How To Set Up Balloon Arch

I take a mail about how to brand a balloon garland, but how well-nigh a airship curvation? Since my original post, in that location are some new products on the marketplace to help you! Learn how to brand a balloon arch for any occasion with this tutorial post!

How to make a balloon arch for whatsoever occasion!

What feels like decades ago, I made a balloon garland for my daughter'southward first birthday party. And it was pretty easy, too—I merely used balloons and twine! This is now the former-fashioned way, though you tin certainly withal apply the method if you don't want to buy any special supplies.

But now, years later, there are some helpful products on the market that allow y'all to brand professional looking balloon arches without all the tying and cut cord that my twine method used. You tin can even go pre-made kits!

I got the balloons I used for the garland beneath from this shop. I loved the bold metal balloons and marble balloons that stayed pretty opaque even afterward bravado them upwardly.

easy balloon garland made using balloons and string

But if you want to make your ain—which I still think is the all-time method because you can decide exactly how large you want the balloon to be—this mail is for y'all! This tutorial uses a plastic strip designed specifically for making balloon arches.

A note on buying balloons—since we did this equally a last-minute indoor activity, we picked upwards some balloons at the local Party City. We ended upward spending about $25 on balloons and got waaaayyy more than we needed. (More tips on figuring out how many yous'll demand below.)

In one case you lot effigy out virtually how many you lot'll need, round up for safety and buy a pack of assorted balloons online. Information technology is Way cheaper to buy online once y'all know what colors you'll need. Etsy likewise has a wide selection of gorgeous matte and metallic balloons, too!

Here's what I used:

Latex balloons in scarlet, orange, yellow, green, bluish, imperial, pinkish, and white
Balloon arch plastic strips & glue set—that is the verbal product I used, and information technology'south much cheaper than buying locally at a party store! Plus you lot go more than than you need for ane arch (unless it'south huge)
Optional: Hand pump for balloons
Optional: String, 3M hooks, additional hanging supplies like tape

And here's how to make a balloon arch!

Step 1: Decide on how many balloons y'all'll need

I wanted a fairly large balloon curvation, so I decided to blow upwardly 12 of each color. So that meant 96 balloons. A lot of balloons! I got a big multipack of 12″ balloons, and and so I supplemented that with a few packs of ix″ balloons.

The size of your airship arch likewise depends on a few other factors—how large you accident upwards your balloons and how closely you pack them together on the plastic strips, for example. Mine are packed quite tightly and are blown upwardly in a variety of sizes.

So continue that in listen when deciding how many balloons you'll need for your arch. Buy more than you think you'll need!

For more party posts, check out my post on How to Throw a Altogether Party for a Cat, my tutorial on How to Make a Cake Topper With Cricut, and my DIY Scrapbook Paper & Yarn Pom Pom Party Hats!

Step 2: Inflate balloons

I blew the balloons up myself, but you might want to use a hand pump inflator depending on your personal circumstances. I blew upwards all 12 of i color, took a break, so got dorsum at it.

I also recommend inflating the balloons to a variety of sizes. I used both 12″ and 9″ balloons, simply I still blew them up to a diverseness of sizes: large, medium, and small. Then I set up bated ii small-scale balloons from each color to use as filler when I was done.

Stride 3: Thread balloons onto the DIY balloon arch tape

This balloon tape is SUPER piece of cake to use. It is just a firm plastic strip with holes on it. You don't have to employ every hole, and the space between balloons depends on your balloon sizes and how total you want the arch to be.

You don't need to worry nigh the arch staying direct, either. As you thread the balloons in, you'll find that the strip volition twist on its on. This makes the arch quite stable, actually—the arch shape of mine was created on its own as I strung the balloons.

If you desire your arch to be more than flexible, don't thread the balloons every bit tightly together on the strip. All of this will make more sense once you lot're putting the balloons on. I promise, it'southward SO piece of cake!

I likewise don't recommend cutting the plastic strip until you're done. That way, you won't come upwardly brusk if your blueprint ends up being larger than you'd originally planned.

attaching balloons for a DIY balloon arch

This is what the within of the arch will look like. When you're washed threading all of the balloons on, you tin move them around a fleck to comprehend upward whatsoever gaps and hide this interior area. The balloons remained stable in the holes, too!

You can see that I didn't have any real blueprint to using the holes. I tried to keep the balloons as close to one some other as possible for a super full look, but I had to skip one or two holes depending on airship size.

Step 4: Fill in balloon gaps

The next step is to make full in any balloon gaps that requite you lot a look at the less-pretty interior. You can do this before you mount the airship arch, merely I recommend doing it after you go the curvation into place.

Why? Because you lot tin dispense the balloons a flake to cover some of these gaps. Getting the curvation in place volition show yous exactly where the eye-sores are. I put mine up against a wall in my girl'south room.

To stick information technology in identify, you can use the post-obit methods:

Balloon mucilage, which came with the plastic strip set
Tape if it'south strong enough
Control hooks and string

I used the balloon glue. To hold everything in identify, I just looked at which balloons were touching the wall. So I added a few $.25 of the super strong balloon glue to adhere the balloons to the wall.

This stuff is super sticky and stiff, but information technology removes really easily. I had no impairment to the wall. But if yous're worried about that possibility, definitely do a spot test first.

And then I

Side by side use your balloon glue and the smaller loose balloons you fix bated to fill in any gaps that remain! For these, yous don't thread the balloons through the strip's holes. You lot just stick them into place on the arch using the mucilage.

This step will also help you even out lopsided areas or spots that could stand to accept a bit more than fullness. This finishing touch footstep will have your balloon arch from homemade to professional!

And here is my finished arch. Isn't it gorgeous? I wanted a rainbow pattern for mine, but there are so many possibilities for colors and patterns!