Twist and Shout Balloon Convention

I went to my first ever, balloon twisting convention: Twist and Shout 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri. There was no way to prepare for this experience.
I went to lots of classes, and studied with master teachers, like Don Caldwell (from California), Ed Chee (from Arizona), Rie Hosokai (from Japan) and Bidou (from France).
In one class, I learned how to make people for the first time! This is my first full figure, who I named, Simone the Librarian.
I also met a lot of interesting people in the jam room, where twisters stay up until the wee hours of the morning making crazy balloon creations.



















I saw a lot of amazing pieces of artwork in the competition. I still have a lot to learn.

I can't make everything, but I did learn to make some kooky hats.

By the end of the convention, I was exhausted.