Balloon Crafts
HALLOWEEN FUN #2
Now that you have your invitations filled out and mailed, it’s time to think about your costume(s). After reading this article for ideas, go to Martha Stewart’s website for more ideas. There are 19 no-sew costumes there for you to check out.
Ideas that I have used in the past:
Jelly-Beans-Bag of Balloons
SOFTA123’S NOTE: The sign on this precious young lady’s reads “Jelly Beans,” mine said “Bag of Balloons.”
Bag of Balloons:
Materials:
Large see-through trash bag
1 large package of small colorful balloons
Curling ribbon and/or heavy string
1 Piece of Cardboard
1 Black Marking Pen
Hole Puncher
Instructions:
Blow up the balloons and tie a knot in them as normal.
Make Sign: In black marker write “BAG OF BALLOONS.” Let it dry. Punch a hole in each of the top corners of the sign. String ribbon through so that you can wear it around your neck.
Step into the bag, making holes for the legs and arms out the side. Fill the bag with different color balloons and curling ribbon or heavy string to tie around the top of the bag. Put on your sign and you are good to go!
This hobo is a clown!
SOFTA123’S NOTE: Hobos DID NOT wear makeup!!!!
Hobo:
This idea is as old as Methuselah! But it is cheap and easy and I haven’t seen anyone dressed as a hobo in years. I’m not sure if this costume is politically correct, but to me there is a big difference between the hobos of yesterday and the homeless of today.
Materials:
1-2 Corks
Bandana
Old Battered Flannel Shirt
Old Battered Jeans
1 fairly long Stick
Instructions:
Lay the bandana flat on a table. Fill the middle with old stockings, fiber fill, candy, whatever you wish to put in it. Don’t over-fill it though!!! Bring up the bandana on all sides and make a knot in it. Then tie bandana onto the stick. Lay aside.
Get dressed in your battered jeans and battered flannel shirt.
Take your cork and strike a match to burn a bit of the bottom of the cork and then when warm to the touch, rub over your face. Repeat as often as necessary or as often as you would like so that the overall effect is a face that is dirty.
Give me all your Fritos!
Frito’s Bandito
Materials:
1 Mexican hat preferably with a strap
1 Poncho preferably Mexican
Instructions:
Enough Snack-Size Bags of Frito’s Corn Chips to fairly well cover the poncho at least on the front
Large Safety Pins (one for each bag of corn chips)
Fake Mustache OR Black Eyebrow Pencil
Instructions:
Pin Fritos onto Poncho. Get Dressed and then put on your mustache or draw one on with the black eyebrow Pencil.
The Living Dead
SOFTA’S NOTE: This is the closest picture to what I looked like although I didn’t put on any makeup. Also, a friend of ours made a coffin for me. It was for a teen Halloween party that I was in charge of for our community. The kids loved it!
Mummy
Materials:
1 set of WHITE Thermal Long Johns (Long Underwear)
5 yard roll of 3” Gauze
60 yard roll of 1 ½” Masking Tape
1 Brown or Black Eyebrow Pencil
White Clown Face Makeup
Instructions:
Take a 5 yard role of 3 inch gauze and dip it in weak tea the day before and hang it out to dry. This will be your head wrapping. You will need a 60 yard roll of 1 1/2 inch wide masking tape for your body wrapping. Start with your ankles and work up. Overlap the tape slightly and stop at the knee. Continue right above the knee and go to the top of your thigh. Do both legs. Then start in the middle of your stomach and run it down between your legs, crisscrossing over your hips and between your legs in a diaper fashion. Break off the tape. Just below your hipbones wrap around your body until you get to your underarms. Crisscross over your shoulders to cover your upper chest and back. Start at your shoulder and move down your arm. Stop at the elbow and start again on the other side of your elbow. Do both arms. Now switch to gauze for your head. Tape down the end of the gauze under your collarbone and move upwards to do your neck and your head. Make sure it’s not too tight around your neck! Keep your eyes and mouth free. Tape down when you’re finished. Rub some dirt on the tape so that you look sufficiently old and moldy. With a black or brown eye pencil circle each eye and smudge outfor that hollowed out eye look. Whiten the rest of your face so that it matches your wrappings. This is a very visible costume!
Portrait of an Artist
SOFTA123’S NOTE: In this take on the Artist Costume, they must have used white poster board to make their pallet out of. I think I like the looks of this pallet more than I would a cardboard pallet. I like how they took an inexpensive plastic paint brush and glued it to the board! The young lady’s long hair makes it perfect…but of course, that is real! Isn’t she cute!
Artist – Painter Costume
By Sherri Osborn, About.com Guide
Materials Needed:
- Dark Colored Pants
- Over-Sized White Shirt
- Paint
- Cardboard
- Paint Brush
Instructions:
Wear any pants you want and an over-sized white shirt or smock, splattered with paint. You can also smudge some paint on your face, hands, etc.
Using a piece of cardboard cut out a paint palette shape. Use paint to make 4 or 5 circles of paint on the palette. Glue an old paintbrush to the palette. Let dry.
For a finishing touch, use eyeliner to draw a small mustache and goatee, and don’t forget a beret!
For more wonderful costume ideas, make-up hints and advice go to http://www.familymanagement.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.html
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )HALLOWEEN FUN – ARTICLE 1
Me as a Demon Butterfly
So much to do, so little time to do it. I’m going to sneak Halloween in here because it is my favorite holiday. I love getting dressed up in costume and handing out treats to the little ghosts and goblins and witches and fairies. I love to see their reaction when I come to the door. In the past I’ve been a witch many times, I’ve been a mummy, and I’ve been Cleopatra too. My favorite though was when I dressed as a bag of balloons! For that I put on a huge see-through plastic bag and tied it on the bottom (with our neighbor Dale’s help when he still lived here). That was quite a trick! Then I filled it with colorful balloons and tied it at the top. I wish I had a picture of me that way! I don’t. I also tried my hand at inviting all my neighbors in for an after Trick or Treat Party a few times, but finally gave up because no one came. I’d prepared great snack foods and desserts of all kinds. Had punch ready and decorated the inside as well as the outside of my home. Oh well…guess everyone w as too tired to come. I can understand that now as we have so many steps to go up and down every time the door bell rang. If it was nice out we would sit on our outdoor chairs and enjoy the weather, but in Rochester, that does not happen often around this time of the year.
Anyhow, I decided that I would do some Halloween articles and perhaps a give-away or two. I’m going to begin today by giving away an invitation I designed for you to fill in the blanks and mail to your friends while I’ll plan a party for you. Look for the link at the bottom of this article. I think that will be fun! If I can’t have a real one, I’ll just have a virtual one…so hang out here for the next week or two for Halloween at A Tzimmes.
The White Lady is a must on anyone's Halloween guest list!
After the invitations go out, I think it is time to start thinking about decorations. We’ll start with the inside of the house and then the outside. I like to get a few store-bought blinking types of Halloween decorations to put around the living room. I like to put my big witch out too. But not everyone can afford these things, so I searched the internet and came up with some inexpensive decorations for you to make.
Since our invitation features a ghostly theme, we’ll carry the theme out in our decorations and refreshments. So here is how to make Bobbing Ghosts:
Bobbing Ghosts[1]
Start with a piece of cheesecloth 2 yards long and 1 yard wide. Place a helium filled balloon (white is best) in the middle of the fabric and gather loosely around balloon. Draw a horrid mask on the cloth with a felt pen. You can put some ghosts in a box and when people open the box the ghosts will float up and scare everyone! Or, you can place them on string in front of an open window or a fan and watch them gently move in the breeze.
Glowing Ghosts[2]
A glowing ghost is the perfect example of how simple and fun making Halloween decorations can be. Activate a mini glow stick, slip it inside a balloon, and blow up the balloon. Position the knot of the balloon at the top center and use a black marker to make a face. Use a thin or transparent white cloth to cover the balloon, cut a small hole in the cloth and push the knot through so you can tie a string to it and hang it from a tree, your door, or a lamppost in your front yard. Your glowing ghost will blow in the wind.
Spooky little guys aren't they!
Living Room Decoration[3]
Furniture covered in a messy fashion with white sheets makes any house look as if it was abandoned years ago. Add in some ghostly window treatments by hanging shredded gauze in the windows for curtains. Place a hidden fan near the gauze to create movement. You can also cut out ghost silhouettes to hang in the windows out of the gauze.
I would love to decorate my home like this!
Papier-Mache Decorations: Glowing Skull[4]
Bottom of Form
SOURCE: Martha Stewart Living, October 2001
Make sure you have many of sculls lying around the house! Don't forget to have one in the powder-room!
Glowing Skull How-To
1. To create a scary skull, inflate a large balloon a day ahead of time or inflate and deflate it several times to make it malleable. Wrap masking tape around the balloon one-third of the way from the bottom to form the jaw line. Using wheat paste, attach two layers of white tissue paper roughly torn into 1- to 2-inch squares.
The Before Shot!
2. Pop and remove balloon when dry. Cut a hole from the base toward the rear of the form so that the skull tilts back slightly when displayed. Cut out the features, and use wheat paste to affix a sheet of tissue paper inside.
3. To light the skull, secure a battery-powered light to the display surface with a walnut-size piece of modeling clay, and lower the skull over the light.
Now just add some black bulbs and some black, orange or white candles around the rooms and if you can afford it, buy a couple of foam tombstones and a fog machine. I’ve always wanted one of those!!! I would love to see your pictures after you decorate your house.
Here is the link for the invitation!
http://www.4shared.com/document/Jl2AURdV/mss-Halloween_Invite.html
[3] Ibid
FOR THE LOVE OF BALLOONS
I must have always loved balloons, but I never realized how much until I saw the movie “Any Wednesday,” starring Jane Fonda (who I love as an actress and was devastated by her politics) and Jason Robards. One review I saw described the movie as:
“Broadway hit about a married millionaire’s mistress befriended by his unsuspecting wife and cooed over by a loyal associate. Lots of slamming doors, comical deception, hissy fits and balloons…” (By moonspinner55 found at http://www.imdb.com).
"ANY WEDNESDAY"
Unlike moonspinner55, I loved the movie. And the scene where Jane walks into her apartment and finds it filled with balloons has always stuck with me. It is a dream of mine to one day come home and find that someone I love has filled a room with balloons for me.
Thinking about balloons, I thought, why not write a post about them, so that’s what you are going to read about here today.
Winnie the Pooh says, “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.” I think that Winnie is 100 percent correct. We like to decorate our parties and events with balloons. We take balloons when we visit someone who is ill to try to cheer them up a bit. Many times someone will bring a balloon(s) to a friend or relative who is celebrating a birthday or an anniversary. People give loved ones balloons on Valentine’s Day. They are also appropriate for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. When someone in your workplace gets promoted, balloons are an inexpensive, thoughtful way to say, “Congratulations.” And don’t forget to give a balloon(s) to a brand new Mom, Dad or Baby! Balloons are really a go-to gift for most occasions! I remember giving each of my grandchildren a bunch of colorful balloons for their first birthdays. I began doing that with my eldest grandson, Marc. He loved the balloons so much that I made it a tradition that continued with my granddaughter, Rachael, and my youngest grandson, Joshua.
- Up, Up and Away
Another dream of mine is to go up in a hot air balloon. I think they are so gorgeous and I think it would be an exciting and relaxing way to see a special place such as Letchworth State Park in Castile, New York or go over the Ocean in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I’d make sure to take my husband, a picnic lunch and champagne with me! Would I be scared? Yeah, a little bit. But I would still like to go in one.
You can do easy craft projects using balloons and other inexpensive supplies like home-made paste, string, newspaper strips, comic strips or tissue paper.
String Ball Craft
Difficulty: Easy and a Great Craft To Do With Kids
Supplies:
String, yarn or thread
Round balloons
Flour
Instructions:
- Make a wheat paste by mixing 3 parts water with 2 parts flour in a pot. Heat to a boil, whisking occasionally to remove lumps. After the paste boils, allow it to cool.
- Blow up a balloon of the appropriate size for each ball you want to make.
- Dip string or yarn in the cooled paste and then wrap it around the balloons. Go around many times, in different directions, until you have covered the basic shape of the balloon, but be sure to leave gaps if you want to make a see-through string ball.
- Allow the string to dry thoroughly; approximately 24 hours.
- Pop the balloons if you want to get them out right away, or wait for them to shrink gradually on their own. When the balloons are gone, you should be left with a see-through string ball.
Hints:
- For more exciting string balls, interweave different colors or types of yarn or string. You can also add paint or glitter to the paste mixture, decorate the finished balls more or put small items inside the balloons before you blow them up, which will end up trapped in the balls (as long as the holes in the string layer are small enough).
- These string balls are not water-resistant, so they’re probably more of an indoor toy. The paste is nontoxic but will definitely dissolve if wet.
Make small and medium balls of different colors and hang your finished ball(s) from the ceiling with different lengths of string, yarn or curling ribbon to use as party decorations.
Make small balls using gold and red and/or gold and green colors to decorate your Christmas tree, or to use in a table centerpiece.
Make small balls using dark or royal blue and silver string, yarn or thread to hang from the ceiling as above, or to use as part of a table centerpiece for Chanukah.
For Easter, make the balls in pastel colors, for Valentine’s Day make pink and/or red balls to decorate and perhaps put a special note inside for your beloved.
If you like glitter, add glitter! Use more than one color for a rainbow effect. There are countless ways to use this craft. Let your imagination soar!
Another craft that is similar to the string balls is making Piñatas.
I found this great Piñata project at Make Pinatas.com. This is a good resource for children’s party ideas.
How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Piñata
This hot-air balloon piñata is great for first time makers and it makes for a nice big target for little kids.
Materials:
Papier-Mâché Paste*
• 14-inch balloon, inflated
• 10-inch bowl
• One batch papier-mâché paste
• 1 two-page spread each of regular newspaper and the comic pages
• 32-oz. plastic yogurt container, cut in half horizontally
• String
• Hole punch
• Glue stick
• 5 sheets of tissue paper in bright colors, cut
• into 3 1/2-inch squares
• 4 lbs. of individually wrapped candies
*To make Papié-Maché Paste, combine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 2 cups cold water in a bowl.
Add this mixture to a saucepan of 2 cups boiling water and bring it to a boil again. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Let it cool; it will thicken as it cools. Once it does, it’s ready to use.
Directions:
Step 1: For stability while working, place the balloon in a 10-inch bowl. Fold the spread of newspaper in half and then in half again. Tear (don’t cut) 1 1/2-inch-wide strips so they have a slightly rough edge (tearing along a straight edge works well). The rough edges help make a smooth overall surface. Drag a strip of newspaper through the papier-mâché paste, wipe off any excess with your fingers, and place it at an angle on the balloon. Place the second strip so that it slightly overlaps the first. Continue until the balloon has been covered with one layer of paper strips–except for a 2-inch square at the top, through which the candy will go. Give the papier-mâché up to 24 hours to dry. Cover your leftover paste with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out (if it does, add warm water).
Step 2: For the piñata’s hanger, wrap the midpoint of a length of string (doubled up, if necessary) around the bottom of the balloon, pulling the ends up to the top; tape it to the balloon in a few places. Knot together the ends of the string 6 inches above the top. Tape the top half of the yogurt container to the bottom of the balloon. This will become the neck of the hot air balloon.
Step 3: Cover the balloon (including the string), the neck and the bottom half of the yogurt container (which will become the hot air balloon basket) with a layer of strips of comics, placing them at a different angle from the first layer. (Using different colored strips lets you distinguish one layer from the next, ensuring a uniform overall thickness.) Allow the second layer to dry.
Step 4: Cover the balloon, neck and basket with strips of plain newsprint going in a third direction. Smooth over any rough edges as you work. Allow the balloon to dry thoroughly.
Step 5: Punch four holes into the neck of the hot air balloon and four into the basket. Attach string to the neck about 3 1/2 inches from the base of the balloon to later suspend the basket.
Step 6: Dot the corners of a tissue square with a glue stick and place it just to the side of the 2-inch square on the top of the balloon. Follow with other squares in the same color, working your way diagonally down around the balloon. When you get to the bottom, start at the top again in another color, fitting the squares into a hound’s-tooth pattern. If you want to add streamers, cut 2- by 30-inch lengths of tissue paper and glue them onto matching colored squares about halfway down.
Step 7: Cover the basket with squares of tissue in different colors. Attach the basket to the balloon. Puncture the uncovered part of the balloon at the top of the piñata and remove all of the balloon fragments. Make sure the inside of the piñata is completely dry before you fill it, so the candy won’t stick to the sides. Fill it about halfway with the candy. Cover the opening with some tissue squares, and your piñata is ready to hang.
My very favorite balloon craft involves chocolate…. wouldn’t you know it! I’ve known about this craft for years and it’s on my must try list. I just think that this is so classy that your company, young or old, will be talking about these for years to come, making you one savvy host/hostess. The directions for this project was found at Chocolay.
Chocolate Bowls
Chocolate Bowls Recipe
“This is a fun & easy project, although it can be messy! The chocolate bowls can hold all kinds of goodies including ice cream, mousse, fruit, pretzel sticks, chocolate candy, or any other treat you have in mind. You can get as creative as you want with using white chocolate that has been colored (with specially formulated coloring oils) and coordinate the theme of your party or event. We recommend making more balloons than you’ll need because chances are good that when you deflate some of the chocolate covered balloons the chocolate might fall apart for one reason or another! You can always reuse the chocolate…don’t worry!”
Before you begin, make sure to wash and thoroughly dry the balloons.
Ingredients:
- Bada Bing Bada Boom Candy Melts or Wilton Candy Wafers or any summer coating disks that you can find in your local grocery store’s bulk food section. You also need Crisco Spray or any other non-flavored cooking spray.
You’ll also Need:
- Balloons (please note: some people are severely allergic to latex. Make sure that if you use latex balloons anybody eating your bowls know you used balloons to make it)
- Bowls
- Heavy Weight Dipping Sheets or Waxed Paper
Tips:
Don’t use water balloons! They will pop. Also, water is the one thing that can really mess up chocolate!!!
- The thicker the balloon the better.
- Keep in mind that some people are alergic to latex.
- If you put the chocolate balloons on waxed paper be careful about the corners of the paper curling and touching the chocolate.
- When dipping the balloons, the longer you leave the balloon in the warm chocolate the more likely it will pop (which is a mess!!!), so dip fast & do multiple layers if you need to.
How To Make Chocolate Bowls:
| 1. | Blow up balloons and place them in a bowl to hold them upright. Don’t blow them to be bigger than 6-8 inches tall. A lot of people like small bowls that are about the size of a coffee cup. It’s up to you. Whatever size you blow up the balloon to be will be the size of your chocolate bowl. You might want to make the balloons slightly different sizes for variety. |
| 2. | Spray each balloon (the area you’ll be putting the chocolate on) with non-stick cooking spray such as Crisco spray so that the chocolate will release easier. |
| 3. | Melt the chocolate using instructions that came with your chocolate. Ideally, use a double boiler (or a double boiler insert). Do not let the water touch the bottom of the double boiler. Only let the water simmer. Do not allow it to boil or you may burn the chocolate. If you must use a microwave, melt on medium heat for short periods being very careful not to overheat thechocolate. (Softa’s advice: Use the microwave!!!!) |
| 4. | Let the chocolate cool for 5-10 minutes in a bowl that is sized so that you can dip your balloon into the bowl. The chocolate can’t be so hot that it will pop the balloon. |
If you want to add a marbleized effect to the chocolate bowl: Pour the base color/flavor of chocolate in the bowl first. Then add a smaller quantity of a second color/flavor of chocolate on top. Swirl lightly with a knife. When you dip the balloons the bowl will look marbleized.5.There a couple of ways to make your chocolate bowls – or you can combine the methods for added flare. Either way, hold the balloon by the knot.
a. For a solid bowl that looks like flower petals: Holding the knot at a slight angle, dip the ballon in chocolate, then using the opposite angle, dip the balloon again. You may be able to do this 2-4 times. Slowly swirl the balloon around to make an even coat. Then lift the balloon slowly and let some of the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Sometimes the balloons will need to be dipped twice to make sure the chocolate is solid enough.
b. For a not solid bowl: Holding the knot, use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the bottom of the balloon going back and forth in one direction and then in the opposite direction. When drizzling, cover about half of the exposed balloon. Then dip the very bottom of the balloon a couple of inches into the chocolate so you have a nice, solid chocolate bottom. When doing this, you can use more than one chocolate flavor (or colored white chocolate) for added design.6.After each balloon is dipped, place on a Heavy Weight Dipping Sheet or waxed paper lined tray. The chocolate will start to settle making a flat bottom for the chocolate bowl.7.After your balloons are finished, move them to a cool area to set up (harden). Hopefully they will fit in your fridge! If so, they will set up in about 10 minutes.8.After the chocolate is completely set up, it’s time to deflate the balloons. Gently remove the chocolate covered balloon from the dipping sheet. If using waxed paper, you might need to slide a knife around the bottom edge to loosen the bottom of the chocolate bowl. Once you remove the balloon, you can use a hat pin to deflate it or cut a small hole in the top of it to deflate it. Make the hole near the area where the balloon is tied.9.As the balloon deflates it will still be attached to the inside of the chocolate. Very slowly peel the balloon away from the chocolate.10.You can add additional decorative touches by gently handling the bowl and adding more drizzled chocolate.Keep the chocolate bowls cool until you plan to use them!
Play around with these crafts and have some fun!
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atzimmes 