How To Make Balloon Garlands

A balloon garland is a decorative rope of tightly clustered balloons. Colors can be random, or a pattern can be achieved by arranging the balloon clusters in a specific order. Balloon garlands can be strung just about anywhere to add a festive touch to a party or celebration, or to create an eye-catching display at a commercial booth.

Before you begin to assemble a balloon garland, there are a few things to consider.

1. Size - The size of the finished garland will depend on the size of the balloons you use. The important thing here is to make sure that all of the balloons are inflated to the same size. To make this easier, cut a round template out of thick cardboard, and pass each inflated balloon through it to fit before tying them off.

2. Length - The length of the garland is completely up to you. Be sure to leave enough cord open at each end to tie off your garland and hang it.
3. Number of Balloons - The number of balloons you'll need depends on the size of the inflated balloons and the length of the garland. For balloons 10" in diameter, you'll need about 6 balloons per foot of garland.
4. Balloon Colors - You can use a rainbow of colors in random clusters for your garland, or choose two or three colors to complement the colors in your decorating theme.

To make balloon garlands, you'll need:

• Balloons
• Air or helium pump (can be purchased or rented from a party supply store)
• Thick cord with some resistance, such as nylon cord or thick twine
• Thin string or fishing line

1. Fill your balloons with air or helium using the air pump. Ensure that each balloon is inflated to roughly the same size. Tie off the balloons and keep them somewhere with no hot or pointy objects that might pop them.

2. Tie pairs of balloons together. Here you can match up colors or use different ones, depending on the look you are trying to achieve.
3. Using two pairs of tied balloons (four balloons all together), twist the tied ends together to create clusters of four balloons each. Again, match up the colors or leave them completely random according to your desired appearance.
4. Using small pieces of the thin string or fishing line, tie tiny loops around the knots in the center of each balloon cluster.
5. Cut your desired length of cord, leaving enough cord at each end to tie off the garland and hang it up. Thread the loops that you tied to each cluster through the cord, keeping the balloon clusters packed tightly together. Turn the clusters to create color patterns in the garland.
6. Tie off each end of the cord, and make small loops with the cord to hang your garland from. Hang and enjoy!