How to Make Clouds out of Balloons

Combine multiple colors of balloons in balloon clouds.

Balloon clouds, also known as Cloud 9 clusters, allow party hosts to create visually interesting party decorations with inexpensive materials. Balloon cloud creations consist of nine helium-filled balloons arranged in a decorative cluster. Customize these clusters to fit with a party's theme and color choices. Use plain, colored or patterned latex balloons to create specific combinations. Hang balloon clouds neatly around the perimeter of a room or suspended above tables as centerpieces.

Things You'll Need

• 11-inch pie plate
• Poster board
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Helium tank
• 9 latex balloons, various colors and patterns
• Fishing line
• Tape

Instructions

1. Trace an 11-inch pie plate on to the center of a piece of poster board. Remove the pie plate and cut out the circle from the poster board. This poster board, with the hole in the center, will serve as an aid for ensuring the balloons are all the same size.

2. Blow up one balloon using the helium tank. Before tying a knot in the tail of the balloon, fit it into the hole in the poster board. The widest part of the balloon should fit snugly inside the hole. Remove the balloon, add more helium if necessary and tie a knot in the tail. Cut a length of fishing line and tie it around the tail of the balloon. Secure the fishing line to a tabletop with a tape.

3. Blow up a second balloon, passing it through the sizer to ensure it is the same size as the first. Take the first balloon in your left hand. Tie the tails of the first and second balloons together so that the balloons are adjacent to one another. Tape the fishing line tail to the table again.

4. Repeat Steps 1, 2 and 3 to create a second two-balloon combination. Press the tail knots from both combinations together so that the four balloons form a cross. Take the fishing line tails from each side of the balloon cross and tie them in together in a tight knot. Repeat steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 to create a second cluster of four balloons. Tie a long piece of fishing line and secure it around the center of the second balloon cluster.

5. Fill up the last balloon. Tie a piece of fishing line around the knot. Take the first balloon cluster and push the end of the fishing line through the center of the tied tails. Take the second balloon cluster. Situate it directly below the first balloon cluster, rotated slightly so the four balloons of one cluster fit in the gaps between the balloons in the other cluster. Thread the fishing line tail from upward and tie it in a tight knot with the fishing line from top center balloon. Secure tightly and trim off the extra fishing line.

References

• Theme Parties N More: How to Make a Balloon Cloud
• Step by Step Balloon Decoration Guide: Balloon Clouds