Author Profile

Allison Dunning lives in Greeley, CO with her husband Brian and their three daughters. Owner/Creator/Designer of Merry Makers LLC with two DBA businesses… Balloon Art by Merry Makers – the mobile Balloonery and Balloon Boutique. “I live, breathe and dream everyday about how to make the world a better place by bringing happiness and joy to the people around me with my art businesses,” Allison says.
Allison is a member of the Greeley Monster Day board, a member of Northern Colorado Women in Business and a member of downtown Greeley’s business association. Allison is also a ceramic and stained/fused glass artist, a watercolor artist and an avid gardener.
Allison’s journey with balloon art began on a trip to celebrate her great grandfather’s 90th birthday. Her children were both still quite small and she remembers sharing their delight as a family member twisted a few balloon sculptures for them. So, of course, she had to try her hand at it! Allison had always considered herself a creative person, but she never really felt like she had found her medium until that moment. Once she returned home to Greeley, she checked out every book she could find about balloon art from the library and taught herself the basics. Shortly afterward she bumped into a balloon artist working at IHop. Excited to share her newfound passion, she struck up a conversation and learned that they were seeking balloon artists to take shifts–she had just landed her first gig! This ultimately led to larger opportunities like ballooning at a family event hosted by State Farm for 500 people. With a voracious appetite to learn and grow, Allison quickly established her own business in Northern Colorado, edging out a Wyoming business who previously served the area. Just one year after twisting her first balloon, she was hosting a booth at a large wedding show advertising her balloon decorating services! Flash forward to today – 22 years after twisting her first balloon, Allison says, “opening The Balloon Boutique just felt like the next logical step. I live my life by being guided by the things around me–I follow the energy.” Keeping in step with her ballooning journey so far, there was a certain right-time-right-place serendipity in how it all came about. “I am blessed by the fact that my middle daughter Rowan is the manager, designer and creator of everything that happens in the Balloon Boutique. I get to guide her and am constantly impresssed by her ingenious designs and her natural ability with balloons. (Maybe she was born to it)”. The Balloon Boutique offers customers the chance to hand select elements for smaller arrangements and watch as they are inflated, twisted and assembled–the chance to “taste” the wondrous experience that ultimately drew Allison to the craft over 20 years ago!

Balloon Art by Merry Makers is the professional balloon decorating arm of the world Allison has built. Primarily working with Corporate and Company event planners to create fun, fabulous and friendly events out of balloons. Allison is also a founding distributor for BalloonPlanet.com. Balloon Art by Merry Makers is known for creating Award Winning dance floor canopies, Award Winning Balloon Walls, arches, columns, balloon drops, and bouquets that will make your event stand out from the rest!

Merry Makers LLC (being the parent company) is an entertainment business that provides Award Winning balloon artists, face painting, glitter tattoos, caricatures, and Santa! In development is a 4th element of Allison’s balloon world. While it is not launched at the time of this bio…I am sure you will all be excited to see the diversification of her talents. More will be revealed