The Wonderful World of Balloons

Welcome to Classic Touch Balloons Blog. I thought it might be fun to write a blog about the ever changing world of balloons. I realise that some people may thing a balloon is a balloon is a balloon. Not so.
I first encountered balloons at a very young age when as a child i would run into my house and ask my mum if she had any rags i could give to the rag man in exchange for a balloon. Yes i'm that old! If I was lucky enough to get a balloon i'd inflate it again and again until it burst or it was so full of slabbers that i didn't want to play with it anymore.
Fast forward 20 or so years and i started a small business selling things that i made at a local market. I made flower displays, fridge magnets , jewellery, infact anything I thought people would buy.
From my market days i ended up with a shop. Selling everything you needed for a wedding ( with the exception of the dress, although that was to follow) I started getting asked about balloons for weddings so I went on my first balloon training course in Glasgow. In those days training wasn't readily available and most courses were held in England or America. However my training day held me in good stead for the next 10 years that followed. All of my balloon decor was purely for weddings. No one ever asked about birthdays, christening etc.
Then in 2002 I gave up my shop and career for a while to have my son. As he grew i knew I had to get back to work so I found a job in a prestigious kilt shop in Glasgow. It was still within the wedding industry for which I had a lot of knowledge and experience. I even managed to help the shop gain an industry award for excellence whilst I was there. It was a fun job and I met lots of international celebrities but I missed the creativity I had with balloons.
I got married in 2011 and my husband has a celebration cake shop. He has been in business for over 30 years and had the idea of my coming to work in the shop and introducing balloons. A true family business. I jumped at the chance.
Since then I go on at least 2-3 balloon training courses a year. This helps increase my skill set and keeps me up to date with new and innovative products.
There are many balloon manufactures out there and they each offer different variations on the seasons trends. From my early balloon days the one company who provides the best balloons and training are Qualatex. I have been with them since the beginning of my balloon journey and I am proud to use there products in my designs. I gained my CBA ( Certified Balloon Artist) award a few years ago and haven't looked back.
I look forward to sharing my balloon journey with you. I'll share all things new and answer any questions you may have
Love Jacqui