——————— ABOUT US ———————
Welcome to
INSPIRATION – EDUCATION
TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
For Your Balloon Decorating Success
My name is Graham Rouse. I established this site to help you visualize, plan, and build your balloon success story, whether you have in mind decor for a single event or a lifelong career.
Here is the short version of my own story.
PROM FAILURE to PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
then KNOCKED DOWN & COMEBACK
INITIAL FAILURE
My own balloon-creation and decorating journey began without the benefit of resources like these, and was less than successful. As the student chairman of my high school prom decorating committee, I wrongly estimated the float time of our helium balloons. We salvaged some of those balloons, but it was more than twenty years before I tried balloon decorating again.
FIRST SUCCESS:
That next and successful attempt was in early 1982. I used a bag of “twisty balloons” to make a balloon gift for a friend in the hospital. She loved it—and a new passion was born for me. That passion led to selling twisted balloon creations to support a church building fund and then to funding my own part-time balloon business.
A SEMINAL INNOVATION:
In 1983, I created and added “RIBS™” (Rouse Internal Balloon Structures™) to my balloon sculptures to better control their shape and to improve durability. It worked!
As it turns out, I was the first person (by several years) to make, sell, teach, etc., internal structures for abstract sculptures and balloon “Fantasy Flowers” (as I called them). I was so new to the industry that I did not realize the potential in patenting my invention. However, my inside-out approach and the “Fantasy Flowers” name are now standard fare worldwide in the balloon gift and decorating industries.
THE BIG STEP + 40
In 1984, I took the “BIG” step. I left my career as a statewide supervisor and facilities designer to become a full‑time balloon entrepreneur. Over the next four decades, my work in balloon art and in balloon‑decorating tools and techniques led to
- five patents on advanced balloon art technologies
- many new products
- awards
- exhibitions
- publications
- professional leadership roles
- teaching assignments on five continents.
Engineering Balloon Decorations
from the inside out.
The first of those patents is for a specialized form of RIBS™ that allows the easy insertion and removal of objects (in this case, chemical lights) from inside balloon sculptures while they remain inflated and sealed in elegant forms.
A PIVOTAL YEAR:
1988 was pivotal for my life and balloon career.
- I held a solo exhibition of my balloon sculptures at a public art gallery.
- I introduced new balloon-decorating products at an international convention.
- I was recognized as “Balloon Artist of the Year”.
- And, I met Mary Queen, an accomplished balloon artist who became my wife and lifelong partner.
INNOVATIONS CONTINUE:
My first patent addressed giving structure to balloon decorations from the inside out. My next several focused on giving structure to balloon decorations from the outside in.
RMS™ R-E-A-L GRIDZ™
We are now in the fifth generation of my patented RMS™ (Rouse Matrix Systems) R-E-A-L GRIDZ™ (Rouse-Expand-And-Load GRIDZ™).
- RealGRIDZ™ are the lightest, most compact, and versatile of balloon grids.
- RealGRIDZ™ have more standard balloon grid sizes, shapes, and patterns than all other balloon-professional grid systems combined.
- RealGRIDZ™ are also available in custom configurations to meet specialized needs.
SIMPLE, EASY, STRONG, FAST Techniques
We call them Rouse-APPs™ “Rouse Advanced Professional Practices”.
- (1) The SIMPLE technique makes tying and loading balloons simpler and more secure.
- The EASY technique is so easy that both children under ten and adults over ninety have used it successfully.
- The STRONG technique makes an RMS display 20 times stronger without adding heavy, rigid framing.
- Experienced users of the FAST technique have loaded long strings of balloons into RMS at more than one balloon per second.
RouseLINK ROLL BALLOONS™
I invented and patented this set of “ahead-of-their-time” technologies for connecting film balloons during and after manufacture, producing a new class of film balloons with enormous potential impact on professional and Do-It-Yourself balloon decorating. Unfortunately, the lack of lightweight, nonconductive balloon films has long delayed their inevitable appearance in the market.
KNOCKED DOWN:
The year 2020 battered all of us as COVID‑19 disrupted the world and the balloon industry. Personally, I also faced major surgeries that knocked me down for a long recovery time. Like many in our balloon community, however, I adapted, healed, and continued forward.
COMEBACK:
Today, balloon sculpting and decorating are thriving again, and I am excited to share “RouseLINK™ Inspiration – Education – Tools & Techniques™“ with you.
Take advantage of
- My original technologies,
- Decades of successful experience,
- The growing RouseLINK™ network of resources, and
- The RouseLINK™ community of like-minded balloon enthusiasts.
“Stretch Your Balloon Imagination, Inflate Your Balloon Art, and Build Your Balloon Success with RouseLINK links.”™ They are here to help, and so am I.
MAKE THE CONNECTION
to RouseLINK™ benefits:
- Sign up below for your free RouseLINKnews™.
- Bookmark “Rouse.LINK/home” and visit often.
- Share questions, feedback, etc. at Rouse.LINK/ask
- Participate in RouseLINK™ events online and in-person.
I look forward to hearing from you, meeting you, and helping build your Balloon Decor Success, whether it is for a one-time occasion or a balloon-related career of your own.
[Insert email signup]
Graham Rouse
Rouse.LINK/home
RouseInternational.com
“Powered by Rouse Original Technologies™”
“Destined for the Tool Box & Skill Set of Every Balloon Decor Enthusiast™”
gmr@RouseLINK.email
gmr@rousetech.com
1-864.654.4166
POPULAR RouseLINK™ Links:
——INSIDE RouseInternational.com——
——Rouse.LINK/home…. HOME PAGE —-
————————————————
Rouse.LINK/about …. ABOUT US (this page)
Rouse.LINK/ask ……… Questions, Feedback, Etc.
Rouse.LINK/edu …….. Education Links
Rouse.LINK/inspire … Inspiration Galleries
Rouse.LINK/links ……. Index of all Active RouseLINK™ Links
Rouse.LINK/news …… Newsletter sign up & archive
Rouse.LINK/store …… Our Online store
Rouse.LINK/tools …… Tools/Products Galleries
——OUTSIDE RouseInternational.com—-—
Rouse.LINK/group……….. Facebook group
Rouse.LINK/instagram… Instagram Profile
Rouse.LINK/linkedin ……. Linkedin Profile
Rouse.LINK/page ………… Facebook Page
Rouse.LINK/pinterest …. Pinterest Profile
Rouse.LINK/youtube ….. YouTube Channel
“Stretch Your Balloon Imagination, Inflate Your Balloon Art, and Build Your Balloon Success with Rouse.LINK/links™.“