Lisa Holt is a local artist who works with balloons in College Park, Md.

Answering to the nickname “Balloon Girl,” Lisa Holt lives an untethered life.

Whether doing party planning, fashion consulting, raising her family or managing her multiple sclerosis, Holt embraces each role with high energy and a cheerful attitude.

The owner of Paperworks Balloons, Holt opened her first gift shop on College Avenue in 1985 and began creating decorative balloon arrangements shortly thereafter.

“Even before high school, I used to go to craft shows with my parents,” Holt said. “I just loved the whole buying and selling, the moving of product.”

After closing the store in 2006 due to rising rent and declining sales, Holt started running Paperworks out of her home near University Park, and she continues to provide balloon services for her clients.

Paperworks’ business is more cyclical now than in the past, primarily due to the schedule of its biggest customer : this university.

The extroverted Holt misses interacting with the local community at the store, but by closing it, she opened the door for new opportunities.

Holt discovered another passion in hosting in-home fashion parties as an independent consultant with clothing company CAbi.

In 2011, Holt was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system and can cause weakness, tremors and lack of coordination. Her symptoms are benign, so although they’re annoying, they don’t disable her, she said.

“Hauling helium tanks and now garment bags and clothes racks, I’m just very active,” the mother of two said. “I feel that my lifestyle has helped keep my MS at bay.”

When she’s making a delivery, it’s not uncommon for her children Leslie, 12, and Ryan, 11, to help out, and for any of the three family dogs to pile into the balloon van as well, she said.

“Even though I’m older now and I should probably say ‘balloon lady,’ I’m the balloon girl,” Holt said. “I’ll always be Lisa the balloon girl.”

Editor’s note: College Park Contours is a new weekly series spotlighting interesting members of the community. Know someone we should profile? Email suggestions to newsumdbk@gmail.com.