Interesting Crafts Made from Balloons
Updated on October 19, 2016
Balloons are a lot of fun in and of themselves, but they’re also a super versatile crafting tool! Until I started searching for options because I had leftover balloons from a party I had recently, I hadn’t even clued in to all of the different things I could make with them. Now I’m just really excited to get crafting with those spares!
As usualy, I figured I’d share my crafter’s joy with you. Check out my 15 favourite things that you can make with balloons of all shapes, sizes, and colours.
1. “Fire and ice” lantern
Madin Crafts guides you through the process of creating a frozen orb or ice by filling a balloon with water, letting it freeze, and then peeling the balloon off. Place the resulting ice sphere on your flat walkway lights and suddenly you have an awesome and almost eerie winter glow!
2. Giant balloon lollipops
Parents.com suggests throwing your little one a super colourful Candy Land themed birthday party, complete with a rainbow path surrounded by giant lollipops! Those lollipops, of course, are made from balloons wrapped carefully in plastic gift wrap. I like this idea so much that I almost want to put giant lollipops all over my house for no reason.
3. Macrame balloons
Balloons that are hung outside won’t last forever, particularly if bad weather springs up, but for the amount of time that they’re there, they’ll look great! I adore the idea of wrapping a nice, big, brightly coloured balloon in some equally colourful yarn macrame. It’s simple, it’s cheap to make, and it’s outlined in full right on You Are My Fav.
4. Lace doily candle votive
Sarah Crafted guides you through the process of using decoupage techniques to create a rounded lace votive for a tea light candle. Paste lace doilies across the rounded bottom of the balloon and set it aside to dry. Pop the balloon and carefully peel the rubber off of the inside and voila! A pretty little bowl awaits your candlelight.
5. Apple tree Halloween costume
You’ve probably seen the popular Halloween costume idea where balloons are attached all over a purple outfit to make the person look like a bushel of grapes, but maybe you’ve done that one before! Instead, try turning one of your children into a cute little apple tree, just like Lullaby & La La did. Dress them in brown pants, a green shirt and gloves, paint their face green, and then stick small, rounded red balloons all over the shirt!
6. Twine ball lights
Remember those decoupage techniques we talked about for the lace and balloon votive? Well, you’ll use similar techniques here to create adorable string orbs that you can hang as plain decor on their own or weave a length of twinkly little lights through so they glow through the spaces in the string. Check out how it’s done on Splash of Something.
7. Balloon “dipped” mason jars
Do you love the look of paint dipped decor and accessories, but you find that the paint chips off after a while on things you use often? Then you’ll be a huge fan of this balloon rubber alternative from Brit + Co. They teach you how to cut the balloon and cover the bottom of the jar in whatever colour you please.
8. Water balloon “pinatas”
Are your kids becoming restless in the height of summer, getting bored and sweaty in the heat? Thinking of DIY projects and games for them is a great way to keep them busy, but finding ways that will cool them down too is the best bet! I love this water balloon “pintata” idea so much that I think I might do it myself next time it gets too hot outside. Fill balloons with water, attach them all along a string, and hand the kids a broomstick or baseball bat to burst each one with, just like they’d swing at a pinata. Check the whole idea out on It Will Change your life.
9. Extra strong bouncy ball
Bouncy balls are always a lot of fun but whenever I played with them as a kid, I found they had a tendency to bounce behind things and disappear. Instead of always running to the dollar store to buy your kids new rubber balls that will also just get lost in a few hours, make them an extra strong DIY one that’s a little bigger and therefore less likely to get lost! The Idea Room shows you how to make one out of a durable rubber balloon!
10. Balloon fruit garland
Are you throwing a bright summer party or perhaps a birthday luau? Then you’ll probably have at least some colourful fruit decor and if you don’t, I think you’ll want to after you see these cute balloon garlands! Oh Happy Day shows you how to make simple balloon fruit and string them up in the air all across the party.
11. Floral hot air balloon centre piece
Wedding Bee is full of adorable wedding dinner centre piece ideas, but this might be my favourite one I’ve ever seen on there. Take a basket and fill it with flowers, then follow the tutorial to create a macrame net around a balloon filled with helium. The balloon will float in place above the table all night, anchored by the flowers so it doesn’t float away.
12. Light up balloons
Brit + Co.‘s light up balloon idea is such a cool spin on classic party balloons that I’d probably make these myself just to enjoy until they deflated. Check out how they created the coolest party decor for a space themed kids’ party by putting small, battery powered LED lights inside balloons before filling them with helium.
13. DIY balloon drop
Have you ever been at a big sporting event or state fair and witnessed a balloon drop? They’re an absolute blast and totally easy to recreate! Blow up the balloons yourself rather than using helium so that they’ll drop to the ground instead of floating away, and then follow the instructions on Been There, Pinned That to tie them up in a colourful plastic table cloth and drop them down over the kids at the end of a birthday party.
14. Tin can drum set
Are you trying to encourage your kids to be musical and practice their rhythm, but they’re still little and not quite ready to take up real instruments? Make them these adorable little tin can drums instead! This Pinterest post suggests stretching a piece of balloon across the top and fastening it with elastic bands, then letting your kids drum on the top with a spoon or a chopstick. The rubber will make a fun boinging sound.
15. Balloon ice cubes
A Subtle Revelry has the perfect idea for an adult’s birthday party that’s thrown in the classic style of a kids’ party just for fun! Instead of placing your drinks and bottles in tubs of ice to keep cool between serving guests or having to walk back and forth from the freezer all night, fill a bucket or dish with balloon ice cubes! They’re simple to make; just fill little water balloons with water and place them in the freezer until they’re nice and solid. The best part, besides how fun they look, is that they’re reusable!
Have you created other awesome DIY balloon crafts that you really enjoyed but that you don’t see on my list? Tell everyone how you made them or link us to pictures in the comments section!