Meet Allyson Valentine, bad a** balloon stylist and owner of Pop Studio Balloons. What started as a little hobby during Covid has turned into a hugely buzzed about business that is celebrating 3 years in business in June. Allyson was just selected out of thousands of balloon professionals to participate in the Big Balloon Build where the team is tasked with creating a gigantic immersive Balloon World using more than 150,000 balloons all in aid of Life Stories Children and Family Advocacy. Check out the press release HERE.

Find Pop Studio Balloons online:
PopStudioballoons.com
Instagram/popstudioballoons
[email protected]

About Allyson:
I started playing around with balloons in 2017, making things here and there for family and friends. Some of the first pieces I made were to celebrate milestones for my son! When my twin daughters turned 1 at the beginning of the pandemic, I pulled together a balloon backdrop for their Zoom Cake Smash (gah! never thought I’d say that). I had about 30 balloons in the house left over from other celebrations, and I was determined to make it work. And work it did!
After sharing pics, others started seeking out my fun creations for their quarantine celebrations, too. I ordered a bunch of balloons and in the evenings after I finished my day job teaching and tucked my kids in bed, I got to work learning more about building and creating with balloons. I spent my quarantine free time taking virtual classes, learning from other talented balloon artists, and testing out new ideas in my tiny basement studio. I gave away my first creations to friends or through Facebook.
Pop Studio was officially born in June of 2020! The first pieces I sold were small balloon bursts and mini garlands for graduation car parades. Soon I was ballooning on nights and weekends, teaching full time from a closet in my house (hello remote learning) and managing my family. My first year in business, I was able to add balloon magic to 285 celebrations!
In the summer of 2021, I decided to take a step back from teaching. Pop Studio has grown from a creative outlet and side hustle into a full time business that allows me to do something creative, gives me the flexibility to be with my little ones, and let’s me meet and celebrate with so many amazing people. I love being a part of your most memorable moments and I especially love that my kids get to see me working hard to build something from the ground up. It’s fun to hear them talk about it. My 5 year old’s sales pitch is pretty good! 🙂

Top 5 Fun Facts about Allyson (in her own words):
1. I’ve had two previous careers - one in marketing/events and one as an elementary school teacher. I was a 1st grade teacher and STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts, math) Specialist. 
2. When I worked as a STEAM specialist, I taught kids how to work through the Design Process and be creative problem solvers. I use a lot of these skills in my business everyday! 
3. At one point in time I had three kids under age 2! My son was 21months old when we welcomed twin girls. 
4. I decided to leave CT and go to college in Colorado without ever seeing my school. 
5. My dad is an engineer and taught me how to build, create and problem solve.

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