Thanksgiving Countdown!

With Halloween just days away it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. This year we have a great addition to our balloon line that would be ideal for the entire season and we're still offering the yearly favorites!



Check out our entire line here!

How are you decorating for your Thanksgiving festivities this year?

How are you celebrating your mom on Mother's Day?

Mother's Day is fast approaching! It's about time for to begin planning how you'll be celebrating all of the mother's in your life. One of the easiest ways to show mom's that you care is by picking up a few balloons!

This year, there are a number of bright, fun and colorful styles to choose from. Where do you normally purchase your balloons? Grocery stores are an obvious choice; however, local shops, florists',and dollar stores have a variety of GREAT (and sometimes inexpensive!) balloons that are the perfect addition to your gift.

Here are some of the newest additions to our line this Mother's Day.


434015 34" Happy Mother's Day Tie Dyed Flowers Cluster
214019 18" Happy Mother's Day Polka Dot Butterflies
214020 18" Happy Mother's Day Jewel Flowers (also available in 9")



If you're interested in checking out our full line, click here. Order NOW!! You don't want to miss out!

Contact sales@ctiindustries.com for any product questions or concerns. 

It's not too early for Halloween!

Amazingly, it's mid-August and with summer winding down, I can't help but look forward to what will be coming up in the next few months.

I'd like to introduce our NEW Halloween air filled Mini-Shapes. These stick balloons are perfect for party decor and much more! Because they are filled with air, they will last throughout all of the Halloween season. Take a look at the six balloons we have added to our Halloween line:

Do you decorate for Halloween? How would you use these air filled balloons?

Father's Day Celebrations

In just over a week it will be Father's Day. For many, this day will be spent at the BBQ, relaxing by the pool, spending time with family, or maybe taking in a baseball game. Whatever way you choose to celebrate, there's always a way to bring a brighter smile to your dad's face - how about using balloons?!

We have a great line of Father's Day balloons that can be used decorate with or even give as a gift. Make sure you stop by a local retailer and pick one of these up before it's too late!




114485
18" World's Greatest Dad



114662
18" Happy Father's Day
Colorful Border




814468
18" Happy Father's Day
Rainbow Star



Summer FUN!

Summer Fun is the newest balloon line we are introducing! This line features a number of festive, summer balloons that would be a perfect addition to any of your gatherings this summer.

Whether you're hosting a BBQ, having a pool or beach party, or just hanging out, I'm positive you will find a balloon to suite your needs. Here are just a few that will make your party fantastic!:

9" Yellow Daisy 424212

9" Purple Daisy 424213

9" Lime Green Daisy 424216

9" Blue Daisy 424214

18" Summer Fun Cool Drink 415506

23"W x 22.5"H Blue Hawaiian Shirt 434044

18" Summer Fun Flip Flops & Sunglasses 415507

If you're interested in viewing the entire Summer Fun balloon line, click here.

Veggie Tales!

Veggie Tales is one of our newest additions to our licenses line! These balloons are perfect for anyone, at any age. If you're unfamiliar with Veggie Tales, it is a series of animated children's shows and movies featuring vegetable characters that is centered on morals and conveying a positive Christian message. Each movie and episode takes you on a fun adventure, teaching you along the way.

The Veggie Tales brand has a number of products featuring their characters including: toys, board games, clothing, garden seeds, books, movies, music and now BALLOONS.

These balloons would make perfect birthday party decorations and the shapes are a fantastic gift for everyone. Take a look!



Bob the Tomato
22"H x 25.75"W



Larry the Cucumber
32"H x 16.25"W





18" Veggie Tales Happy Birthday

If you're interested in more information about Veggie Tales make sure you visit their website (www.veggietales.com). Please contact our customer service department if you are interested in purchasing any of the above balloons - (800) 284-5605.

Customize Your Balloons

Are you thinking of running a new ad campaign? Are you having a special event or celebration? Custom balloons are a fantastic way to personalize your celebration or draw attention to a message you are trying to convey.

CTI has a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and designs available to you for any event you can think of! We offer both foil and latex customs - you can even customize your foil balloon's shape.

Take a look at these customs that we've done in the past!

To find out more information and pricing, contact us today at (800) 284-5666.

Spring Celebrations!!

After thousands of people purchased candy, flowers, stuffed animals, and most importantly - BALLOONS - for their Valentine, we at CTI do a lot of analyzing of our best sellers and start to think of what we can do differently next year. In the balloon industry, Valentine's Day is the biggest holiday. With that said, a great percentage of balloons are sold on or the day before Valentine's Day - incredible, right?

Now, we are focused on what is coming up... most notable, Mother's Day. We always strive to come up with new and fresh designs and styles to offer for holidays but also for birthdays - afterall, everyday is someone's birthday!

In the balloon industry, trends come and go and there's always something new or different to be explored. It's fun to create unique shapes or try-out exculsive designs. It's even better to see the looks on consumers faces as they purchase these products.

Here are just a couple Dazzeloon™ designs that you will be seeing...

What celebrations will you be planning this Spring?

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

Incredibly it's the first of March! We are just a couple weeks from St. Patrick's Day. This means that you need to start planning your celebration. We gave a couple of great balloons that can be used to decorate your party.

 

Also, don't forget our solid color 12" latex and  18" foil balloons. We have both green and lime green styles.These balloons are fantastic for building bouquets!

I will being doing a post soon on how to do large balloons bouquets... so stay tuned!

Good luck and have fun!

♣ Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! ♣

How to show your love on Mother's Day:



It's already the end of February, which means that Mother's Day isn't too far off. In the balloon industry, Mother's Day is one of the biggest "balloon holidays" of the year. The planning for this holiday comes very early so even though we are a couple months away, we are placing orders and shipping product.

This year, Mother's Day is on Sunday, May 13th. Balloons are an excellent way to show your love on this holiday. They are a great, unexpected surprise that will last for weeks! Check out some of our new 2012 designs. I guarantee you'll love them!  

18" You're So Special Mod

NEW Fluorescent Ink



Happy Mother's Day

Flower Pot

17.75"W x 20.75"H



18" Happy Mother's Day

Iris & Daffodils





Click here to view our entire Spring & Summer Catalog.

We'd love to hear what you think!! Post your comments below. 

Have you ever wondered how foil balloons are made? Well here's a quick explanation...

The NASA Space Mission is accredited for developing the concept and technology for the metalization of plastic sheeting that we use to make foil balloons. Cool right?

These foil balloons are made of polyesters or nylon that has a polyethylene coating on one side and is metalized on the other. Once converted, the foil material is heat sealed, which creates a bag-like product with a valve at the bottom or a BALLOON.

Over simplified but you get the gist.

Something to note...

These balloons are commonly referred to as MYLAR balloons. However, mylar is a trademarked name for a type of polyester film that is registered by DuPont. In fact, balloons are not even made out of this mylar material because of the difficulty in heat sealing it together.

Think of Kleenex. Kleenex is a brand, not a facial tissue. So, when referring to metallized balloons, they're really called FOIL balloons and when needing to blow your nose, you need a TISSUE.

:)

Halloween & Party Expo Recap

It's hard to believe that the Halloween & Party Expo has already come and gone. After many months of planning and organizing, we arrived in Houston for the biggest show for the Halloween and party industries.

This year, we decided to bring along our newest styles and designs for everyone to see. We received a great amount of support for our new lines, especially our Ultraloon Jumbo Numbers. We offer them in silver, pink with sparkles, blue with sparkles, and multi-colored sparkles.

Here's our 2012 displayed above our booth...

We also worked hard to show the new latex designs that we have available.

We had soaring bouquets with balloons flying high and a wall of licenses, birthday and special occasion balloons.



It was a fantastic few days of presenting our newest balloons and hearing everyone's feedback.

Thanks to each and every one of our visitors at the show. It was great to meet and visit with some of our customers! What a great start to this year!

Only days until H & P Expo 2012

I just wanted to post a quick reminder!!!

We will be in Houston at the Halloween & Party Expo from January 28th - 31st. Like last year, it will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Don't forget to stop by our booth!!! We will be showing off our newest balloon designs and styles that will blow you away.

BOOTH #3519

If you would like to make an appointment, contact your Account Representative to schedule a meeting time.

We hope to see you there!

** If you haven't seen our ad in Party & Paper Magazine, check it out below.

Balloons for Your Valentine!

Balloons make an awesome addition to your Valentine's Day gifts. It's an unexpected and big way to show your love - CTI has some fantastic options for your Valentine. Check out a bunch of our new ones!



I Love You Material Hearts



Love Squares








 

Happy Valentine's Day
Skinny Heart

Pink w/ White Polka Dots

Red w/ White Polka Dots





Sweet Cupcake



There are solids available to for great bouquets. Don't forget, you can decorate with them too!

Look for these balloons and more in the stores near you.

Halloween & Party Expo 2012 - Booth 3519

Happy New Year!! With the beginning of a new year, we are looking ahead to some major events coming up in 2012.

One event that is of extreme importance is the Halloween & Party Expo 2012. This is THE tradeshow you want to attend if you are in the Halloween, costume and party industries.

With an industry event this large, you can expect a number of fun networking events, live demos, and special guests.



Dina Manzo will share party planning tips and more!



A few you can look forward to are:

• Halloween Costume Style Show
• Appearance by Dina Manzo
• Demo Session - Clever Balloon Designs
• Education Session - Social Media
• and much more!

Since we just came out with our 2011 Everyday Balloon Catalog, we will be showcasing all our NEW Everyday styles and designs. We might even throw in a few surprises! Here's a few that you can expect:



It's Your Day



Happy Birthday Swirls & Dots





 

 

 



Happy Birthday From All Of Us



The show dates are January 28-31, 2012 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

If you are planning on attending, don't forget to visit our booth - Booth # 3519. We would LOVE to have you!

For more information visit the Halloween & Party Expo 2012 website here!



Go Green!

It's no surprise today when you hear of a company becoming environmentally friendly. Most are aware of the current state of our planet and try to make smart decisions to have a positive effect on the atmosphere.

Businesses are getting creative when it comes to becoming more "green". Some organizations are installing solar panels to the roof, constructing office furniture and buildings out of recycled material, and using energy efficient light bulbs.

At CTI we are doing something about our environmental impact as well. There are two major ways that we try to make our planet a "greener" place.

Latex

Latex balloons, specifically, have been under criticism because of the belief that they cause harm to the environment. Latex is a natural resource that comes from rubber trees. Rubber trees can produce latex for up to 40 years! Since rubber trees consume carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, these trees play a positive role in the balance of the Earth's atmosphere. In fact, CTI's latex balloons are 100% biodegradable.

Decomposition begins immediately after inflation. Oxidation is the "dullness" that makes balloons look as if they are losing their color and is one of the first signs of decomposition. Latex breaks down more quickly when exposed to sun, water and micro-organisms - even at night.

Water Based Inks

CTI uses only environmentally friendly water based inks on every printed balloon. Water based inks use water and other related solvents which do not harm the ozone. When printing with water based inks on foil or metalized material, it has been compared to putting water on a newly waxed car. It has a similar "beading" effect and slides around on the surface of the balloon. To combat this problem, we have a system in place to effectively adhere the ink to the foil surface. Water based inks are also child safe. We feel it is important to use materials that positively affect the environment and do not damage the atmosphere.

What are you doing to be more environmentally friendly? 

Helium Price Increase - How to Get the Most for Your Money

There are a number of factors that effect the balloon industry. An increasingly important one is that helium prices have been rising.

Here's why:

Helium is a by-product of natural gas found in several large fields around the world. The International Balloon Association states that the US is the largest producer of helium and supplies 71% of the world's helium.

The price increase is directly related to the revision of the methodology the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) uses to calculate the price of crude helium offered during its yearly Open Market Sale. Consequently, Federal Crude Helium will be sold at $75.00 per thousand cubic feet in 2011 - up from $64.75 in 2010 - to cover helium debt repayment and interest. BLM has been charging the minimum price established by the Federal Helium Privatization Act of 1996. The Act established a price that represents the cost of helium but not its value on the open market.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a report that recommended pricing changes. By selling crude helium at market price rather than the established minimum could "enable more rapid retirement of BLM facilities debt to the US Treasury - a central goal of the 1996 Act".

It is important to note that the new pricing is being applied to open market helium sales only. The cost of helium sold for federal interests will continue to be the minimum allowed by the Act.

So what can you do?

The balloon industry is unique in that helium is strictly used for its ability to lift. It is not possible to recapture helium for reuse. There are some ways in which we are able to conserve the helium we need and use:

- 60/40 Helium/Air regulators help to conserve helium without significantly reducing float time.

- Ultra Hi-Float can be used in conjunction with 60/40 regulators and will float an 11" latex balloon 10+ days.

- Foil balloons are made of material specially designed to extend float time and reduce helium and labor needed to fill them.

- Air-Filled balloons are great alternatives to conserve helium and can be hung or rigged to a structure.

*Much of the information was paraphrased from IBA's analysis found here.

Holiday Planning

It's great to be a part of a company that manufactures balloons. For every event, occasion and holiday, we are prepared with the most fun party decorations - BALLOONS!

Like many other industries, we have to be prepared well in advance for upcoming holidays. This means that we need to be ahead of the curve designing new balloons and compiling our seasonal catalogs, as well as with production.

Along with planning for the production of holiday balloons, it's fun to show off our new product. One of the greatest parts of my job is being able to place advertisements in fantastic industry magazines such as - Super Floral Retailer, Florists' Review, Party & Paper Magazine, Flowers& Magazine and many others! They are gracious enough to show our products throughout their magazines as a "Product Pick" or "Hot Option" in the issue as well.

I work with our Creative Department to come up with a festive and fun way to showcase our designs for all of our lines - including our everyday styles.

Here's an ad we placed in Party & Paper Magazine's Novemeber Issue. What do you think?

These balloons are part of our Spring & Summer balloon line. If you're interested in seeing the full line, you can click here or visit our website and look under the Marketing Materials tab to view our current catalogs.