Today I am sharing with you one of my newly-acquired hidden talents. I am a pro now at throwing together a cheap and easy balloon garland that looks like it took hours of Pinterest-planning to pull off. Okay, maybe I’m not a pro. :). But, I did throw together a cute balloon garland for a party in about 40 minutes.
Before Parker’s birthday party last April, I spent hours searching for balloon garland how-to’s. There is a wealth of information out there. And so many beautiful arrangements!
Take this one from A Beautiful Mess.
Or, look at this really unique ceiling balloon garland.
What I found out was there are literally hundreds of ways to do this. I had high hopes of following some of the most detailed and BEAUTIFUL tutorials. However, when I sat down to actually do the balloon garland the night before the party I was exhausted. I had spent the past week running across town buying party favors, picking up and preparing food, finalizing Trolls-themed decorations and so on (you all know the drill …). I did not feel like spending hours on a balloon garland.
So, I decided to see if I could make some shortcuts along the way, hoping I could wing it. And boy did I!
I got so many compliments and I left it up for weeks (no joke). But, how many photos did I take? One. And it didn’t even turn out that great. I’m so mad at myself right now!
However, I still want to share with you this super easy way of making a balloon garland because I really think you should know how easy it is to throw one together for your next party.
What You Need:
Gift-wrapping Ribbon
Command Strips
Scissors
Hand Pump or Mechanical Pump (Optional)
How To Easily Make a Balloon Garland
1. Blow up several balloons.
For Parker’s Trolls-themed party, I used rainbow colors so I bought these party balloons on Amazon in a variety of colors. For about $10, you get 144 balloons and that was the best deal I could find. Plus, the reviews were overly positive and I thought the quality was great. I used between 50 and 60 balloons to hang over the arch in my dining room.
Plus, these balloons could get really big. I blew up various sizes of balloons for my garland. The new trend is to do some very small balloons and even taper them down to that size on one end of the garland like in this photo.
It’s really pretty and I might do that next time. This time, though, I just randomly blew up balloons in a slight variety (not teeny tiny ones) to spread throughout the garland. I bought this hand pump to help with the balloons but I actually didn’t find it saved me much time. Next time I am going to use a mechanical pump like this one, though, because it has amazing reviews and I’ve spoken to a few people who say they save a ton of time.
2. Cut Tiny Holes Below the Knot of the Balloons
I read so many tutorials talking about low-heat glue guns and special balloon garland strips. I didn’t want to waste the money or spend the time. So, this is where my shortcut shows up. Cut the tiny holes between the knot and the end of the balloon.
Do your best to keep the holes tiny. If they’re too big the balloons won’t stay in place quite as well as you’d like.
This is me stretching the hole. Does it look pretty? No. Does anyone see it once it’s finished? No.
3. String Together the Balloons.
Initially I thought I was going to use the Stretch Magic jewelry cord I had used for making bracelets with the kids. However, I ended up sticking with reliable gift-wrapping ribbon.
I just pulled out a ton of the ribbon and started stringing it through the holes in the balloons.
Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted bright rainbow colors for Parker’s party, so I just made sure I spread out the various colors throughout. Once you start stringing the balloons on, go ahead and push them along to the approximate place you think your balloon garland will end. It doesn’t have to be an exact science because you haven’t cut it yet and you can always decide you need more or less and adjust accordingly.
String the balloons closely together and start positioning them a bit so that they bunch together, circling the ribbon itself.
Using the ribbon made it easy for me to just keep unrolling the ream to extend it as needed. Once I had all my balloons tightly wound around the ribbon, I just cut the ribbon and tied it around the edge of the last balloon end a few times. Easy peasy.
4. Hang The Balloon Garland with Command Hooks.
I use Command Hooks for EVERYTHING. They are amazing. It was a no-brainer to pull out my huge package of them to hang the balloon garland. I chose 5 spots to hand the hooks along my arch, ensuring I put one at the top of the arch.
So, follow the Command Hook instructions (which do involve waiting a bit before you hang anything on them). The balloon garland isn’t heavy at all so I only waited a few minutes.
Once the hooks are in place, grab a ladder (and a friend or significant other who is willing to help) and just drape the ribbon over the hooks. I was amazed at how easy it was. My garland didn’t move at all because the balloons truly helped keep it positioned perfectly.
There you have it! The Easy Way To Make a Balloon Garland!
