Local artist Deborah of RVA Balloons fills us in wishing a Happy Birthday to the Balloon Arch

Most folks in the area know Deborah Fellman as the Balloon Lady. If there’s an event with kids Deborah is there with a long line of eager kids twitching with excitement to get a balloon creation. She even inspired the youngest in our house to briefly explore the balloon arts for a while that involved the purchase of book and a pack of balloon dogs that lived in the house briefly. Although we all know Deborah for her smaller creations at times she goes big, really big.

Many a wedding, festival, or prom is graced with a large arch of balloons. But did you know that tomorrow is the birthday of the balloon arch? There is even an official website dedicated to the art form: www.BalloonArchBirthday.com.  The official birthday of the balloon arch is July 6th and was created by Treb Heining. The first arch was made in 1979 for Cher’s child Elijah Blue and balloon arch technology has come a long way. To celebrate the website has shown off artists’ favorite arches and above you can see Deborah’s contribution.

More information on the upcoming birthday:

Balloon artists around the world are celebrating the official birthday of one of the most recognizable symbols of parties and festivals, the balloon arch.  On each day leading up to the July 6^th birthday event, participating artists will post photos of their favorite arches on their respective social media sites.

There is even an official website dedicated to the art form: www.BalloonArchBirthday.com.

Local artist Deborah Fellman, proprietor of RVA Balloons, is part of the action and even has one of her photos featured on the official website.

“I’m thrilled that my work was selected to represent the best of the balloon art industry,” says Fellman.  “The balloon arch is easy to do badly, but hard to do well!”

The arch was originated by Treb Heining, who is also the man behind the spectacular balloon drops at both the 2016 Republican and Democratic conventions. In 1979, Heining was making balloon columns at a birthday party in Malibu for Cher’s son Elijah Blue. He made a last-minute decision that the outdoor décor on Cher’s tennis court needed more impact, so he filled blue-tinted balloons with helium and joined them together with paperclips before tying them onto heavy wire, thus creating the first balloon arch.

“We certainly use different methods today,” says Fellman.  “No more paper clips and wire! Arches can be air-filled and built on durable, reusable framework, as well as filled with helium.”

“I use precision air inflation equipment that allows me to program inflation to tenths of a second.  The look of an arch is contingent on having the layers of balloons, called quads, nest neatly into each other. If the balloons are irregularly sized, it ruins the effect. Additionally, if you don’t know how to pack the layers properly, the resulting friction tears will slowly deflate the balloons.”

“Artists add visual interest by varying colors and patterns, which can be tricky. When you’re wrapping balloons around  the frame you’re too close to actually see your pattern, so it’s important to step back and check for accuracy, lest you find yourself tearing everything off and having to start over. It’s also fun to add ‘twisted’ balloon elements such as flowers and spiraled skinny balloons.”

Fellman’s daily countdown of balloon arch photos can be seen on www.Facebook.com/RVAballoons.

Click here to see Fellman’s blue and yellow classic spiral balloon arch on the official Balloon Arch Birthday website: https://www. balloonarchbirthday.com/ classic .

Click here for a photo of the world’s first balloon arch: https://www. balloonarchbirthday.com/ history