So, if you are a fan of “Make the Most” on Facebook, talk to me personally or have been within 13 miles of me and can feel the ever expanding aura of ‘i-have-8-million-things-to-do-in-the-next-month’ then you already know that we are moving to Colorado at the end of April.  I decided that I didn’t have enough to do and started planning Addie’s bedroom at the new house.  Check out the last post and you’ll see that my frequent flier daughter will have a travel (semi-themed) room.  There are many touches I’m planning on adding that either reference travel or make a direct statement — this one happens to be pretty direct.

 

How to make decorative hot-air balloons:

you’ll need:

styrofoam balls in various sizes, the number is up to you, I did 5

fabric to cover styrofoam (I used a different color and pattern for each balloon)

baskets or cardboard buckets in corresponding sizes to the styrofoam balls

yarn, twine, or thick string (I used thick wool yarn)

something to punch holes in cardboard buckets

needle, thimble and thread

hot glue gun

First lay out the fabric and wrap an edge around it and pin.  Keep wrapping and folding fabric, pinning in the same spot so all the extra fabric gathers together.

Once you have all the fabric gathered, sew the folds together so nothing is loose.  When you tie the gather off with yarn it should just be decorative because all folds and tucks should be sewn securely.

That’s it for the “balloon” part.  Now move on to your baskets, or in my case, round cardboard boxes.

You can leave your cardboard raw but I decided to paint mine with a metallic finish…I like everything to have a little sparkle!

Poke holes in the sides of your containers.  You can skip this if you are using baskets.

Now is the tricky part.  Thread some of your yarn (or twine or whatever you’re using) through one of the holes, knot it on the inside so the yarn is secure.  Leave the yarn long, you need slack to secure it to the ball evenly.

Now run a line of hot glue from the center TOP of the fabric covered ball.  Working quickly before the glue cools, hold the ball above the basket to gauge the correct hanging distance, push the yarn into the glue (watch those fingertips!)  Now continue the line of hot glue down the opposite side of ball, making sure that the two lines of glue line up exactly.

When you get to the bottom of the opposite side of the ball thread the end of the yarn into the opposite hole.  Don’t knot yet, first, hold the ball up and straighten the basket until it is level.  Mark the thread on the inside of the basket with a marker, pull thread through into the basket and knot.  When you pull it tight the basket should be level.

Now repeat this process on the perpendicular line except when you get to the top of the balloon, leave a small 1″ loop at the top before continuing down the other side.  This will be your hanging loop.  Be thoughtful about keeping things level, it makes a huge difference in the finished product.

I LOVE how the finished balloons look.  I did five balloons, total, and the different sizes and colors look fantastic together.  We move in a matter of weeks and I will post an update with how the balloons look when they are hung…I can hardly stand the wait!