So it’s such a delight when someone has kept one of my balloon sculptures for a long time! I made an enormous balloon sculpture of a teddy bear for a great customers LAST SUMMER!! It’s been five months! She told me that she just took it down from its place in the office yesterday. That is a long “shelf life”!
Balloon creations have the capacity to stick around for a long time – maybe even longer than other toys! But care must be given if you wish a balloon animal to stick around for long time. It will hold the air, but it’s best to not touch the balloon. It will lose its shape quickly. Most people don’t know that balloons are a natural latex product, and do biodegrade even just with air.
Realistically, people value the memory behind the balloon animal. For example, the balloon artist makes a special sculpture for a child’s special request. The child values the special moment, the artist, as well as the cute sculpture. It is not the first or last time that a customer of mine has held onto a balloon sculpture for several months – - even though the memories last a lot longer!

Holiday parties have been a blast this season! We are in full swing doing corporate parties and private events. Between entertaining large crowds at the Defense Department, small software companies, private parties, and big computer giants, we’re busy!

Our most popular requests for entertainment this year are elves making balloons and the Santa Claus character. The most popular balloon requests made by children have been the reindeer balloon, snowman balloon, and the candy cane balloon. We’ve made a few penguins, but those are complicated. Special requests only!

Seasons greetings – Balloon Creations wishes you a great one this year!

“I plan to retire as a clown,” Pat confirms in spite of a desert economy. He says that he strives to add more value to his services rather than just lowering rates. For other entrepreneurs who survive on a commission based business, he says it’s all about “quality and training.” He knows his target audience and even turns down customers who are just looking for a cheap rate. He says, “We never claim to be the cheapest. People like us for our experience and quality.” While some tout lowering their prices, Pat in the Hat remains confident in his business, spending his time developing his performers’ talents even more.

If you would like to learn more about Balloon creations or book an event for a party go back to Ballooncreations.com and see for yourself how Patrick and his team put on the best show in town.

On Being A Clown
How amazing it is that adults don’t understand the “clown thing.” Adults think that all kids are scared of clowns, and that every night they will have nightmares about it.
How far this is from the truth!! I see people and the world through a clown’s eyes . . . and through kids’ eyes. KIDS LOVE CLOWNS – - and it’s pretty much only visible to those who are truly looking for it, and ready to see the joy in the eyes of the kids. I have seen literally millions of happy kids in my 16 years as a family entertainer. As much as Hollywood paints a bad picture of a clown, I see a different reality every day. Maybe I see a reality show coming on!!!
The Journey
June 13
Today I took kids on a journey. They went with me on a journey to the Enchanted Balloon Forest. It’s a land full of balloons. It’s a pretty magical place, that’s pretty much just made of balloons – - and kids, that is! The kids know it when they are in the forest. You can see it on the looks of their eyes! And laughter and balloons is what keeps us inside the balloon forest.

On Being Larger than Life
Let’s face it, entertaining is a fine art. Many, many parents over the years say that I “made their party”! One must have some natural talent to walk in, capture the hearts of all ages present, and bring them to a magical place filled with laughter.
It is truly amazing that we get to entertain kids, have fun ourselves and get paid for it. Some people think what we do looks very easy. We are different, I know – most people I know in the public WOULD NOT BE CAUGHT DEAD in front of a group of kids trying to amuse them. They would not be caught dead wearing a huge hat, big shoes, and outlandish clothes. Entertainers hone their ability to be *larger than life* but also must just be themselves, and that is what the kids see.
CREATING A MAGICAL SURROUNDING
When kids say, “I know how you do that, magician!”, I know I have interested kids. They’ve seen some magic before and love it!
A friendly stranger comes in and says let’s whoop it up. . . How are they supposed to act right now . . . .
Kids have to be reminded to laugh. They need to be shown that it’s ok to laugh! I’ve had parents tell me that their kids haven’t laughed that much in a long time!
The entertainer led them right into the magic they needed.
THE MICHELANGELO OF BALLOON SCUPTING
June 6.
It sounds so ridiculous if I repeat this. This kind gentleman in Mill Valley complimented my balloon art when I was making creations for kids at a private party. He was offered lunch by the hostess, but didn’t wait to miss me performing. He said no one could touch my talents! Some times people can be so nice! He was very complimentary and that’s admirable!
What do you say to that kind of compliment! I just said thank you!  People can be so kind with compliments when they are seeing something that is amazing for them. I wish I could work three times as fast, just so I could make all kind of creative things for all the guests I see.

THE CLOWN NEXT DOOR
I grew up in the Silicon Valley, and actually existed before the computers did in the valley. I grew up with apricot orchards across the street, where Apple Computers would eventually reside.
I have so many great experiences being the Clown Around Town. I have entertained in the same classroom that I first attended kindergarten. I have entertained in places I worked as an adult – it is so amazing to throw fun into places that have always needed a bit more fun!

Parents, Know This: Helpful Party Planning Tips
Planning a party in advance always makes it go better. Tales from the Road can also be helpful. You might learn something from another person’s folly! Let’s face it, there are challenges to home party planning. Prior knowledge always helps!

Trololo guy
Just a bit of silliness with the Trololo guy!
Pat in the Hat gave him a little bit of competition – click on “play video”:

If you’d like to see more of the Trololo Russian singing guy, go to my other blog at

http://www.myjobinfo.mobi

Look for Free Ringtones and Screensavers!

On Being a Balloon Artiste
Being a live performance artist for 16 years has brought a world of experiences. I was just asked to create a 10×20 foot sculpture to decorate a large public building in the South Bay. People LOVE seeing things being created out of nothing, and balloons are the same way. A pile of latex balloons can become a huge art piece that fills a whole lobby, and people would flock to see this construction.
Art can be defined as a creative skill that one uses, and displays to others with an ease of doing it. Balloon art is fascinating and amazing because of its likelihood to pop when anyone touches it, much less twists and distorts into an amazing figurine.
THE ART SHOW
I am always excited about returning to the Art Show. This local club hires us yearly and appreciates what we  in the community.
I always feel like an artist among the artists. The other artisans come over and mention how amazing my art is. The participants recognize art and appreciate it. I felt like I was in my element.  Its always wonderful to have a creative outlet.

Are Clowns Really Scary?
Yes, certain clowns are scary. Hollywood has made a huge number of movies portraying clowns as scary. Amateur clowns and event volunteers who dress up like clowns may be scary to kids if they don’t know what they are doing. Lipstick painted as a big mouth across one’s face can appear pretty frightening to a young child.
There’s a world of people, a whole generation in the US, who grew up with the clowns on TV. They are the baby boomers, and they loved Bozo and Red Skelton. They don’t think clowns are scary, they love them. There is something really special about the Clown. People still love Jack in the Box.  Bozo was the largest TV show ever. He was on a lot in the early days of TV, and in the late 70′s they disappeared.
People still love Jack in the Box., but they prefer Krusty the Clown. For the baby boomers and their kids, there’s a huge icon that’s missing. A generation has been skipped, and we are dedicated to providing the classic lovable clown character!
It’s truly a myth that kids don’t like clowns. We can easily prove them wrong. Kids really love clowns – I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it.
Here is a picture of one of our clowns, Stitch! Scary clown, huh!