Day 210: The First Showcase!

Holy Cow!


It took a few weeks to get things worked out and all set, but today is the first Twister Showcase.


I asked you to submit your suggestions for twisters you'd like to learn more about, have me interview, and try to get some examples of their work from.
I also asked those of my readers that are twisters that would like to show off their work to contact me also.


Today is the first of you that stepped up to the plate.


Her name is Sonia, and she also has a blog here on blogspot you can find at.
http://www.rainbowofballoons.blogspot.com


I asked her for a little information about herself.

Hi! My name is Sonia, from A Rainbow of Balloons. Two thing's you'd quickly learn about me as a twister is that I love pink, and rainbows! I've always loved balloon animals, the one balloon dog to this day is one of my favourites. It brings great memories of when I was younger and would be thrilled to get a balloon. My first attempt at balloon twisting didn't go far. I was probably about 11, but the whole idea of  twisting can be intimidating and pretty magical when you're young. I didn't try again until one day I brought a kit from my local Woolworths in 2008. It was something I'd been thinking about for a while, and finally I just did it. Sure balloons would pop, but it was so intoxicating to learn more! Having the right tools for the job helps your confidence and ability. They were great to begin with, but supermarket modelling balloons aren't the best quality and can only take you so far.

The initial enthusiasm faded a little, but was re-ignited once more when I met a local Magician who twisted balloons at a function I attended. I jumped online and quickly found the forum at balloon-animals.com/forum that literally opened my eyes to all that was possible with latex! For me, that was the point of no return!

My balloon heroes include Thelma Levett, Bonnie Davis, Tan Lily and Twistina. I'd like to give a shout-out to some of my wonderful online friends: Magic-Ian, PrincessTwister, PapaBalloon, Maui, Unicaw89... The list goes on! It would be impossible to name them all. There are so many fantastic artists out there, and I draw my inspiration from so many. I'm thrilled to know that there is some amazing generosity and sharing in the community.

In an effort to give back to the community that has given me so much, I've posted some online twisting tutorials on YouTube. The quality of the recordings could be better, but I hope to do some more polished ones in the future.

I like to say I specialise in girly and cute and must admit sometimes the boyish things scare me!

My favourite balloons I have twisted include:

Birds

Dolls

Anime parodies like Cure Blossom of Heartcatch Prettycure and Sailor Moon

Even balloons of balloon people wearing balloon outfits!

One question that almost always comes up... What's the biggest thing you can make? I try to hide my grin as I announce balloon dresses! It was in 2009 that I made

my first dress. That was the first of a few. Some of my favourites that followed include:

In 2009 I was in a Christmas edition of That's Life! magazine

What else do you wear to a Pop-Culture convention but a balloon dress?

In 2010 even auditioned for Australia's Got Talent (great response, but didn't hear back)

Don't forget the possibilties of wearing a fun hat!

I also enjoy sewing, and cosplay. Almsot all of my twisting outfits includes me wearing at least one item I've made myself (or have had custom made). I love having a

unique and fun look which the kids really enjoy. Any excuse to dress up is a great one!

I highly recommend  that you guys check out more of Sonia and her work. You can get your fill of all things Sonia in these ways.

Her website http://www.arainbowofballons.com

Her blog http://www.rainbowofballoons.blogspot.com

Her Youtube http://www.youtube.com/minettevalentina

Her Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Rainbow-of-Balloons/204323482457

Sonia recommends (and I agree) that a great place for balloon twisters to visit is  balloon-animals.com/forum.

Perhaps I should look into getting the people over there on here for the showcase also.

I will ask each new twister that I showcase for their favorite joke, Sonia's entry was.

A classic but always gets a laugh: I've a mind like a steel trap... Rusty and illegal in all states and Territories!

I'm also partial to saying the phrase "it's funny 'cause it's true!" when saying silly things

And with that I bring the first Twister Showcase to a close.

I hope you enjoyed it, and I also hope that I'll get some more submissions and suggestions for other twisters.

Go check out Sonia. She wasn't kidding when she said she specialized in cute and girly. 

See you tomorrow.