After more than 35 years in careers involving balloon artistry and sales, Diane Sheward swore she was done with balloons when she retired in 2018.
But she – like the rest of the world – didn’t see the COVID-19 pandemic coming. And as 2020 brought many changes, it also brought a new and unexpected opportunity.
Sheward and her husband Don had spent the time since she retired traveling.
“We went all across the U.S. We went everywhere, and we were having the time of our lives,” she says. “And then, all of a sudden, this hit.”
As things shutdown locally and globally, Sheward says they hunkered down, and she kept an eye on a variety of the balloon social media pages she followed.
She started to see balloon artists in other cities shift gears to find ways for their traditionally event-driven businesses to survive. One theme she kept seeing and enjoyed were yard balloon bouquets.
“Then one day, I told my husband, ‘I think I’m going to start doing yard balloons.’ I figured it would give me something to do, it would give people joy, and I could do it with absolutely no contact,” says Sheward, adding that Don reminded her she said she was never working with balloons again. “And one morning, I woke up and said I was going to start the yard balloon business, and I already had a name – Yard Balloons To Go.”
Sheward hit the ground running by gathering supplies, making a few sample items and creating a Facebook page. She invited local friends and says the business quickly exploded.
Yard Balloons To Go started in April 2020. Sheward’s first order was from a daughter to a mother for Easter, and she many orders for birthdays, graduations, and other celebrations soon followed.
“There was no more getting together for parties, so it just took off like crazy,” she says. And throughout the year, Yard Balloons To Go added special treats for all different kinds of celebrations, including balloon boxes, porch balloons and more.
In January 2021, Sheward decided to once again make a move on an idea inspired by fellow balloon artists’ social media posts. She launched the Adopt a Grandparent – Balloon Buddies program, and it quickly became another hit.
Sheward’s daughter works at a local nursing care facility, so she choose that as the first location. She posted asking for donations to sponsor a balloon buddy – a mini balloon tower topped with a smiley face balloon – for each resident.
“Someone came up with this idea because they had loved ones they wanted to bring joy and love and laughter to, and it truly does,” she says. “You cannot imagine the love and joy in the pictures I see.”
So far, the Shewards have delivered more than 360 balloon buddies to all the residents of Villa Springfield, Wooded Glen and Forest Glen. And, they just launched the program for Oakwood Village – the biggest undertaking yet, with 196 residents. The Shewards drop off the buddies for staff to deliver to residents throughout each location.
As word has spread about balloon buddies, a variety of facilities have reached out to Sheward, and she’s put them on a list that she’s working her way through.
“All the residents have to be adopted before moving on to the next one,” she says.
Anyone can adopt a grandparent for $20. Sheward says she’s had sponsorships from local individuals and even girl scout troops – some people send one buddy, some send many.
She says a few people have reached out to ask how many sponsorships were needed to finish up an adoption location, so that they could sponsor a few. And there was even one person who sponsored 34 buddies.
“We couldn’t do it without the community,” Sheward says. “These are Clark County people in our community that are supporting this and making it happen.”
The Shewards – both Certified Balloon Artists – make all the balloon buddies themselves, and Sheward says it takes them about two days per facility to blow the balloons up and a third day to build the buddies.
For a business that Sheward hadn’t had much time to plan before starting, Yard Balloons To Go is still bustling with orders. And Sheward is happy she’s been able to bring a little joy to people’s lives – including her own.
Though she had said she’d never work in balloons again, she now knows that this time around is different.
“People used to call me The Balloon Lady back when we had the shop (D & D Balloons Springfield). I just cannot get it out of my blood – balloons are just my heart and soul, I guess,” Sheward says. “The difference is, before I was doing it for a living, and now I’m doing it for fun.”