Well, I guess it's time to meet me up close and personal, but before I begin, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit our web site. I can sympathize with having a busy schedule! So here goes....

Born and raised in Los Alamitos, a small town in Southern California. I grew up very creative and interested in any challenge. I've always loved wood-working, carpentry (power tools are always a perfect gift) and welding. Underneath the tool belt and broken nails there has always been a seamstress. At age three I was introduced to sewing by my grandmother. At the time our family was going through some very hard times. My brother Dave, who is ten years my senior, became very ill and was not expected to live. Consequently, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents while my parents were at the hospital. Of course, this was just fine by me because Gram and Gramps had cable and two sewing machines.

Well, by the time I was five my brother was a medical miracle on his way to recovery. I had already outfitted every stuffed animal I owned. At this point I had moved on to making myself new clothes for kindergarten. This was a whole new ball game. Until then I had been creating all my patterns from scratch and I was not too thrilled with having to use pre-printed ones with no imagination or flare. So, as usual, I improvised. My time alone with my machines has always been my release. I stitched everything -- my wedding dress, baby quilts for friends (notice I said friends) or Halloween costumes for anyone who asked. So it was no big surprise to my decorating staff that I began to make uniforms for all of them to match our company shirts. Notice I said decorating staff. That's right. That's how this whole thing started.

In 1993, on my one year wedding anniversary, I quit my full time job of 6 years and started decorating for parties. (Well it didn't happen quite like that but you're busy and that's another story. You'll have to ask me in person sometime.) The uniforms started about two years later; some aprons, pants, and baseball caps. Our business doubled instantly. My drivers were now passing out business cards left and right on every delivery.

It was hypnotic.

We started wearing our gear off the job as well: in the mall, at the supermarket and on the beach. Inevitably, people were drawn to us like magnets. We then started getting the attention of other balloon companies in our area, "Where did you get that hat?", " Do you guys sell those aprons?" With my love of sewing I couldn't say no.

Then, suddenly, it occurred to me that if I'm a decorating company, why am I spending 18 hours a day in front of that same sewing machine I got on my fifth birthday? I was no longer training my staff to tie bows and inflate microfoils, I was teaching them how to put in button holes and stitch up zippers.

So we decided to do a test. We stitched for two months straight in-between weddings and bar mitzvahs and took all that we had made to IBAC11.

"No problem," I thought...Yeah right.

For never being out of sunny southern California, three friends of mine, who also have local balloon businesses, and I reluctantly hopped on that plane to Chicago to indulge in IBAC and peddle my wares.

We set up the booth for opening night and waited for the doors to open. We didn't have to wait long and once they did, we were bombarded. We pretty much sold out of every thing we had worked so hard on for two months in about 30 min. Those people were animals, and if you were there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. When I wasn't busy shoving money in my bra, because my friend sold the apron right off my waist, I was hiding in my own dressing room trying to catch my breath.

So I guess that's about it.

We came home. I had a pow-wow with my tribe and the decision was unanimous. I brought on board a whole production team with a great manager to crank out my designs full time. I'm now shipping to places and countries I've never heard of. So, my husband, who thought I was the only one who was ever going to wear this "stuff," has purchased me a globe to stick map pins in so we can see just how much "stuff" is being worn around the world. By the way, through all the chaos my balloon decorating company is going full force.

After IBAC in 1997, my husband pleaded with me to take a new job in Santa Barbara which would relocate us three hours north of comfortable Los Alamitos, mom and dad and the clientele of my business that I had worked so hard to create. Terms of the move included our first house and a wonderful salary for Patrick that enabled me to take a year off and adjust to my new country lifestyle. The first year was still crazy, I was homesick and consistently on the road commuting back and forth for jobs I already had on the books.

Well, my year has come and gone and I’ve settled in quite nicely to country life. The decorating business is slow but I still commute down South to accomodate my clients that just can’t live without me. My new friends call me Bob Stewart. Yep, you guessed it -- a cross between Bob Vila and Martha Stewart.

I’ve put my collection of power tools to work on our charming ranch style home. My motto is  "I own a sledge hammer and I’m not afraid to use it!" My husband Patrick can vouch for that.

No second goes unwasted. When I’m not shipping out your orders, I’m eating breakfast 3-5 times a week at our local cafe, Mother Hubbards (I have my own stool at the counter with all the other retirees.),  mowing the lawn on my riding mower (I’ve wanted one since I was a little girl. A gift from Gram and Gramps. Maybe next year I’ll paint flames on the side and make the dream complete!) or taking belly dancing lessons. I’ve even joined a quilting guild to compare notes with the experts. All-in-all, country life isn’t so laid-back after all.

This leads me back to the second line of this bio: "I can sympathize with having a busy schedule!"

Wear and Enjoy!
Happy Ballooning!

Dawn J. Farrier CBA
The Creation Station!
Buellton, California