Champion balloon artist Kristal Yee has returned home to Surrey with awards from a big convention in Chicago.

She was Top Twister in two categories (Agility, Artistic) at the at the start of March, and placed in six different competitions at the balloon convention, which drew 223 delegates from around the world.

香蕉视频直播淭his is the first year that they added Top Twister in the agility category, because normally it香蕉视频直播檚 just the artistic category, and I managed to win both of them,香蕉视频直播� Yee told the Now-Leader.

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Since 2011 Yee has attended the Twist & Shout convention, where competition categories include balloon dress and costumes, stage performance and timed/agility showdowns.

A Fleetwood-area resident, Yee runs a face-painting and balloon-art business on , and posts her creations on .

香蕉视频直播淚 do a lot of birthday parties, and I香蕉视频直播檝e got a bunch of corporate things coming up, like companies doing family fun days and holiday events, things like that,香蕉视频直播� Yee explained. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檝e got a golf course where I香蕉视频直播檓 doing all of their brunches. During COVID I was doing a lot of balloon orders for people. Summer is always busy, and it香蕉视频直播檚 getting busy in spring too. I香蕉视频直播檓 never bored.香蕉视频直播�

Six years ago, in 2018, . As a founding member of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Twisted Team, she earned awards at the World Balloon Convention in San Diego for a 香蕉视频直播淪orcerer香蕉视频直播檚 Serenade香蕉视频直播� display, featuring likenesses of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The fashion-focused Surreyite made Minnie香蕉视频直播檚 dress and Mickey香蕉视频直播檚 robe.

In 2017 in China, she helped make a balloon 香蕉视频直播渮oo香蕉视频直播� that earned a Guinness World Records certificate as the largest such creation, 469,845 balloons in total.

to watch video of Yee in 2018.

Years earlier, after graduating from Enver Creek Secondary, Yee was an aspiring actor and part-time swim coach.

香蕉视频直播淥ne day, I had no shows, and no coaching (jobs) either,香蕉视频直播� Yee recalled in 2018, 香蕉视频直播渁nd an actor colleague of mine asked if I wanted a job working with kids. The event company he was working for was short-staffed that weekend, so I went and did my first terrible face-painting, and my first one-balloon dog, hoping the thing wasn香蕉视频直播檛 going to pop.香蕉视频直播�

Yee quickly realized she could use more than one balloon to create something pretty magical.

香蕉视频直播淚t didn香蕉视频直播檛 have to be just a one-balloon dog or sword, you could make things with multiple balloons, and that just kind of opened up this world for me,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd once I got into the convention world, not so long after that, it was like coming home, to find people who were just as crazy about what you love, as much as you are. I香蕉视频直播檝e met some of my best friends through balloons.香蕉视频直播�