To say I sat for ages thinking about the skills I wanted to learn or perfect is an understatement. I kept thinking of something and changing my mind. I would research each idea for ages, but nothing really took my fancy, until I watched...  

In the first Shrek film, the fairy tale characters are banished from their kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad. Shrek is determined to save their home and his swamp so he cuts a deal with Lord Farquaad and sets out to rescue Princess Fiona to be Farquaad's bride.

There is one scene that gave me the great idea for the skill I am going to learn, hopefully master and possibly a new career??!!?? 

Jack (my son, 5) asked me, if I could make a balloon out of any animal what would it be? There it was, the idea I had been looking for...

I am going to learn how to model balloons. I absolute love Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks and Looney Tunes so what better way to link them altogether and make my favourite characters out of balloons! Easy right? 2 weeks in and I have only just ordered the balloons.... will I be able to perfect my skill?  

Follow my journey, wish me luck and I had better get making! 

I had no idea what I was going to even do!??! I thought about learning a musical instrument.. maybe not, that never went well when I was younger. How about learning a language? no, I struggle with English at the best of times...ask Mr Bloom. 

Hummm need some inspiration... but what? 

Who would have known my inspiration would have come from watching Shrek?? Well, there you have it, ideas really do come from anywhere. I have ordered my balloons, looked at pictures of what I want to make (carousel below) and have found a man Michael Floyd who has a tutorial on pretty much every balloon model there is.  

I totally thought I would be making big things straight away, nope, you have to start at the basics...makes sense really!

All balloon artists start with the dog. These are the three I am going to learn over the weekend with my son who has decided to take on the challenge too!


So, as we step in to week 3 I am feeling less confident that I am going to be able to make anything other than a very strange looking dog! Positive thinking Miss Hehir!!

So over the weekend, I had a go at the 3 'basic' (nothing basic about these I tell you!) balloon models - flower, sword and dog.

Here is how I got on. Not too bad (??) seeing as this is only my first attempt. 

I will continue to practise when I can. It is hard with 3 kids who all want a blown up balloon and all want them magical turned into everything and anything!  

 

Terrible, I haven't practiced at all this week and we are on Thursday. No wonder I am no better. Practise will resume tonight! 

Or will it?? 

So, I'm not going to lie, I haven't picked up a balloon or a pump for a what seems like ages...oh wait, it is ages!  The challenge is nearly finished however I have decided to continue my journey in the balloon modelling world. Here are a few pics of the ones I managed tonight...