All Things Balloon - Fresh Ideas for Young & Old

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1. Seasonals on our Web-Site: Build a 'Spooky Bouquet' in 3 easy steps
2. Weird & Wonderful News from the 'World of Balloons'
3. Tip of the Month
4. Online Halloween Resources

As the leaves turn golden and the nights fall early it's time to start planning for the festive season - and the first event is our theme in this issue: HALLOWEEN!

Please enjoy ... and, as always, your feedback is most welcome. Just reply to this e-zine and let us know your comments, suggestions or requests. We'd love to hear from you!

1. Seasonals on our Web-Site: Build a 'Spooky Bouquet' in 3 easy steps

If you are like me and tend to leave things to the very last minute, you might be in desperate need for a Halloween decoration that

• is easy and quick to do,
• doesn't strain your budget too much and
• will earn you some admiring 'Ohs' and 'Ahs' from your guests.

Then our 'Spooky Balloon Bouquet' is the right decor for you - it's fairly easy to make and a guaranteed eye-catcher for your and/or your kids party.

As Halloween is mainly an event for children, we thought it's a good idea to say a few words about latex balloons and safety.

Balloons are fun. But, they should also be handled responsibly and discarded with caution if they happen to burst or otherwise reach the end of their brief, but nonetheless enjoyable lifetimes. So, please remind yourself and your kids:

• CHOKING HAZARD: Children under 8 years can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision is required. Keep all uninflated balloons away from children and discard broken balloons at once.
• Care should be taken while inflated balloons are near eyes. Eye protection is always recommended while inflating balloons. For health and safety reasons, do not inflate balloons by mouth, use a pump instead.
• Inhaling Helium can also result in serious lung injuries and/or suffocation. So, despite the somewhat tempting "Mickymouse voice effect", do not inhale Helium from a balloon or a Helium tank under any circumstances!

If you're filling your own balloons, follow these important tips:

Don't blow it!

• Over inflating or under inflating your balloons with helium reduces their float time and makes them look unattractive.
• Avoid exposing your balloons to extreme heat, as this could cause them to burst.
• In cold air, your balloons may appear deflated; when warmed up, they will fill out again.
• Float time varies greatly according to factors such as latex quality, humidity, temperature, altitude, etc. As a 'rule of thumb', balloons typically float half as long in hot, humid weather.

Looking for the balloons we used for our 'Spooky Bouquet'? Check out the selection of Halloween Balloons at PartyDomain, one of the leading online party stores in the UK. They take customer service and online security very serious and are members of both "Trust UK" and "SafeBuy".

They also have a big section of Halloween Costumes, both for adults and kids.

If you are living in the States or Canada, we recommend BuyCostumes for your Halloween online shopping. They have been in business since 1999, are a member of the "Better Business Bureau" (BBB) and were approved for their BBBOnLine Reliability Certificate in 2001.

Apart from costumes you'll find a huge selection of Halloween Decorations & Props as well as a Disposable Helium Tank, that fills approximately twenty 12" latex balloons.

all the best,

Margit