Balloons

With Helium

Balloons are festive and have a lot of impact. If you buy/rent a helium tank you can really dress up your venue with balloons.
With helium balloons you can weigh them down with weights or let them float to the ceiling.

Helium Balloons – Anchored

Anchor balloons with balloon weights – or make your own. Make weights with a 1 foot square of mylar/wrapping paper/cellophane- filling with sand/candy/pebbles then bringing the 4 corners together and tying it up with ribbon.
It is very important to weigh your balloons down if you have them outside as balloons can wreak havoc with power lines (especially foil balloons). Helium Balloons can be given at the party’s end as party favours attached to a slap bracelet/ balloon weight, or tied to the child.

Helium Balloons – Floating

Float your helium balloons up to the ceiling (make sure the ceiling is not a rough/textured one).
Attach a long curling ribbon to the neck of the balloon and curl the ribbon over a scissor blade.
From the end of the ribbon attach a star/fish/shape made from mylar/ shiny paper, (punch a hole in the cutout first).
Send the balloon up to the ceiling and the star will dangle suspended in mid-air.

To make the balloons float a bit longer, tie the balloon neck tightly (and tie the ribbon below the balloon neck knot).

If you want the balloons to float longer than the standard 6-12 hours ( I’ve seen them float for 10 days!) squirt in some “HI-FLOAT” ( a water-based polymer that seals the inside of the balloon ).

Balloons will float longer in a cooler environment with high humidity.

Air-filled Balloons

To get the “helium balloons on the ceiling” look without the cost, tape balloons to the ceiling (no one will ever know).

You don’t need helium for fabulous balloon décor, Balloon “clouds” can be suspended from the ceiling with string and balloons can be wrapped around poles, wires, and tied into columns and arches.

To get the “helium balloon party favour” without the helium, use balloon “saucers and sticks”. The balloon is twisted around the cup-shaped “saucer” and then the balloon and saucer can be placed on the “stick”, you don’t even need to tie-off the balloon!

Proper Inflating of Balloons

All balloons should be the same size and be correctly inflated. A correctly inflated balloon is shaped like a water drop – not a light bulb (overinflated) and not round (underinflated).

Avoid blowing up all the balloons yourself… it will make you dizzy, and is unsanitary (especially if you have a cold).

It’s best to get a balloon pump. The Qualatex pump is fantastic … pictured below). (The tip is ridged to hold on to the balloon, the pump has a smooth durable operation and even a hidden storage in the pump itself to store balloons.

Streamers

Streamers can be used in many ways:
Green streamers can be ripped to different lengths and then crumpled/uncrumpled and hung from the ceiling as “seaweed” (undersea/mermaid/pirate theme).
Blue streamers can be twisted and draped for “water”.
Red streamers can be “fire” (fire fighter party).
Multi-coloured streamers can be rolled into “flowers” (princess/flower power party), and stuck to the wall or made into “bouquets”.
Streamers can be used as “room dividers” and make makeshift “tents/walkways”.
Orange/yellow streamers can be taped crisscrossed in a hallway as a “Laser beam Obstacle Course” (Spy Party).
Streamers can be used anywhere you need a splash of colour (even outside). Make streamers out of anything (coloured garbage bags, paper, fabric, etc.) Do be careful where you place them as streamers are not fireproof.