вЂњItвЂ™s just one of those things, why did you have to let go of it in childhood? I always say that what weвЂ™re trying to do with Luft Balloons is what other industries have done to cupcakes and doughnuts. вЂњBalloons literally make everybody so f-ing happy,вЂќ Frei said. вЂњIt completely changes the mood and the feel.вЂќД«alloons are also inherently celebratory and joyful, bringing a sense of childlike wonder to grown-up affairs. вЂњThe thing you donвЂ™t get from seeing photos of work is the feeling of what it is to be in the room, the way it envelopes you and surrounds you and transports you to this different place,вЂќ Nejad said. The effect truly has to be seen to be believed, according to cake artist Emily Nejad, who moves in the same creative circle as Frei and has collaborated with her on events. Every single client comes in and is just like, вЂOh my god, itвЂ™s so much bigger than I thought.вЂ™ ItвЂ™s like landscape architecture, it transforms a space,вЂќ said Frei. вЂњI think balloons command such a presence in a space that it just takes your breath away. The вЂњwowвЂќ factor is undeniable, and as a result FreiвЂ™s work has become increasingly in demand by everyone from brides and grooms to Bloomingdales and Eataly. Photo credits: Top row - Elaine Melko, Molly Hickey, Elaine Melko Middle row - Elaine Frei, Stephanie Bassos, Elaine Melko Bottom row - Elaine Melko, Elaine Frei, Elaine Melko. Replace it withВ FreiвЂ™s ethereal, exuberant, cascading installations that have more in common with sculptures - crafted out of latex and air instead of bronze or marble. вЂњI know it sounds weird but you have to just see a picture,вЂќ she said.Д®rase the image of balloons twisted into clownish animal shapes. The words вЂњsophisticatedвЂќ and вЂњballoon artвЂќ donвЂ™t typically appear in the same sentence, something Frei is fully aware of. What Frei actually does is take the humble balloon and elevate it into a medium for sophisticated works of art. Which is technically true - Frei is the founder/owner of Luft Balloons, based in Logan Square - but her response is also a bit like Coco Chanel saying, вЂњI sell clothes.вЂќ Here's the amazing new water balloon filling technology in action: Also, you really should check out this great interview with the nuclear physicist who invented the Super Soaker: Here's the Super Soaker I owned as a kid that was my most prized possession, the CPS 1000.LOGAN SQUARE - When people ask Elaine Frei what she does for a living, the 39-year-old tends to answer, sheepishly, вЂњI have this balloon business.вЂќ Anthony tries a double throw around the tree.

Water pistols at dawn A'int no Super Soaker, so we stayed dry. Mentioned on this episode Here are some more photos from Anthony and I's one-on-one water duel to the wet. But that's not all! Ezra had a separate water balloon fight with his whole family, so we chat with him and his five-year-old son about their splashy adventure. Sponsored by Shannon, Anthony and I embarked on a woodland balloon rumble, surrounded by his extended family.

But we caught one of our last remaining sunny days and used it for the violent childhood classic, the water balloon fight. The SummerOfFun is fading out and being replaced by autumn, which will last for a week or two before it's basically Christmas.

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