Originally posted 02-20-07 in MBD2

Little does Bonnie Davis, aka The Balloon Lady, and “owner, manager, chief cook and bottle washer” of The Party Package, in Pocahontas, Arkansas, realize, but she has had a definite impact on the twisting community in her three short years of twisting professionally.If you were to view her extensive portfolio at www.partypackage.balloonhq.com, you would see her detailed work and fun spirit shining through.
She performs regularly at three restaurants per week, has won the prestigious Dewey Award (and that was back in ‘05!) and already has two instructional CD’s out: Bonnie, the Balloon Lady’s Wearables, vol. I; and Bonnie, the Balloon Lady’s A Bit of Bling. (See her site for details on the CD‘s which are the first two frames of her portfolio, or search by BalloonHQ photo I.D. numbers 43941 and 44332.)
“The achievements I’m most proud of,” Davis said, “is the fact that I’m supporting myself with just my twisting, and getting my Dewey award. As far as I’m concerned, you just can’t top either one of them. I mean, to be recognized by someone that I admire greatly…It’s just a super WOW thing to be able to support yourself doing a job you love…It’s a slice of heaven.”
And she realized she actually ‘made it’ when she was able to support herself for the third month in a row, earning more with her balloons than she ever earned at a 9-to-5 job.
The road to the latex lifestyle primarily began when Davis was a children’s church teacher. “I did crafts with the children to help aid in the teaching. One day,” she said, “while searching for a new craft, I found some bags of balloons with a pump hanging right beside them. They called to me and I thought ‘Hey, I can do that!’ I enjoyed twisting the balloons so much I kept hunting for reasons why I needed t use them. Been twisting ever since!”Davis performs for private and corporate events, charity fundraisers and restaurants.
”I love working restaurants, with the line work of corporate events coming in second. Perhaps as I evolve into a better entertainer, I will enjoy birthday parties a bit more. As it is now, even after the parties where I feel I have been totally entertaining for my clients, I can’t help but think I should be doing more,” she said.
“When motivation is low,” she said, “working a good night at one of my restaurants perks me right up again. If I listed all those that inspire me, the list would be so long. I believe the most accurate way to answer the question would be to say I get inspiration from all that have posted to either BalloonHq or to the MBD2 websites.”
And Davis’ advice for newbies? “First and foremost, enjoy what you do. Your joy is contagious. You never know when your shared joy will be cherished by someone you will neither know the name of nor even remember,” she said.