Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, lmuk77!}

I have to admit that over the past five years Big Sister E has had some pretty fun birthday parties.

With themes ranging from Monkeys to Rock Star to this year's Carnival, we've attempted (and successfully pulled off) quite a variety of celebrations. And although I'm far from considering myself a party planner, I've learned some things over the years that have lessened the pre-party stress and made the whole day more enjoyable for all of us.

When it comes to the decor, I know for sure that there's nothing like balloons. They have the ability to liven up the place and change the atmosphere unlike what simply hanging some streamers can do... not to mention the added bonus of being able to encourage party guests to take them home with them when they leave (which means more fun for kids and less to clean up for me - two birds, one stone)!

But the last thing I need on my to-do list is a trip to the store the morning of the party, so instead the easier way to go is to conveniently bring the helium home and fill the balloons myself with Balloon Time and their Helium Balloon Kits.

Available in several varieties to meet your party needs, Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits come complete with a lightweight helium-filled tank, balloons, ribbon, and easy-to-follow instructions. Each tank's easy-fill nozzle allows for safe and controlled filling and there is even a helium balloon capacity chart to ensure the balloons are properly filled.

Found in a variety of mass market and party goods stores worldwide, Big Sister E and I noticed Balloon Time products in multiple places as we were doing our party shopping. As she was excited just from the packaging, we had no problem picking out and bringing home the Jumbo Latex Balloon Kit to really get her party going.

This really couldn't be much easier! Along with the 14.9 cubic-foot helium-filled tank, the kit included 50 vibrant, assorted-color 9" latex balloons and a spool of white ribbon. All that was needed to do was to open the valve and start filling!

After turning the handle to open the valve, simply slip the balloon on the black nozzle and hold it in place. By applying pressure to push down on the nozzle, the helium is released into the balloon and fills it up. When you've reached the desired size, just pull the balloon off, tie the end, and attach a piece of ribbon.

We filled small bunches for tying to the mailbox or interspersing around the party...

...and we filled large bunches so that there would be balloons tied on chairs to tables on banisters and much, much more. The birthday girl was pretty happy about them!

We did purchase the smiley face balloons separately at Big Sister E's request...

...but even without them I know that just having the fun of balloons around would have been enough to bring joy. I'd actually love to try Balloon Time's Create-A-Face Sticker Kit in the future because along with 30 balloons, it contains nearly 200 facial feature stickers so that we could really make some cool faces on our balloon decorations!

Considering how easy and convenient it is to make decorating easy with Balloon Time, buying bunches of balloons from the store seems hard to fathom. Simply fill the number that you need and save the rest of the helium for later... and when you've emptied it, the cylinder is fully recyclable (just check with your city to find out their rules and regulations).

Great for birthdays, holidays, showers, graduations, retirements and much more, Balloon Time makes it easy to take your celebration to the next level. Need help thinking of an occasion? They even have an entire category of birthday party themes and ideas that is sure to get your imagination moving!

Retailing around $29.99 - $39.99 (the Jumbo Latex Balloon Kit was $34.99 at our party store) visit the store locator to find the nearest location to you. For even more Balloon Time fun, check out their fifth annual Put A Face On Fun contest where they are scouring America for the next "Face of Fun" to be displayed on future Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits (the grand prize winner also receives a Disney Cruise Line family vacation for four)!

Entries can be uploaded online or through Balloon Time's Facebook page through November 6, so be sure to head over today!

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be prepared to decorate in style for their next party, because...

One lucky person will win the Balloon Time product of their choice*!

*Prize will be awarded as a free voucher for any Balloon Time product up to $39.99.

To enter to win: Tell me the upcoming event or occasion in your life in which you would like to use Balloon Time products.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Balloon Time on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

I want to #WIN a Helium Balloon Kit from Balloon Time (ARV $40) for easy decorating fun! http://bit.ly/qObgqo @thxmailcarrier #giveaway

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on November 7th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Balloon Time for providing a free product voucher for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.