Rainbow in the Sky - Hot Air Balloon Set

Rainbow in the Sky - Set of three wall hanging hot air balloons made of paper mache. Each has a wire hook on back to hang flush on the wall. Small toys or figurines fit in the baskets.

Measurements:
Green and Yellow (large) 21"x12"
Red and Orange (medium) 17"x11"
Blue and Purple (small) 13"x9"

*ABOUT HOT AIR BALLOONS FROM M ANN M CREATIONS **

All of my Hot Air Balloons are sturdily made using paper mache and other paper products. I do not strive for or intend to create perfectly looking manufactured art. The bumps and imperfections in my paper mache are intentional to achieve a time-worn, vintage, handmade charm. 

The Hot Air Balllons are intended to be decorative items and not made for play for children under 7 years old.

Available for purchase here.

Parcel Shop

I am so happy I finally made the trip to Montclair, NJ to visit an enchanting little shop called Parcel.  The drive was a quick hour away from NYC and well worth it!  On the way over, I told my husband that the visit would only be a few minutes and then we can get something to eat and catch a movie at the mall.  Well, as soon as I walked in I stopped at the prettiest collection of vintage flowers I had seen in a long time; then I examined some mini handmade pipe cleaner birds and then I looked through the sets of paper ephemera, the mesh masks, the figurines, the paper tassels, the paper-mache frog head and on and on and on -  eventually those few minutes turned into an hour and I had long forgotten about my poor husband waiting patiently for me in the car.  During my short-turned-long visit to Parcel, I was glad to meet the lovely owner, Nancy and her sweet daughter.   Nancy is a great gal who is living her dream by running her amazing shop.   I came home with a few treasures but I am so upset I didn't come home with any pictures.  Here are a few pictures I came across on the Parcel Post (their blog).

Parcel reminds me very much of Castle in the Air in Berkeley California.  They are both a feast for the eyes for those of us who love all things pretty, glittery, vintage and inspirational.  Specialty stationary, notecards and vintage embellishments are their forte.  Since visiting Castle in the Air in 2008 I have been soooo wishing there was a store like that on the East Coast...come to find out, Parcel was right here all along!  And to tell the truth, with their reasonable prices, friendly staff and one-of-a-kind themed Parcel packages, Parcel is now my new favorite store!

If you can't make it to Parcel in person, their online shop at http://shop.shopparcel.com/ offers a pretty good representation of what is in the store.

Anthropologie Windows and Work In Progress

I am sooooo loving this window display at Anthropologie at the Garden City mall in NJ.

If you search #AnthroWindows you will see a whole lot more hot air balloon window beauties including these...

And here is a work in progress photo of my first wall mount Hot Air Balloons...

Kevin from Up by Pixar - Surprise Ball

After making a replica Flying House with balloons, it is no secret that I love the movie Up by Pixar.  Actually, I love almost anything made by Pixar and Disney.  So it's no surprise that I was super eager to jump on a customers request to make a Surprise Ball in the shape of the exotic bird, Kevin, from Up.  Here he is in all his colorful splendor.

This particular surprise ball is filled with 12 prizes suitable for young children including carefully chosen, vintage trinkets, souvenirs and novelty items. Kevin stands about 16" tall from base to head feathers. 

Deluxe Surprise Balls from Watermelon Party are like wedding cakes - they are so pretty that you don't want to destroy them, but eventually, you give in and devour it!

Hot Air Balloons Work in Progress

Here are some wall hanging hot air balloons I have been working on for a while now but I've been stuck on choosing a design.  But the other day I finally had a chance to go to the new Paper Source store in Garden City Long Island and immediately fell in love with the hot air balloons on their amazing wrapping paper.  Now to choose just three.....

Peacock Surprise Ball

This Peacock Surprise Ball is the 6th and final addition to my Winged Creatures Edition Deluxe Collection. The Peacock is made using yards and yards of crepe paper strips surrounding 6 special prizes. Painted facial details and printed paper finish the assembly of the peacock who stands on a piece of green flocked paper.  This Deluxe Edition Peacock Surprise Ball measures about 8" tall.

The deluxe surprise balls are made with extra attention given to detail and construction making each one a work of art. Each one is suitable for decorative display. The prizes included are also superior to regular surprise balls as they include carefully chosen, one of a kind or hard to find trinkets, souvenirs and novelty items. If you can bear to break him open, prize after prize will be presented as you unwind the paper (for at least 6 prizes). One jewelry item will be included upon request.

Now available for purchase at:

Hot Air Balloons and Paper Dresses

Here is are a couple of custom orders that have been keeping me busy.

Paper Dresses on Wire Dress Forms

A trio of colorful Hot Air Balloons