Balloons!

When I was a kid balloons were pretty simple.  You had a few latex balloons at your birthday party and sometimes you got a fancy mylar balloon if you went somewhere special (I remember I got one from the zoo when the pandas came to SF from China). 

But there is a recent trend in party design of giant balloons with the most fantabulous strings attached.

One local company here in Los Angeles is Geronimo Balloons.  The company hand makes all of the streamers and you can pick them up right here in Los Angeles.  If you're not local they will send the deflated balloon to you (and then you find somewhere to inflate it).  The balloons run between $60 to $200 per balloon so it's not cheap but they are oh so pretty.  The balloons are three feet wide so prepare to have somewhere to transport them.

Image via Geronimo Balloons

Image via Geronimo Balloons

Another company, bonbon balloons, is based in the UK and have some different types of fringe that they use for tails.  The balloons are 25 pounds a piece (don't ask me to convert that I lived in London for a few months and the exchange rate was so bad everything was double but I think it is actually less now).  You choose the color of the balloon and can provide some details to help them personalize the balloon string.  These balloons are only 15 inches wide so a little smaller than the Geronimo balloons but still pretty fabulous.

Image via bonbon balloons

Image via bonbon balloon

If you'd like to try your hand at creating one yourself you can buy the big balloons here.  You can then either create the fringe yourself or cheat and buy fringe online. You can find some fabulous garland at 1Pixie Place (my favorite are the colorful dots and the party garland). You can find party fringe at your local party supply store or here or for more fabulousness buy a tissue tassel and attach it to your balloon.  If you DIY you could make a simple balloon for between $8-$15 each.  Personally I can't wait to try my hand at putting one together.