The rest was history. I really don't remember learning how to make my first balloon poodle (or whatever my first creation was). It's just something I feel like I've always known how to do. Making balloons for the neighborhood kids, the random church party or school activity was just a normal part of my childhood. At one point in college I decided it would be a fun and easy way to make some extra money and decided to market myself as a balloon lady. I was the entertainment for various non-profit activities, children's birthday parties, and community events. It was fun while it lasted, but it was never intended to be a long term career move and I eventually got a real job and balloons went back to being a hobby.

Back in the day though, I had a pretty awesome get up. I branded myself as:

LISALOONS

Pets that don't need feeding!

Somewhere I'm sure I have the files of my old "official" logo, business cards, etc. If I ever find them I'll post an update. I even had T-shirts made, the whole nine-yards! My mom made me an awesome vest to wear at events to keep my balloons and supplies in while I worked and that seemed to draw as much attention than the balloons themselves. It always surprised me how much people loved it (thanks Mom!). In addition to the vest, my "uniform" consisted of a court jester hat that I would make for myself to wear as the first balloon. It was part of my "gig."

It has now been more years than I care to think about since I've made balloons at an event, and even more since I've been "in business" and this random skill of mine has now become a little known secret to people who didn't know me when.

Getting to the point, a friend of mine just opened a new fabric store called "...and sew on" (click on the name to check it out), and Saturday was her Grand Opening Celebration. She asked me if I would come and make balloons at the store to draw some attention and entertain the kids while the parents shopped. I guess by now you can tell that I accepted the invite. It was fun brushing the dust of the vest and playing balloon lady again. Here are some pictures of the day.

My friend Carolyn Bradshaw, owner of this awesome store, and her daughter (and employee) Jenna posing for the Grand Opening of "...and sew on."

Getting out the balloon vest brought back great memories of my mom. The colors of my hat were selected in her memory (purple is the pancreatic cancer awareness ribbon color).