It's A Gas Balloons and Helium

The Lorax Theme- In Balloons!!!

2012-10-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

We just finished decorating for a little girl's birthday party and the theme was from the Dr. Seuss inspired Lorax movie. They wanted the Truffula trees made out of balloons. We went a step further and made the trees and some fun stand up Lorax characters for the backyard.

For the trees, we used poles and baseplates for the tree truck. Blow up 5" and 11" yellow and black balloons with an air machine and tie the balloons in sets of two, then cluster them together into four. Twist each set onto the pole to give the look of the trunk. Use 17" Hot Pink and Orange for the tops of each tree. To make the tops, tie two 17" hot pink together and then tie another two together and cluster them into four. Keep adding in two's until you have 8 total balloons. We wanted the trees to have a funky, whispy look to them, so we curled 260 Q (long skinny balloons) and tied them in two's and added them into the tree tops as well. We made about 10 sets of the curly 260 Q balloons (20 total) for each tree. Use a few 260 Q balloons to wrap the tree top onto the truck and voila!!! A Truffula Tree!

The Lorax's were very easy to make. You need wooden dowels, 11" orange balloons and the Lorax cutout for the face which you can download here. Blow up clusters of orange to a small size and cluster onto the dowel at one end. Add 2 more clusters of orange progressively making them bigger. Add one small 11" orange balloon to the top for his head. Then use a cool glue gun to glue the face onto the balloon. Stick these Lorax sculptures into the grass. They make great photo opp props!

The trees and Lorax characters were a big hit for the party and best of all, the whole job was done with air! With the prices of helium going up due to the helium shortage, it's a great idea to use air in as much of your designs as possible! For more ideas or help with your balloon decorating, please visit our website at www.heliumtanks.com. For a great way to get started with balloon decorating or to get access to all of our balloon videos, buy the The Balloon Book! You get access to decorating videos as well as videos on how to make frames and structures for air filled items!

Happy Ballooning!

Is There a Helium Shortage?

2012-06-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Helium is a byproduct of Natural Gas which comes from the ground. Most helium is extracted from natural gas fields throughout the US- the largest being in Amarillo, Texas. The US government along with large refining companies, such as Exxon Mobil, control the supply of much of the helium found in the US. They are currently not mining as much natural gas which results in less extraction of helium, and they are also trying to pass a bill called the Helium Stewardship Act which would raise the price of helium in order to encourage more exploration of helium in states like Wyoming and New Mexico.

There are number of articles out on the shortage, and there are many articles that are approaching this subject from fear, trying to scare the consumer into thinking that there is no more helium. This is just not true. There is helium, it's just that a chain of events have led us to where we are now, which is a situation where larger companies have had no reason or incentive to mine for helium because they could buy it from the government for a cheap price.

The US government passed a bill called the Helium Privatization Act in 1996 which allowed the US to sell off it's helium reserves for below market value pricing. This was done in an effort to repay a $1.3 billion dollar debt to the US Treasury. They were paying drillers to mine helium from natural gas for decades. The US spent this money on gas extraction for military use. They used the helium to fuel airships and for other military uses from 1920 to 1960. They opened up the Federal Helium Reserve to other companies after 1960 because other technologies were developed, and they saw that they could start selling off the reserve in what was called a "firesale" in order to pay back debts. Helium was being sold at below market value prices up to now. Many suppliers took advantage of these low prices and passed that savings along to the consumer.

The US Senate has been meeting to propose a new bill called the Helium Stewardship Act of 2012, which aims to preserve the Federal Helium Reserve located in Amarillo, TX. Their goal is to finish paying off the debt, raise the price to "fair market value," manage and sell off the remaining helium in this reserve responsibly, all of this in an effort to stimulate development of private sources of helium. Ultimately, they want to encourage the extraction and exploration of helium in other states, such as Wyoming and New Mexico.

The Bill is being written and introduced by senators from Wyoming and New Mexico. Also, there is much verbiage in the bill about the government having first dibs on helium as the need it for military or any other uses.

Samuel Burton, an assistant field manager for helium operations at the Bureau of Land Management, has stated that the increase in price and the shortage is not a result of the price levels set by the Helium Privatization Act of 1996, but rather, a surplus of natural gas. He's also stated that maintenance issues at aging helium facilities around the world have contributed to the problem. When a plant needs to perform maintenance, and it's during a peak season of helium use, such as graduation time, it creates the perfect storm... low supply, high demand.

"We are not able to keep up with the demand, especially when other suppliers are not able to provide their helium," Burton said.

The Federal Helium Reserve could run out of helium in the next few years under the current circumstances, but the Stewardship Act would help the reserve to produce helium until about 2029. Also, there are other fields producing helium in the United States, such as in Wyoming, but many of these fields have not been mined. The government is hoping to encourage more private companies to come in and explore and excavate helium to continue to meet with demands.

For further information on the shortage, please visit our Shortage Webpage to read additional articles.

Please call It's A Gas for any further information: 909-982-3301 or email us at its_a_gas@yahoo.com

Hot Summer Ideas to Grab Attention

2011-05-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Looking for ways to attract attention to your location? Balloon Columns are easy to make and withstand the heat and wind. They're great for adding shots of color in your parking lot or in front of your store. They wag in the wind as all one item so they are sure to grab attention.

Here's a picture of some Balloon Columns floating at a Car Show at the Denny's in Upland. This center puts on a car show every second Tuesday of the month. The red, yellow and blue 17" clusters and HUGE 36" toppers help these attention grabbers float throughout the day. They are about 5' tall and they are perfect for floating along the frontage of your location or in the parking lot. Use bright colors, like red and yellow to contrast against lots of foilage and buildings.

Floating Columns range in price from $40 to $75 depending on the size balloons and how elaborate the design is. They are an all-in-one item, so you don't have to worry about single balloons getting tangled and looking bad. These designs that are all-in-one, look good the entire day!

To make this design, start by blowing up a 36" or large balloon with helium. Tie it onto fishing line and tie a knot in the line at the neck of the balloon (so it doesn't get pulled off the line). Blow up 2 17" balloons and tie them together. Blow up a single 17" and tie it into the duplet (the two balloons tied together is called a duplet). Now push that cluster underneath the 36" balloon and wrap the line around a few of the 17" to secure it on. Repeat this with two more clusters. Finally, leave yourself a few feet of line to tie off the design. Tie it off to signs, poles, anything along the front of your location. Remember to take balloons down at night so they don't cause traffic problems.

For more tips or great balloon designs, visit our website at http://www.heliumtanks.com/! Don't forget, Memorial weekend is just around the corner, order your helium and red, white and blue early by emailing us at its_a_gas@yahoo.com or calling 909-982-3301!

Happy Ballooning!

St. Patty's Day Ideas

2011-02-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

St. Patrick's Day is March 17th, and It's A Gas will be handing out St. Patty's balloon goodie bags to customers who place an order for a helium tank refill before March 17th! Simply call us at 909-982-3301 to place your order today!

Here are some fun ideas to decorate your place of business or event to help celebrate this special occasion.

Create a rainbow cluster arch and place it at your entryway. Simply stack the colors of the rainbow in each cluster of your arch. Then repeat the pattern over and over again.

Make balloon 4-leaf clovers by clustering 4 green balloons together and then take 2 white balloons and blow them up halfway and slide them into the middle of the cluster. Float these on signs to grab attention.
Inflate Shamrock Mylars and the shamrock imprinted latex balloons that we include in your goodie bags and tie them throughout your store to create a festive atmosphere.
17" and 11" emerald green, standard green, lime green, white and yellow balloons are very popular and recognizable to your customers as St. Patrick's Day colors.

Give us a call if you are needing training in how to make arches or 4-leaf clovers. We offer training for free to our current customers. You can also watch our videos on how to cluster balloons together (how to make the balloon flower, which is very similar to the 4-leaf clover) on our Balloon Professor page at http://www.balloonsandhelium.net/OnlineBalloonProfessor.html

Please give us a call at 909-982-3301 if you would like to place an order to receive your FREE St. Patty's Goodie Bags! Happy Ballooning!

Christmas Balloon Designs

2010-12-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

As winter approaches, we are doing lots of Christmas parties! Many companies have been asking us to do Christmas themed sculptures for their photo areas. If you know how to make a balloon column, then many of the designs we make should be relatively simple for you to make as well.

We recently made candy cane balloon sculptures for a Santa photo area at a Christmas party. These candy canes are made with a baseplate and pole curved at the top to form the curve for the candy cane. Cluster the balloons onto the pole, just as you would with a regular balloon column. The curved part of the pole can be a little tricky. When you curve the pole, don't put a sharp curve in it. Rather, create a half circle type curve, so when you cluster the balloons on, you don't have trouble with packing them on. Use a red, white, red, white pattern, so that you get the twisted effect of the candy cane. To learn how to make a general balloon column, go here for more info.

Other designs include the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, Snowmen and Polar Bears. You will need a cool glue gun for those designs and you might want to take a balloon class to learn how to make these more advanced designs. It's A Gas offers classes tailored to you. We can also make these designs for your next event. Simply give us a call at 909-982-3301 for more information.

Have a Happy Holiday Season!!!

Thanksgiving Balloon Decorating

2010-12-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Looking for a way to spruce up your holiday balloon decor? Why not try adding accents to your balloons. For a recent event we did at the Soboba Indian Rec Center, we made some Thanksgiving balloon columns and added some interest to the columns by cool gluing Fall colored leaves to the balloons.

To glue accents on balloons, simply warm up your glue gun. Have your balloon sculpture nearby (already done), and then dab a bit of glue onto the accent and hold it onto the balloon. You should use a high quality latex balloon such as Tuf-Tex so that the balloon doesn't pop when you put the glue on. It's called a "cool" glue gun because as soon as the glue comes out hot, it starts to cool...

Cool glue works well for gluing small balloons on to create faces on your designs. You can also add silk flowers or real flowers to your design this way. There is extra time and expense involved in gluing accents onto your designs, so don't forget to figure in the additional cost and charge more.

You will soon see that having a cool glue gun in your tool bag is a must! Some of our cutest designs could not have been made without one.

Happy Ballooning!

Building Balloon Sculptures!

2010-11-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

We just wrapped up at an event for San Bernardino County. It's their Child Adoption Event in which the families get finalized for their adoptions. Very cool event. The theme for this year was "Building Families Through Adoption" and they decided to have us make huge construction vehicles out of balloons. We designed a dump truck out of yellow and black balloons and the families were able to take photos around the truck. We made balloon columns on the stage out of yellow and black balloons (so it looked like construction tape), and we hung their banner from the columns. On the other side of the room, we had another big construction truck and another scene with a house and family working in their yard.

Balloon sculptures can add a fun element to any event. They are great for helping the theme of the event come alive. Placing sculptures around the room makes for great conversation pieces and awesome photo backdrops.

When creating a balloon sculpture, all you really need is your balloons, an air machine, support poles (poles and baseplates and metal rod) duct tape and a cool glue gun. Pick up poles and metal rods at any local steel supply company. Find 3/16" aluminum rod if you can. It is the perfect size for bending into various shapes, and it holds it's shape very well. If you are creating shapes like stars and numbers, you can use painter's tape (blue tape or masking tape) and tape the design down on a concrete floor. Then bend the rod to match the shape. Use duct tape to attach pieces together or hold ends together.

If you are designing something, such as a Dump Truck (see the picture above), you'll want to start with a drawing. And all you need to do it draw the basic shape of the item (copy from a picture), and then fill it in with circles to signify where you'll fill in with balloons. Then look for places where you can add your main support (like poles and baseplates). Draw those in on your picture, so you'll know where your team needs to set those up upon creation. Finally, add in lines to signify where you'll use rods for more support. This will help you prepare for how much rod you will need.

When you are actually putting together the design, try to follow your drawing as much as possible. You may need to make small changes, but for the most part, your design will often come out very close to what you drew. It's fun to step back once your are done putting the balloons together and see what you have created. We often use duct tape to hold the poles together and then we blow up the balloons, cluster them together and pack them right onto the poles. You can use a cool glue gun to glue balloons together or to add accents to your designs. The glue is hot when it comes out of the gun, but cools instantly, so you may want to practice working with a glue gun beforehand. Also, try to find a glue gun with a high and low setting and experiment to see which setting you like better.

The possibilities are endless with what you can make out of balloons! We've made volcanoes and sea creatures, Santa and Christmas Trees, Polar Bears, Honey Bears, Deer, People, Sports Players, all kinds of fun designs. If you can imagine it and sketch it, most likely, you can create it out of balloons!

Have fun creating!!! If you would like It's A Gas to do the decorating for your next big event, simply give us a call at 909-982-3301!

Star Balloon Sculpture

2010-10-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

A customer of ours in Woodland Hills, The Met Warner Center, called needing some Star Themed Decorating for their weekend sale and event. We created some silver star topped balloon columns that were curved to look like shooting stars. The latex balloons were done in red, black and silver spiral. These columns were placed at the entryway pointing towards each other. Then we created a human sized star balloon sculpture out of metal rod and 5" silver balloons. It took almost 500 5" balloons inflated to full size to complete the star! We placed the star near their front sign next to some pretty flowers. The star was sure to grab attention of people passing by. We also put up some large cloud buster streamers which are a giant 5' balloon with clusters of balloons underneath and then a single line runs down to the ground and there are single balloons tied to the line. These fly high up in the air and are great for grabbing attention from people many blocks away. For more ideas, please visit our website at http://www.heliumtanks.com/ or call us at 909-982-3301.

Saving Money by Making Your Balloon Designs Last!

2010-08-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Things have changed in our economy. People are becoming more bearish with their money. And if you want to survive as a business, you must adapt and find ways to be more cost conscious. What this experience has taught us is what it means to stretch our dollar... how to make it last and last and last. Typically, you would think of balloons as a very disposable item. The typical balloon lasts about a day. But that's the old way of thinking about balloons! There is a new way! A cost conscious way! And we know how important it is for everyone to spend a little and get a lot out of their balloons, so we want to go over a few ways you can make your balloons last longer.

Hi-Float: Want to make your balloons last 3-5 days instead of 1 day? Then Hi-Float is your solution. This is a gooey substance that you pump into the main part of the balloon, and once the balloon is inflated, the Hi-Float dries within an hour or two and it seals off the inside of the balloon. The pores become sealed and the helium cannot pass through the balloon. You may add a little cost initially to the balloon, but because you are not using helium for the next 3-5 days, you significantly reduce your cost! Helium is the most expensive part of the balloon. Your per balloon cost for helium can range from .40 cents up to a $1 depending on the size tank you are using. So if you add .40 cents by pumping Hi-Float once into your balloon, but don't blow up balloons for maybe 5 more days, you could be saving yourself almost $5 everytime! Learn more about Hi-Float by visiting our website at http://www.balloonsandhelium.net/HiFloatWeights.html

Poles and Baseplates: Want to reduce your cost per balloon to almost nothing? Well, when you make balloon columns, you can come very close! Poles and baseplates provide the frame for airfilled balloons. You can create many fun designs with by simply attaching air-filled balloons to your poles and baseplates. Some of our most basic balloon sculptures are done on poles and baseplates. We've created simple balloon bears, Christmas trees, flower columns and more! These designs are simple to create, and all you need is a pole and baseplate, an air machine and some latex balloons. Initially, you will have the cost of the pole and baseplate and the air machine, but after doing balloons with air maybe 2-3 times, you will have more than paid for this equipment, and then after that, it's almost no cost. You will reduce your cost to just the bags of balloons!!! When you divide this out, you may be spending only .10 to .15 cents per balloon. Instead of spending $20 to put out 30 to 40 balloons, you'll spend $3 to $5!!! The savings is incredible! Learn more about poles and baseplates and air machines by visiting our website at http://www.heliumtanks.com/.

Learning how to create unique designs can now be as simple as watching a video. We have many videos to view through our Online Balloon Professor page. If you are a current customer, simply email us for the codes. Email us at its_a_gas@yahoo.com and tell us your company name and that you need the codes. If you are new to our company, you can either purchase the videos individually, or you can purchase our Balloon Book and get access to all the videos. The book contains many fun recipies for designs that are cost conscious. There are also chapters which cover how to price out items and how to calculate your costs.

Grab Attention with Balloons!

2010-02-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

St. Patty's Day and Easter are fast approaching and that means spring is almost here! The sun is emerging, the weather is warming up just a bit, and that means that shoppers are going to start hitting the streets more. Here are some ideas for getting the attention you deserve!

1) Nothing says spread some good luck and best wishes like green and white balloons! It's A Gas will be giving away a free goodie bag of St. Patty's inspired balloons when our Southern California customers order a refill on their helium tank. We also carry 17" and 11" solid colored bags of balloons in standard green, emerald green, lime green, golden rod and white. Call us at 909-982-3301 to get your refill by March 17th to get your free baggie.

2) Pastel and Tropical colored balloons are bright and cheerful and tend to bring in the crowd! Our 17" Tropical balloons come in a mix of hot pink, lime green, baby blue, goldenrod, lavender and teal and they are the number one choice for our advertisers during the spring and summer months. Whether you are an apartment complex trying to get attention or a storefront offering spring specials, these durable and vivid balloons will grab attention from potential customers driving by. Tuf-tex is a high quality balloon that provides days of exceptional performance.

3) Balloons are one of the cheapest and most effective forms of advertsing. By putting a few balloons outside your location, you create movement that grabs the eye. A very simple design to try is a balloon snake. Tie one balloon at the top of your string. Then tie two balloons together and wrap your string around the two (called a duplet). Keep making duplets and wrap them onto your string spacing them about one foot apart. Put maybe 3 or 4 duplets on one line. When you tie this off outdoors, it wags in the wind and looks like a snake. By placing balloon designs outside, you send a message to people passing by that there is something happening at your place of business, whether you are running a special or just have something special to offer. And balloons provide cheer. People are always drawn to a positive atmosphere, and balloons make people smile! For more decorating ideas, visit our balloon decorating page on our website.

4) Watch our Online Balloon Professor for more balloon designs. We just released our newest design which is the Gumball. If you are a current customer of ours, you can access this video for free. Simply email us at its_a_gas@yahoo.com. You can watch the Balloon Flower video for free by going to our website at http://www.balloonsandhelium.net/Learn.html.

We have lots of videos on our website to help you with choosing and using our products, but feel free to give us a call at 909-982-3301 if you have any questions about helium, balloons or decorating. A specialist is ready and waiting to help you!

Valentine's Day Balloons

2010-01-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

As Valentine's Day approaches, it's a good time to start thinking about how you can be a part in sharing the love! Many people are feeling the emotional connections to those who are struggling right now... whether it's the devastation from the earthquake in Haiti or a neighbor who lost their job. This is a perfect time for you to show your love for others, to be in a place of giving rather than getting, and to let your heart shine.

It's A Gas will be offering a free bag of Valentine's Balloons to our regular customers as a way of saying thanks and to help share the message of love. Balloons have a unique way of lifting people's spirits; we have been a witness to that for the last 13 years, and we still get amazed at how powerful one balloon can be. Whether you give a balloon to someone you love or just hang a few outside of your store, they always seem to convey a positive message, and that in itself, demonstrates how easy it can be to lift people's spirits.

Our drivers are always ready to show you how to create unique designs, so the next time you get a delivery, just ask to learn something new. Our balloon flowers are a great design for spreading joy or getting attention, and they are very easy to learn.You can watch the video now, or ask our driver to teach you how to decorate with balloons. Call It's A Gas at 909-982-3301 for more easy tips and to learn how balloons can help you, whether your goal is to make a difference in someone's life, or show people that you are open for business.

Halloween Balloons

2009-10-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just around the corner and there's no better way to celebrate than with balloons!

It's A Gas carries orange, black, white and yellow balloons in 11", 17", and 36" latex. We also rent out helium tanks in small, medium and large sizes so you can rent a large tank for the whole month of October and use balloons to advertise and "scare" up some sales. Or you can rent a small tank for the week of Halloween and decorate your home or office with balloons to create a fun atmosphere. Either way, balloons draw attention and lift the mood, so just let us know what your needs are, and we'll suggest the right tank for you!

When you order a large helium tank during the month of October, you will receive a free Boo Bag! This is a baggie filled with 11" black balloons with skeletons, orange balloons with pumpkins, and plain white and yellow balloons. It's our way of saying thanks and helping you create a fun mood for your friends, family, business associates or customers!

Give It's A Gas Balloons and Helium a call at 909-982-3301, and we'll provide you with a free quote or get you set up with what you need to decorate or advertise with balloons!

Celebrate with Balloons!

2009-10-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, a woman named Deborah emailed me with a question about her event. She had a balloon design delima and needed help.

Something told her to email our company. Deborah wasn't sure where the feeling was coming from, but she trusted her gut and emailed us. She was put in charge of the balloon decorating for a rather large church event coming up. Her church was hosting an event in which five local churches would join together and celebrate the meaning of spirit.

Deborah knew what she wanted to do, but needed some advice. She wanted to put notes inside of balloons and hand those balloons out to the church members so they could pop them and receive a "message from spirit." Her design idea was to have the balloons look like a flame. I emailed Deborah back about our Online Balloon Professor series as well as our Learning Page on our website in which she could get step-by-step instructions for creating sculptures and bouquets. All she needed was a little guidance to help boost her confidence for her event.

Deborah decided to group the balloons together and asked how she could make them look like a flame. We simply recommended that she tie the red balloons low, then tie orange balloons above those... and finally tie yellow balloons on top. Her bouquets were a HUGE success. She reported that the event went smoothly, and she even sent pictures to share. We love that we are able to connect with people all over the world and show them how balloons can truly make any event spectacular. Deborah had mentioned that she felt drawn to working with us and had surrendured to that feeling and allowed the right connections to happen. We're so glad she did!

In Deborah's words: "God can be found even in a balloon."

Lots of Good Wishes to Deborah

Let It's A Gas help you with your next event!

Hippie Themed Party- Remembering Woodstock!

2009-09-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Looking to have a little Hippie Fun? This August marked the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, and the trends of this cultural celebration are coming back full swing. Many “Hippies” who are now parents and grandparents are sharing stories with their kids about living during such a memorable time in history. For those of you looking to capture the color hip trends and fun of the Sixties and Seventies, it’s very easy to do with balloons!

It’s A Gas, Inc. recently decorated in the Seventies theme for a Bar Mitzvah at a roller rink in Glendale called Moonlight Roller Way which is a historical landmark built in the 1940’s. Many celebrities have been seen skating at Moonlight, and this is a well known spot to the Hollywood filmmakers and television producers- movies and T.V. shows have been filmed here. There is a Birthday Party Lounge, snack bar, arcade area, and of course a huge original Maple hardwood roller rink. This is a great place for having a themed party such as a Hippie Party.

It didn’t take long for the balloons to help transform the Roller Rink into a groovy place. We used bright, vibrant crystal balloons to add shine and color. Big bouquets of 10 balloons in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and magenta created a beautiful backdrop for a Balloon Name Sign that we did for the birthday girl. The balloon bouquets provided the perfect colorful wall so that the silver mylar letters spelling “ROSIE,” stood out. Rosie’s parents brought in bright pink and black bean bags and a short table with glowing centerpieces to create a little hangout for her and her friends. They also brought in lots of colorful candy sculptures and everyone dressed up like hippies, sporting tie-dyed shirts and jeans.

We created a balloon dance floor in the middle of the party area by criss-crossing two String of Pearl arches in the same assortment of bright colors. This provided a place for the teens to kick off their skates and dance to some groovy tunes. More bouquets decorated the gift table and dressed up the perimeter of the room. It didn’t take much to make this plain roller rink look like a hip hangout.

There are so many designs that would work with this type of theme. There are birthday mylars in the Seventies style and mylars that are bright yellow donning a happy face. There are latex balloons that look tie-dyed called agate balloons, and sculptures could even provide great photo op areas for your party- how about a peace symbol made out of balloons! The possibilities are endless. Simply give It’s A Gas a call today at 909-982-3301, and tell us what your theme is and what areas of the room you need decorated, and we will be happy to provide you with a free estimate and sketch!

Honoring Labor Day and 9/11

2009-08-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Labor Day is September 7th and this is a day that many retailers use to discount summer items to get winter stock on the shelves. 9/11 had such a huge impact on Americans as a whole that many of us take that day to remember the fallen, appreciate service men and women, and show patriotism. There are a number of great ways that you can show your patriotism on Labor Day and 9/11 with balloons. Let us show you how:

If you are a retail store looking to let your customers know that you are discounting items in honor of Labor Day or 9/11, one of the easiest ways to do that is by putting out red, white and blue balloons. You may want to try creating a floating column that looks like a flag! Do this by clustering blue balloons together and using fishing line to string them together for the top of the design. Then alternate a red cluster and a white cluster (or create a spiral with the red and white) for the next few clusters- this makes the stripes for the column. Float these in front of your store to grab attention. You can also make these with air and hang them from a showroom, or you can attach the balloons to a pole and baseplate to make an airfilled column (these will last mulitple days!!!) To learn how to cluster balloons together, watch our FREE balloon flower video now!

By simply floating Red, White and Blue latex balloons at your entryway or front door, you are letting people know that you are celebrating these special holidays. Balloons are great way of communicating to your customers that you are open for business, excited about what you have to offer, and happy to offer your products and services. Balloons bring a positive atmosphere to your business, and they can grab the eye of people passing by who may not necessarily even see your business.

Remember to contact us as soon as possible at 909-982-3301 if you need supplies for Labor Day. We offer helium tanks for rental and can get you set up with the tank, balloons and even show you how to create the red, white and blue column design for FREE. Call now and a representative will be happy to give you a free quote and get you scheduled for a delivery right away!

Back To School Balloons

2009-08-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

It's the end of sumer and that means Back To School!

If you are a school: What better way to welcome back your students than to create some fun designs with balloons. Create colorful crayons by stacking the colors just right (adding some black clusters near the top and bottom of the balloon column) and then sizing down the balloons as you make the tip of the crayon. To really make your balloon crayons stand out, cut out letters from white card stock paper and cool glue them onto the side of the crayon. Position the crayons at the entrace of the school or near the front office to welcome students in.

If you are a business: Balloon crayons are a great way to remind shoppers that you sell school supplies or fashions that students want. Even car dealers can use balloons to remind parents that they may need to get a used car for their college student. You may want to try String Of Pearl Arches along the front of your business or "3's," which are three balloons tied onto one piece of line (and work well tied to fences, bushes, or sign posts).

Whether you are a school needing balloons and helium for your student store or ASB (proms and homecoming decorating, fundraiser bouquets, sporting decorations) or you are a business looking to let customers know that you can help them out, It's A Gas can supply you with the items you need to accomplish your balloon decorating goals. We carry helium in large, medium and small tanks for rental or purchase (we can then refill your tanks for you). We carry a high quality balloon called Tuf-tex which stands up to the heat and doesn't pop when put under pressure during decorating. And we have all the balloon accessories you could ever need... and we can deliver it to your doorstep. We even offer FREE decorating tips and tricks through our Do-It-Yourself page and our Online Balloon Professor page. All you have to do is fill out our New Customer Form and send it back to us and then we will call you up to take your order.

Call us at 909-982-3301 to let us know how we can help you with your next big event or sale!

Bubble Balloon Video

2009-07-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Wanting to add interest and FUN to your designs?

Why not try out the Bubble Balloon. This unique balloon decoration can be added to the tops of columns as a topper. It can serve as the centerpiece of any whimsical bouquet. Bubble Balloons can be made into arches for real "WOW!" They can also serve as the topper balloon for a Fantasy Cloud.

They are easy to make and usually they are the talk of the event. When we have gone back to clean up at events, the Bubble Balloon is the one item that guests FIGHT over.

Learn how you can make the Bubble Balloon today!

Balloon Class Questions

2009-07-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent question we received from someone interested in taking the Balloon Class. It seemed to reflect many of the questions we get from people, so we thought it might be nice to include it on the blog:

Hi, I am inquiring about your balloon class that you offer. I am a complete novice to this industry and I am wondering if this is a good place to start, or if this is for more advanced students? I see that the class is only 4 hours long. How do you teach all that you say in only 4 hours? I am smart, but I don't think I am that smart. The location of the class is appealing for I live in XXXXX, and the price seems affordable. Please let me know if this is a good place to begin my new frontier of balloon design/business education?
Hope to hear from you soon,
D.M.

First to address your main concerns:

Yes, this class is for beginners such as yourself and it goes through the business side as well as the actual decorating and design side of things.

Secondly, the 4 hours is just about what we spend with everyone who has taken the class and we've never had anyone fail with us. We make it fun and easy for you to learn. We encourage you to bring a friend or family member (up to 3 people may attend for the $350 price) to make things more fun and to help remind each other about what you learned, but even if you don't bring someone, the unique thing about this class is that it is all hands on. It's kind of like riding a bike, once you do it, you know how to do it forever. Balloon decorating is the easy part of this class... the more intense part is the business and sales introduction that we go over. Our goal is to make sure that you not only feel confident with doing ballooning, but that you will feel confident enough to go up to friends, family and business owners and be willing to show them what you can do. This is how we started, and we were not perfect in the beginning, but the only way we got better was through practice and by doing decorating over the years. The difference for you is that you will have someone holding your hand and showing you what to do and what not to do- we didn't have that... we had to learn the hard way!

If you have any desire what-so-ever to get into this business, I highly encourage you to try out this class. We have people fly in from all over the country to take it and we really have enjoyed spending time with these students... helping them start something new for themselves and encouraging them to get started as soon as they get home.

The balloon business doesn't require a lot of money to get started, and we will teach you that it's not necessary to spend lots of money on equipment and supplies. This is how we did things, and it's what we believe made us successful.

When you take the class, you will receive a Tip Sheet to help you get started as soon as you get home. We give you The Balloon Book along with codes to our videos online through the Online Balloon Professor so you can refresh your skills later on. You will also receive a Certificate of Completion.

Finally, please know that we have had teenagers all the way up to retired people take our class and they all look like pros by the end of the class. Our goal is to make sure that you feel comfortable and confident by the time you leave us. We're always amazed at what people can learn in that 4 hours, and we encourage you to bring a digital camera and let us take photos of you with the work because we know you will want to remember what you made!

The first step is looking at the calander and letting us know what Saturday will work for you. We usually run the class from 9 AM to 1 PM and we are near the Ontario, CA airport (about 5-10 minutes drive). There are many nice hotels in Ontario and fun shopping nearby. Please let me know if you have any further questions. We look forward to working with you should you choose to come on down!

Thanks so much,

Amanda Hall

It's A Gas

909-982-3301

http://www.heliumtanks.com/

Saving money with Helium

2009-07-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

Many people call us because they have used a disposable tank, and they blow thru it very quickly. They realize that all they can get is about 25 balloons and that they have to throw out the tank when they are done with it because these tanks are not refillable.

If you have many parties or have a storefront and constantly have a need for balloons, then you may want to consider getting a larger refillable tank. It's A Gas carries large, medium and small tanks, and we can either rent you a helium tank or sell you one that we can come refill or exchange.

When you buy a disposable tank, your cost per balloon is about $1.20 to $1.50 because you spend from $35 to $45 plus your time and gas money to go pick them up. When you rent a large tank, you cost per balloon goes down to about .40 cents per balloon! As you can see, moving to a refillable tank will probably save you money in the long run! If the savings don't convince you, consider these benefits to balloons:

We rent and sell to wholesalers as well as retailers, people having parties to business owners wanting to grab attention. Balloons are a very cost effective way to advertise or create a fun atmosphere for a party or a storefront.

Balloons make people smile- people will be drawn to a positive atmosphere that you create with balloons.

Balloons show people that you are open for business or that the party has started.

Balloons can be used to direct people to specific zones or areas, such as a particular area of a parking lot, or they can shown people where to dance.

You can access the tank at any time- people have told us that they end up putting out balloons more often which in turn generates more traffic because they have the tank sitting there for them to use (no more driving to pick up balloons or a disposable tank!!!)

We deliver the tank to your store or event location- you don't have to worry about transporting a large heavy tank!

Call us at 909-982-3301 for more information about getting set up with your own helium tank today. We offer FREE decorating tips when we deliver to help you get the attention you need!

Take A Balloon Class to Start Making Money

2009-07-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

If you are a creative person and you are always decorating for family and friends, then starting a balloon decorating business would be an easy way for you to start making extra cash! Here are some benefits to starting a balloon business:

It doesn't take a lot of money to start up: all you need to get set up is a helium tank, a good valve and an air machine. You are looking at about $1000 for equipment and a few hundred dollars for supplies- ribbon, latex balloons, weights, etc.

You can do balloon jobs on the weekend: we call this type of decorator a weekend warrior. This is someone who would be doing weddings, quincieneras, bar mitzvahs, and birthday parties. Imagine working only 2 days a week instead of 5!

It doesn't take a lot of classes or knowledge: we teach a 4 hour class in how to do basic balloon decorating, and we have many testimonials from people who have taken the class and started doing jobs that same month. You can learn more about our class by visiting our Class Page at http://www.balloonsandhelium.net/classes.html

You can start this business while you are working: since most parties are on the weekends, you can book jobs only on the weekends to start and then as you build your client base, slowly transitition from the corporate world to owning your own business.

There is no better time to take control of your life: with the economy being in the toilet, you NEED to take control of your finances and decide whether you are going to continue to worry about whether you will have a job at the end of the day OR go out and let people know that you are open for business. One thing you can count on is that no matter what, people will always have parties. Your job is to simply let them know that you can do the balloons for them.

The profit potential is astounding: this morning we did a job and we spent about $70 on supplies and made $300 in 1 hour. How many hours did you work today? Did you make $230 PROFIT??? We can show you how to do this, and we can show you in one day in about 4 hours! Please call us at 909-982-3301 if you want to change your life