How to Make a Bow Out of Bubbles
Whether you're entertaining children or having some fun yourself, creating glossy liquid bubbles in the air is an easy and inexpensive activity to do outdoors. Add flair to this activity by creating bubbles in the shape of a bow. It's fairly easy to make your own bubble wand, requiring little more than some bending wire and pliers. When the wand is finished, dip it in homemade bubble mix and move it through the air to create your own bow-shaped bubbles.
Things You'll Need
- Vinyl-clad steel wire
- Needle-nose pliers
- Flat cooking sheet or pan
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup liquid dish washing soap
- 1/3 cup corn syrup
Instructions
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1
Select a piece of vinyl-clad steel wire that's between 36 and 40 inches long. This material, which can be purchased from hardware stores, will be used to create both the handle and the shape of your bubble wand.
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2
Hold the bottom of the wire with one hand. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to bend the very top edge of the wire back onto itself to create a 1/2 inch hook.
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3
Grip the top end of the wire, just below the hook, with the pliers. Twist the pliers out and downward to begin creating a circle shape at the top of the wire. Keep leading and bending the wire in a circle shape until the top end of the wire touches a third of the way down the wire. Loop the hook around the wire at this point. Press the pliers around the outside of the hook to cinch it closed. Use your hands to shape the bent wire into a more rounded circle that is about 6 to 8 inches in diameter.
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4
Place the pliers in the top center of the circle. Bend the center of the wire straight downward until the top center sits about 1 inch above where the wire was hooked. This will begin shaping the two halves of the bow.
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Lay the wire wand on a flat surface. Place your fingers 1 inch apart on the top right corner of the bow shape. Pinch your fingers together until the wire bends into a pointed corner of the bow. Do the same at the bottom right corner of the bow. Repeat the process on the left side. You will now have the shape of a simple bow, which looks similar to two triangles with its points meeting in the middle.
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6
Create a hook at the bottom end of the wire using the pliers, to being making the handle. Bend the wire upward, making a tight oval shape that's 4 inches long. Hook the wire in place and cinch it with the pliers. You will now have the completed wand, with the bow shape on top and an oval handle at the bottom.
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7
Select a cooking sheet or pan with raised edges that can hold liquids. Pour 3 cups of water, 1 cup of liquid dish washing soap and 1/3 cups of corn syrup into the pan. Gently mix the liquids together, but do not agitate the ingredients so much that the soap begins to bubble.
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Dip the bow shape of the wand flat into the bubble mix. Take it out of the mix and ensure there is a thin film of the liquid across the surface of the bow shape. Wave the wand through the air to create a bow-shaped bubble.
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Tips & Warnings
Instead of using vinyl-clad steel wire, create bubble wands with pipe cleaners.
References
- Photo Credit George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images
