Toy Land 06 - Amsterdam

This 9' by 10' Egyptian themed design by Mirco Ferri of Balloon Express Shops in Italy, won a silver award at The Qualatex Event in Amsterdam. 4.5 RMS Banners and about 1,200 5" Qualatex balloons were used to complete the project.

Congratulations to Mirco and the Italian Team, which included his wife, Melissa Ferri; Jack and Roberta Lever from Balloon Express in Florence, Italy; Angelo Simoretti, of Balloon Express Shops in Taranto, Italy; and two wonderful volunteers from Spain, Diego and Olga.

On the left, Mirco and Melissa Ferri stand in front of the prize winning mural.

On the right, Angelo Simoretti loads balloons into the Matrix

Photos courtesy Roberta Lever.

You may recall that Mirco teamed with Vanessa Lever for the 2003 IBAC competition. They won first place for their Large Sculpture, "Ferri's" Wheel, which also featured RMS as an important element of their design. Take a look at Ferri's Wheel in an earlier RouseAbout. RMS Hearts were used to form the seats of the Ferris Wheel and to decorate the sides as well.

The two also won New Designer of the Year at IBAC in March 2003.

Vanessa continued her prize winning ways in Amsterdam as well by winning two gold medals of her own!

There is lots happening in Italy. BACI, the Italian Balloon Convention, is a great place to learn more about balloons. BACI will be in March 2004 next year. Make plans now to attend. It is GREAT! Go Balloon Express!!!!!

References to help you make your own
	Layout - Layout your design on RMS, honeycomb graph paper. You may download the graph paper from http://www.rouseinternational.com/downloads/pdf/bnr.2.graph.pdf.
	Basic Directions - You may download a copy of basic instructions using RMS Banners from http://www.rouseinternational.com/downloads/pdf/RMS-2BannerBuilderDir6.6.00.pdf You may also find these animated instructions helpful: http://www.rouseinternational.com/abtrms/cl.bt.01.htm If your design includes many details, as does Mirco's design, then you will want to load more than one balloon into some openings (apertures) in the framework. Download our suggestions for Split Aperture Clusters from http://www.rouseinternational.com/ra/is.2003/04/pdf/split.aperture.recipe.02.pdf
	Support - Usually, a simple base plates with a vertical pipes on the back side of a balloon graphic will be satisfactory support. Wrap a cable tie around the pipe and around a section of Matrix strap. Tighten the cable tie until the balloon is snug against the pipe. DO NOT force the pipe directly against the strap. This will usually knock one or more balloons out of position in the Matrix. Attach the pipe to the Matrix several places along the height of the design For some projects you may want to add one or two horizontal bars behind the display as well.
Trim
	Camouflage - You can make the Matrix straps on the outside of your design practically disappear with camouflage. If the outside balloons are white then the semi-transparent white Matrix will hide on its own. You may paint the Matrix to match balloons or cover the Matrix with balloon matching ribbon, colored tape, fabric, etc.
	Feature - You can make the Matrix straps on the outside of your design stand out as a featured element. Choose a color and texture that coordinate with other elements of your letter or with other elements of your room decor. You may paint the Matrix to match or cover it with matching ribbon, colored tape, fabric, etc.
Scale
	Up Scale -You may create a larger graphic by using a larger RMS framework and larger balloons. For instance, if Micro had used RMS Builders instead of Banners he could have used the same number of balloons (but inflated 8" instead of 4") and created a graphic 12' by 18'. Super Builders with larger balloons would have increased dimensions to 20' by 30'.
	Down Scale -You may create a smaller graphics by using a smaller RMS framework and smaller balloons. For instance, if you used a custom RMS framework for # 350 balloons and followed the same design, it would produce a graphic about 4.5' tall. If you drop down to a custom RMS framework for # 260 balloons the result would be about 3', and a #160 version would be about 2' tall. These RMS Mini-Matrix versions use bubbles twisted from long balloons rather than placing individual balloons in apertures. You can check them out further in the RMS Custom Catalog at: http://rouseinternational.com/catalogs/gen.cat.panels.honey.htm You may download sample instructions for using RMS Mini-Matrix from http://rouseinternational.com/downloads/pdf/RMS.Twistie.Matrix.Dir.01.pdf

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