by Introduction
This idea comes from our friend Rachel Huntington of Bonjour Fete. Her haunted piano balloon installation appeared at a Halloween dinner party. For this project, we recommend using various sizes of balloons ranging between 5 to 16 inches. To make the garland, you will use approximately 8 to 10 small balloons per foot. Here, we used approximately 250 balloons. Good quality balloons should last a couple of weeks if kept in a temperature controlled environment. This tutorial can be applied to highlight a cake table, use as a runner, or as an archway.
materials
- Sturdy string or monofilament
- Balloon pump (Pictured: Balloon pump by Qualatex, $8.50, bonjourfete.com)
- Scissors
- Balloons (5 to 16 inches, starting from $3.50, bonjourfete.com)
- Rubber cement
- Command hooks
steps
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Inflate balloons to various sizes. Try not to overinflate. (Tip: I typically use a larger balloon and only inflate it three-fourths of the way full so that it has more flexibility to manipulate by hand. They also appear more round which is a nicer shape. Instead of knotting each balloon individually, take 2 balloons and knot them together making a duplet; repeat. Twist both duplets together to make a quad.)
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Measure monofilament to be the length desired of garland and add an additional 2 feet on either end for tying and hanging. (Tip: Tie one side to a chair or post so that you have tension on the line to help you string together.)
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With one hand, take each quad by its center and the other hand holding onto the longer section of the monofilament. Attach the quad to the monofilament by inserting the line between two of the balloons and make a figure “8” with the string around the two balloons so that the line returns to where you started. Your balloons should be now be secure on the monofilament and unable to move around. Add one quad at a time and placing on the line as close as possible to the previous quad so that there are no visible gaps. Repeat until you have the length and shape that you want.
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Fill in any blank spaces with individual balloons (5-inch ones work great) use rubber cement to secure.
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Hang completed balloon garland using command hooks.
