DIY Network

Making Flowers Learn how to make balloon flowers. From "Craft Lab" episode DCLB-214

Guest Addi Somekh joins host Jennifer Perkins and demonstrates how to create floral balloons that uses helium rather than regular air this time.

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	Guest Addi Somekh shows you how to create a beautiful and fun flower balloon.
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	DIY's crafters had a blast learning how to create balloon art!

Making Flowers

Materials:

seven 11" balloons
helium tank
1 water balloon
water
spool of fishing line
scissors

1. For the petals, you will need five balloons that are the same color and size. Inflate the balloons with helium, comparing each to the first one, so they match in size.

2. Tie two balloons together and stretch their knotted necks to make them easier to tie. It is not necessary to knot them tightly. They'll naturally hold together as you manipulate them. Set aside.

   Tip: When attaching these big balloons (figure A), guest Addi Somekh says to think of tossing pasta in a bowl — there's no magic trick; just twist and connect randomly.

3. Tie the remaining three inflated balloons together — first tie two of them together as described in Step 2, then tie on the third.

4. Join the two balloon clusters and the push the pair into the set of three so that the necks wrap around each other.

5. Lock the two clusters together by rotating the necks of the balloons around each other several times until secure and then set the petals aside.

6. For the center, inflate two balloons of a different color. Use the balloons that are the same size as the ones used to make the petals. Fill them with less air so that they are slightly smaller (figure B — note the smaller red balloons). Tie the two balloons together.

7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to insert the two balloons into the prepared cluster. Arrange the "petals" around the "centers" (figure C), twisting balloons several times to lock them all together.

8. Be sure the two balloons that make up the center are positioned correctly, the cluster should look like a flower whether viewed from the back or the front.

9. Cut the nylon strip and wrap it around the center of the cluster several times — changing the direction to keep the balloons well bound.

10. Pull one end of the string between two of the petals and cut off the other end. This will keep the flowers floating upright.

11. Tie the end of the string to a weight, which in this case is a water balloon.

Note: If you are using regular air, you can hang the balloon flowers overhead.

RESOURCES :

Qualatex Balloons (260Q)
Websites: www.allamericanballoon.com

GUESTS :

Addi Somekh
New Balloon Art
E-mail: addi@newballoonart.com
Website: www.newballoonart.com