DIY Weather Balloon Signage

This week and next week I wanted to share some of the elements from the Kirtsy Party and art auction I helped with at Blogher. I had gotten the idea to re-purpose weather balloons for party elements. Weather Balloons aren't like regular balloons. They miraculously can carry weight and they last a few days longer than regular balloons. Also, depending on what size you get can be expensive. In this project I show how to make signs held up completely by weather balloons. This idea is perfect for a party or wedding. Here is how you do it.



Materials needed: Weather Balloons, Poster, String, Tape, Two straws, Glue.

Step 1. Order a Large Weather Balloon $10. I tested a few sizes (my favorite kind of science includes tests with balloons) and have found that the 30 gram and 100 gram work best. These come in Red, Black and White. Here I use a 30 gram which run $10/balloon. (If you use 30 Gram make sure you fill it up as much as possible to get good results. Don't be skimpy on the helium!)

Step 2. Make the sign. My favorite (and cheapest) way to do this is to decide the dimensions of the sign. (We used a 14" x 60" here.) And then have it printed in black and white at a store like Kinkos. It costs about $7. Then paint in colors with craft paint. (If you are painting a border ask them not to trim the poster so that you can paint it then trim it.)
Step 3. Get two straws and put one at the top and one at the bottom by gluing and folding the paper over the straw . This keeps the paper taut so the corners don't bend.
Step 4. Fill the balloon up with helium and tie a thin string around the base.
Step 5. Tape the string to the top and bottom of the poster.
Step 6. Fasten the bottom of the string to something heavy we just taped it to the ground.

Notes on Filling it up with helium: Most balloon shops are wary of filling up any strange shaped balloons. Usually it takes some prodding and you have to confirm you only want it filled up three feet wide. If you are doing more than one it is usually easier to just rent a helium tank. With any project like this its best to test it out before the big day so it turns out how you want it. The one kicker is if it is windy at all this won't work. The whole concept of weather balloons gets me really excited and I have lots of ideas I want to try!