Today’s DIY is a fun and easy project that requires little supplies and results in some seriously adorable decorations that you can use in your home, for a party, or in our case, to make our office space prettier! I’ve seen these string balls before and it was so much fun to finally make them – it’s a little addicting, too, once you start making them it’s hard to stop! We like to call them “thought bubbles” that hang delicately in our workspace :)
What you need: string, balloons, Elmer’s glue and a jar or container of some sort. We re-used an empty plastic cup with a lid and it did the trick just fine. If possible, get different shapes and sizes of balloons to make your collection of thought bubbles more varied and interesting! I also got some really pretty colorful string to use.
Blow up a balloon and hang it from something that will allow it to dangle. This will make it much easier when you’re wrapping the string around it. Also, we didn’t do this but it will make the process much easier if you coat the balloon with Vaseline first – that way the glue-covered string will not stick to the balloon when you eventually pop it. You can still do it without Vaseline, but it it’s a little bit trickier.
Cut a section of string (give yourself a generous amount just to be safe). Keep the string as neatly coiled as possible to prevent knotting, and place it in the bottom of your jar or container. Thread one end through a hole in the top of your container.
Fill the container with glue so that it covers the string – this way when you pull the string out through the hole at the top, it will be coated in glue.
Tie the end that was threaded through the top of the container around the balloon’s knot, and begin wrapping the thread around the balloon, both vertically and horizontally.
Continue until the balloon is thoroughly covered with string.
Leave it overnight to dry – resist the urge to pop the balloon too soon!
I also made a couple smaller ones to complete our collection :)
When I came into work this morning the balloons were ready to pop! Now they are hanging in our office space and they make me so happy :)
AMAZING! My next DIY :)
How sweet and simple! love it :)
these are super cute! definitely going to make these!
Clever! I’ll definitely try it.
Awh lovely idea – need to try this out =]
Just did this so hoping it works out
I made these last night and THEY ARE SO AWESOME. I didn’t use vaseline on my balloons, just because I didin’t want to, and the balloon came out fine — my only problem with them (not that it’s a huge problem) is that I’m messy when it comes to glue, and I ended up smearing a ton on the balloon itself, so when the balloon popped, it left behind these super thin layers of glue. I was wondering if maybe y’all had a special trick for removing them? If not, no big deal — they’re easy enough to pluck off. And, still — super adorable. Now, I’m going to have to go make some white ones to actually match my bedroom. :D
This is so cute!!
Passing this onto a teacher friend for class project.
Teacher loves it!
literally amazing, I am doing this ASAP. thank you! x
http://www.dragonnfruit.com
i understand all this but, does it have to be Vaseline or can it be something like aveeno?
Two friends and I decided to make these last night. Not bad for a first try, but they seem to cave in in random places, and I can’t figure out what I did wrong! Did yours do this at all?
I made these a 3 or 4 months ago and they turned out amazing! They’ve been hanging in my store’s studio and haven’t caved at all. I did all of these steps, but i also used corn starch & water with the glue for extra reinforcement. <3
I just got done trying this! I hope it works I want to hang it above my bed in my bedroom so if it doesn’t work I’ve got to find something else to fill the space so I REALLY hope this works. I didn’t cover mine the best, but I hope it still turns out alright
I just popped the balloon and it turned out great!! I’m so excited it’s now hanging above my bed and it looks great! There are the weird glue linings on the strings buts it’s fine :) I also ran out of string so I used yarn and yarn held up a lot better and dried harder so I would recommend yarn if you want a sturdier thought bubble the only thing is it looks thicker but that can be a good thing if you want a light color
I’m an artist and i’ve been working on a series based on childhood craft, i did a large installation of these a while ago…
http://delaineybarclay.com/index.html
my daughter and i tried to do this project for her room…. it didnt really work out :( not sure what we did wrong. i used balloons and yarn and glue just like the project asks for. we let everything dry and the next day when i popped the balloons the yarn caved in with the balloon! any advice? i really want to make these work… thanks!
Hi Emily! We had the same issue! we were able to pull the yarn back out and reshape it – but you can prevent this from happening if you coat the balloon with vaseline first, or non-stick cooking spray!
Another grt use 4 theses r as Easter baskets..!!..if u cover them while hanging then let them almost dry then cut the string n take them dwn n push n a dome shape at whichever end u choose ta b the “bottom”..then once ur basket is fully dry use a pr of sharp scissors ta cut an opening 4 ur Easter basket..it’s also btr ta use mre string when covering the balloon n u can also use some kind of small paintbrush ta brush on mre glue or a decopodge type stuff frm ur nearest craft store..jst somethin that will make it hardin..may sound complicated but it’s a cry vry fun project ta do with ur children n they really get a kick out of makin their own Easter basket..!!..
I just attempted this. Mine does not have near enough string I think. Maybe it will still work out though. :) if not there is always a round 2. Cute idea. Thank you!!!
BEAUTIFUL!!
DIY and more:
http://diyearte.blogspot.com
We made these balloons years ago and cut out a circle or oval an the side and filled them with Easter grass and candy. Made great table centerpieces. Any holiday would work. Have fun.
A beautiful, yet easy way to decorate a room!
Twitter – @gennanegrin
por favor necesito que sea en espaniol ,,gacias