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Time: 2h00

An interesting way to use mylar balloons after they lose their original purpose
I made this for my mother for her birthday. I was in a crafty mood and looked for something to use to make something else. I spied some old mylar balloons slowly dying in the corner of my room. I decided to create some flowers using the mylar balloons. It turned out looking pretty sweet. Just a neat idea for using something as seemingly useless as a dying balloon.

Posted by Anon from U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, United States • Published 14th July 2008 • See Anon's 21 projects »

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April M. favorited Recycled Balloon Flowers 06 Mar 16:41
BRENDA D. added Recycled Balloon Flowers to FLOWERS 08 Mar 00:49
Deana V. added Recycled Balloon Flowers to Flowers in My Attic 22 Aug 23:16

Step 1
First, you need some dying balloons. you cut the end of the balloon where the string ties to, so that's it is a complete circle.
Step 2
Next, you need to cut slits in the balloons. This pic is the best way to show how far to cut; i didn't measure it. but it probably doesn't matter, just however big you want to flowers to be.
Step 3
After you cut the slits, cut the pieces off. you keep the cut pieces for the petals of the flower. This picture is showing the remainder of the balloon after you cut the pieces you need. You then proceed to fold the pieces from the balloon "hotdog" way, so they form the petals. the next pic will show it better than i'm describing.
Step 4
You fold the pieces of the balloon that you cut off in hotdog ways. you need make about three or four depending on how many petals you want. i used four. as you can tell from the pic, one folded piece of balloon make two petals. you then place them at angles, forming the flower. To keep the pieces together, I put a tack in the middle to hold them down, while I taped each of the pieces down together.
Step 5
using the tack to once hold down the pieces, you remove the tack and replace it with a opened paperclip. you poke it through the little hole given by the tack. you then twist (as best you can) the ends of the paperclip in the front. it's just to try to hold the 'stem' of the flower to the flower itself. you can then tape it for extra secure measures, because you're going to cover the front up anyways.
Step 6
on the backside of the 'flower,' you need to bend the paperclip so that it holds up the flower and also looks like stem. i taped up the back too as well, so it holds up better. you do the same with the rest of your flowers. you could probably use those little wooden sticks, but i had paperclips at the time.
Step 7
The last thing you really have to do to complete the flower is make the 'middle' of the flower. I used the remainder circular pieces of the cut balloon and just basically round it up and puffed it up and taped it into shape, and taped to the middle of the flower. I changed the middle parts of the balloons from the petals of them, since i had two; and vice versa. just makes it contrasting.
Then, all you have to do is put the 'flowers' in a 'potholder'. i found a wooden box at michaels and painted it, but you could use whatever you want. Then you can decorate and dress up the flowers to your liking. Hope I explained it easy enough. :]

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Comments

Lilim · 17 projects 16th July 2008

T__T No one ever gives me any balloons but this will be good for when I post a birthday party at my studio... People are always leaving those balloons or losing them when they try to put them in the car