Preparing the Balloons
Cut circular holes inside two pieces of cardstock. You will need to make one circular hole that has a diameter of approximately 6” (15cm) and another that has a diameter that is about 4” (10cm) across. Don't worry -- these circles don't have to be cut professionally and the piece of cardstock doesn't have to look nice. You'll only be using the cardstock and holes as a template, not for the final product.
Blow up five balloons to create flower petals. You may want to select balloons that are the same color to help them look like the petals of the same flower. After you blow up each balloon, hold it at the end to make sure that its center fits through the 6” (15cm) cardboard stock template. If it's too big or too small, inflate or deflate it accordingly. Tie the end of each balloon when you're done.
Blow up two smaller balloons to create the flower's center. The balloons should be a different color from the petals so that they stand out when you put the flower together. After you blow up each balloon, hold it at the end to make sure that its center fits through the 4” (10cm) cardboard stock template. If it's too big or too small, inflate or deflate it accordingly. Tie the end of each balloon when you're done.
Creating a Balloon Flower
Tie one set of two balloon flower petals together. The balloons should be facing opposite sides when you tie their ends together. You can use a small piece of craft wire to bind the ends of the two balloons together by wrapping the wire around them a few times. Just be careful -- the wire can pop your balloons. If you're concerned about this, you can use ordinary string instead, but it will be a bit weaker.
Tie the remaining three balloon flower petals together. The balloons should be evenly spaced when you tie their ends together, creating a "Y" shape. Use the same material you previously used to bind the ends of the remaining three balloons together. Just hold the three ends together with one hand and use your other hand to wrap the wire around the ends.
Tie the two sets of balloon flower petals together. Tie the set of two flower petals to the of three petals by tying all of the ends together. The balloons should extend outward, so that all of the ends are tied together in the center. The balloons may not feel stable during this process, but they'll be positioned correctly once you add the center.
Tie the two flower center balloons together. Tie the two smaller balloons together with wire or string. The balloons should be facing opposite directions when you tie the ends together.
Wrap the two flower center balloons around the petal balloons. Take the two flower center balloons and wrap them around the flower petals so that one balloon center appears on each side of the balloon. To do this, gently place the ends of the flower center next to the ends of the flower petals and move the flower center balloons around until the ends catch and you have one balloon center appearing on each side, surrounded by petals. Having a flower center on each side will create a 3-D effect for the flower.
Display your balloon flower. Now that you've finished your flower, you can place it on the ground, hang it up with some ribbon, or even think about adding a stem to it.
Comments
0 comment