Designer Showcase
Sarah Courtney
About Sarah
Belle Balloons
Melbourne/Sydney, Australia
Instagram
We first featured Sarah on our website in 2018, when chalky pastels were becoming a huge trend. The double-stuffing trend was a building block for her bespoke balloon business, where custom colours became more of the rule than the exception.
We asked our Masters of Colour Mixing how they come up with their colour combinations. Sarah shares that they ask event planners for reference materials such as invitations, furniture, cake design, etc. to help in their inspiration. “From there we just play around with the full range of Qualatex colours and present different options to the client,” she adds.
PRO TIP from Sarah: “I will often refer to the colour wheel - I find if I locate the closest match I can work outwards on the wheel and easily determine the two colours that when combined will create an even closer match.”
Sarah's Favorite Custom Colour: Pink Chalk
“One of the first combinations of double stuffed balloons we ever did was white over pink,” she shares. I have seen it replicated hundreds of times since!”
I love mixing pastels with a pop of brighter, more contrasting, colour.
Sarah Courtney
Custom pastels for children’s events are always a hit!
Sarah says of one of her most requested combos
The Business of Custom Colour
Sarah says, “Our double-stuffed work is more profitable than our standard coloured work,” adding that her customers are happy to pay the difference for a more premium and bespoke product.
Upcoming Trends
Belle Balloons is getting many custom navy and custom emerald green requests for corporate events. “These rich colours combine beautifully with gold and silver to create a more sophisticated look,” she adds.