Day of the Dead - Design Ideas for Halloween 2016

Day of the Dead House Decoration
Picture courtesy of fieldguide35.blogspot.com

I am loving the new Qualatex^® Day of the Dead Skull Microfoil^® balloon. It is very different from the usual Halloween designs of witches and ghosts. 
Not really knowing or understanding this theme, I was intrigued to find out the origin of this celebration.  Day of the Dead — Dia de Los Muertos— is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico (in particular, the Central and South regions) and by people of Mexican ancestry, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures, too. This multi-day holiday gathers together family and friends who pray for, remember, and support the spiritual journal of loved ones who have died. 

I really enjoyed working with this balloon. The skull design is full of colour and detail that can be used when creating a design. From all the pictures that I see, Dia de Los Muertos is a very colourful celebration that uses masses of flowers, lights, and decorated sugar skulls.





Design 1-  Sugar Skulls & Marigolds

Material List:

1 - 38" "Day of the Dead Skull" Microfoil.
8 - 5" Onyx Black balloons
4 - 11" "Sugar Skulls" balloons
5 - 6" Quick Link Balloons^®
4 - 5" Goldenrod balloons
3 - 160Q Green balloons
2 - 260Q Goldenrod balloons
1 - 160Q Goldenrod balloons
1 - 260Q Purple Violet balloons

Balloon Weight 
Helium 

Method of Construction:

1. Make a 4-balloon cluster using the 11" Sugar Skulls balloons inflated to approximately 8".
2. Make a 4-balloon cluster using the 5" Onyx Black balloons inflated to approximately 4½". Secure the two clusters together and add the weight to the base.
3. Inflate the five 6" Quick Links to approximately 5" and tie together to create a chain.
4. Make Split Duplets Clusters* using the 5" Goldenrod balloons to fit in between each of the Quick Links. 
5. Connect the chain of Quick Links to the base clusters.
6. Make a 4-balloon cluster using the 5" Onyx Black balloons inflated to approximately 4½".
Secure this cluster to the other end of the Quick Link chain.
7. Inflate the Day of the Dead Skull Microfoil balloon with helium. Add a scrap of a 260Q to the balloon to work as a connector. Now connect to the 4-balloon cluster.
8. Complete the design by making three 6- Petal Balloon Flowers using the 160Q and 260Q Goldenrod balloons. Use the Purple Violet 260Q to make the flower centres and the Green 160Qs to make the leaves. Secure these to the design.

*If, you are unfamiliar with how to make a Split Duplet Cluster, view the video clip below.





Design 2   Sugar Skulls & Flowers Elegant Column

Material List:

4 - 11” Sugar Skulls balloons 

8 - 5” Onyx Black balloons

1 - 646Q Onyx Black  balloon

4 - 11” Onyx Black balloons

1 - 38” "Day of the Dead Skull" Microfoil 

3 - 260Q Goldenrod balloons

1 - 160Q Goldenrod balloon

4 - 160Q Green balloons

2 - 260Q Purple Violet balloons

Method of Construction:

1. Make a 4-balloon cluster using the 11" Sugar Skulls balloons inflated to approximately 8".
2. Make a 4-balloon cluster using the 5" Onyx Black balloons inflated to approximately 4½". Secure the two clusters together and add the weight to the base.
3. Inflate the 646Q balloon to an approximate length of 30" and secure to the base clusters.
4. Make a 4-balloon cluster using the 5" Onyx Black balloons inflated to approximately 4½".
Make a 4-balloon cluster using the 11" Onyx Black balloons inflated to approximately 6". Secure these two clusters together and then connect to the end of the 646Q balloon.
5. Inflate the Day of the Dead Skull Microfoil balloon with helium. Add a scrap of a 260Q to the balloon to work as a connector. Connect this balloon to the top of the clusters that you just added to the 646Q balloon.
6. Complete the design by making four 6- Petal Balloon Flowers* using the 160Q and 260Q Goldenrod balloons. Use the Purple Violet 260Q to make the flower centres and the Green 160Qs to make the leaves. Secure these to the design.


Both of these designs are quick to make, appealing, and very sellable. These would be perfect additions to your Halloween portfolio of designs.


Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com

Are you ready for Halloween 2016?

I am sure many of you are thinking that it's a little too early to start thinking about Halloween — it's seven weeks away yet! Halloween has been a steadily growing celebration for the balloon and party industry. In the U.S., Halloween is huge on the holiday calendar, and in the U.K - and around the world - we are certainly heading that way too. Speaking to some U.K.- based balloon companies, they say that Halloween now far exceeds Valentine's Day sales! So, early planning and preparation are essential to get the most out of your sales campaign.

U.S Version

U.K. Version

If you have not already seen the fantastic 2016 Qualatex^® 2016 Halloween, Christmas & New Year Collection, click HERE to view and download. Please note that there are different downloadable versions for Europe and Canada.









The Qualatex Autumn Business Booster is a great place to start to find our Halloween Inspiration.  Each Bouquet and decor design can be enlarged, downloaded, and used as part of your marketing campaign on your website, business Facebook page, and on Pinterest, too. Make sure that any photographs Pinned to your Pinterest boards are linked back to your website or business Facebook page. Otherwise, you are missing out on a great marketing opportunity.

Don't forget to check out the Professional Resources Seasonal Bouquet ideas. These are a great way to show your customers the exciting range of balloons and bouquets that are available this year! Plus, there are some fantastic ideas from previous years, too!

I think that this 38" "Day of the Dead Skull" Bouquet design is fabulous! Day of the Dead— Dia de Los Muertos — is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular, the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died and help support their spiritual journey. 

People in Mexico wear traditional skull masks, and the tradition of painting faces to look like skulls has evolved as a variation of this practice. Masks have always been powerful objects in many cultures, ones that often allow the wearer to get in touch with their darker, chaotic side. Skull face painting is a chance to overcome the fear of death, act recklessly, and get up to the mischief that is forbidden at other times of the year!

FREE POSTER: This great poster is just a click away when you visit the Sales Tips section of the Autumn Business Booster. Use it in your shops or stores and as part of your pre-Halloween marketing campaign on your social media channels.

And don't forget that if you are a QBN^® Member or a Certified Balloon Artist™, you can access the exclusive QBN Members area that has additional designs and recipes available for you to download!

Here are some great design ideas for Halloween 2016:

This fun and easy to make column requires:

• 22" "Halloween Messages & Icons" #43433
• 11" "Big Polka Dots", assorted Orange & Onyx Black #38470 (U.S) #23017 (Europe)
• 12" "Jack Faces" Quick Link Balloons^® #44648
• 5" Orange #43570
• 5" Onyx Black #43548

The base and column are entirely air-filled, with only the Bubble Balloon^® helium-filled at the top to give the design stability.

Party Monster Pillar, 

Designed by Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company

For the recipe and full instructions on how to make this funky Halloween design, click HERE

I love the 22" "Jack O' Lantern", Bubble Balloon. It has been designed in such a clever way that it makes it appear like it is lit up from inside!

This design makes a fantastic centrepiece. It has such impact visually with its vibrant colours and the textures of the orange sticks, raffia, and leaves. 

As a QBN member, you can download the full instructions by clicking HERE

Top sales tips for Halloween

• Start your Halloween sales campaign as soon as possible. Create Halloween social media posts. Keep the posts relevant to what your target market would enjoy but add a spooky twist. People are more likely to share your posts if they have some fun and humour attached to them. "When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.' – Author Unknown
  
• Use #Hashtags — #Halloween, #Boo, #Freaky, #Scary, #Creepy, #Halloween2016, #Oct31, #Haunted, #Ghosts, #Zombies, #Witches
• Create themed products. Gather some of your products together that could be used for Halloween, like these wonderful Halloween Fun Faces with Candy Weights filled with sweets! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Decorate your shop windows and store interior. What better way to show passing customers that your store is the perfect place to buy all their Halloween supplies. And if you don't have a store, make sure that you update your website homepage and all your social media channels to show that you are Halloween ready!
• If you have a die-cutting machine, create some fun decals for your windows, like this creepy rat!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com