When Chester Township resident Elizabeth Randau was furloughed from her marketing career in the touring theatre industry late last spring, she admittedly found herself in a funk.
When Chester Township resident Elizabeth Randau was furloughed from her marketing career in the touring theatre industry late last spring, she admittedly found herself in a funk.
An active member of the PTO, Girl Scout leader and regular volunteer at her daughters’ school, Randau suddenly was unable to do most of the things that brought her joy, including celebrating family milestones with intricately themed, DIY-infused parties.
“When the pandemic first hit, my youngest daughter was about to turn 6. We come from a family that has a birthday party or other event almost every single weekend, and suddenly we couldn’t get together,” said Randau. “We decided to go over-the-top for her, even if it was just us. As a household, we dressed up as characters from her favorite movie, decorated the whole house and at the end of the night she proclaimed it was her ‘Best Birthday Ever.’ At that moment, I realized that a lot of people were probably going through what we were going through, and had no idea how they were going to make these moments special without large gatherings.”
Already an avid follower of party décor and balloon design accounts on Instagram and Pinterest, Randau dove in and attempted her own creation to help make a very different graduation day for her niece a bit more special. With the help of her husband, Adam, she built her first bit of balloon décor, a jumbo silver 2020 with navy, white and silver for a graduating Wolverine. The balloons would go on to pop randomly throughout the day, startling everyone nearby with each unexpected BANG – but the sentiment made its way across and, although she didn’t realize it at the time, it was that day that Extra Betty was born.
Soon after, Randau’s oldest daughter’s best friend was having a drive-by birthday party and she thought she’d try to make one of the balloon bouquets she had seen on Instagram and Pinterest.
“I just wanted to do something over-the-top to put a smile on her face,” said Randau. “Before I knew it, my sister-in-law posted one of my garlands on Facebook, someone asked if they could purchase one, and it all snowballed from there.”
In the months that followed, Randau focused on learning the techniques for creating more complex — and long-lasting — arrangements. Extra Betty became an LLC and helped countless clients celebrate moments big and small in the midst of a global pandemic that had put most traditional ways of celebrating on the sidelines.
Over the past months, Extra Betty LLC has enjoyed being a part of birthdays, Zoom baby showers, drive-by bridal showers, school open houses, anniversaries, holidays and countless other moments.
“I have been lucky enough to help celebrate at least 100 occasions,” Randau said. “I am mainly self-taught with the help of YouTube and through following some amazing designers on social media. The balloon community is small and always helpful so when I have a question I can always find an answer.”
She added, “I’ve helped clients send love to someone special from across the country or just down the street. I love a good theme — the more challenging the better.”
Some of her recent favorite themed-creations are The Sandlot, The Twilight Zone and a balloon marquee for a Tesla lover.
But on April 24, Randau and her husband created a rainbow balloon installation at Chester Township Park as part of the worldwide “One Million Bubbles” initiative, now in its second year.
“Last year, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the balloon industry created an initiative called One Million Bubbles,” she explained. “The intent was to rally balloon artists and decorators all over the country and world to bring some joy to their neighborhoods and communities during this difficult time.”
Randau said he learned about the initiative through an industry trade group she follows on social media.
“I began creating balloon arrangements just to make people smile. When I found this opportunity to do it on a larger scale, for my entire community, I knew I had to participate,” she said. “I had always wanted to try this specific type of rainbow and the idea of doing it on such a large scale seemed like a fun challenge. I knew that the bold, simple colors would stand out to those driving by and the design would be easily recognizable as a sign of hope and happiness. Who doesn’t smile when they see a rainbow?”
About Extra Betty LLC
Founded in January 2021, Extra Betty LLC specializes in custom balloon arrangements for every occasion. More information and an inquiry form can be found at www.extra-betty.com or on Facebook and Instagram (@extrabetty).
