Having not competed in a balloon competition in over 12 years, Tawney was a little nervous about resurfacing. We’re so glad she did. It was so great to see other established balloon artists, as well as meet the up-and-comers. There was such a wonderfully diverse array of balloon styles, techniques and ideas to marvel at. The balloon costume contest provided the perfect platform for balloon artists to show off just how creative, adaptable and flexible the art form really is. Winning first for her balloon peacock was fantastic, but it was the experience that made the event so memorable! Oh who are we kidding? Winning was freaking awesome, and we’re so proud of our girl!
The Balloon Peacock!
Native to Asia, peafowl are gorgeous birds with a reputation for beauty and elegance. The bright, colorful and intricate designs of the peacock’s plumage made it the perfect choice for a balloon costume. Not only was it a beautiful design, but it was also complex enough to provide an interesting challenge. The end result was dazzling!
The costume was comprised of around 500 balloons of different shapes, sizes and colors. The main colors used were different shades of iridescent blues and greens. In creating the costume Tawney aimed to capture the grandeur and magnificence of the bird by including as much detail as possible. We loved the large tail feathers and majestic head of the balloon peacock.
Multiple Wins!
Tawney actually won three awards that night. She won 1st place by the judges, but she also won the peoples choice award for her balloon peacock. A picture of some dresses she made earlier in the year won Betallic’s ‘Clever Creative, and Colorful’ contest. Betallic is a balloon manufacturer who accepts submissions from all over the world.
We’re so happy Tawney was such a success this year. She worked very hard on crating something beautiful, and the result was sublime. Now hopefully she’ll share some of her gift basket with us!
Two Funny Stories
So what happened to the costume after the contest? Well, pretty much everybody else in the contest put their costumes on mannequins so they could be displayed for the next couple of days. But not our Tawney! She jumped in the pool in her costume…in January! “Cause she’s crazy. Here’s a video!
After she dried off, she realized she had a very Italian friend who loves the Godfather. She recruited some help in stealing this friends room key, and hid the peacock’s head in his bed. He still hasn’t forgiven her.
