Instructions for
"String of Pearls"
What you need for a 'String of Pearls':
- 11" high quality latex balloons, color of your choice (in our example
we used 'Qualatex' white),
- curling ribbon 5mm,
- nylon line 0.5mm,
- two pre-prepared bases- can be covered bricks or hired stauchions
- helium,
- Balloon Sizer- can be a bowl or cut out cardboard with an 11" hole
- a good pair of scissors.
Step 1: Attaching the Nylon Line to the Base
Take one end of the nylon line and connect it to the first base. Unroll as much
of the line as you need, but don't cut it at this point, until you have all your
balloons attached. Not only will it make the arch easier to handle, but you also
eliminate the risk of winding up short on the length.
Unless you have an assistant to hold the other end of the
line, you can stretch it out between two chairs and temporarily tie it off. This
will save you wrestling with the line as you're attaching your balloons and give
you a comfortable working height.
Step Two: Inflating the Balloons and Attaching them to the
Line
Take the first of your balloons and inflate it with helium,
keeping a firm grip around the neck (fig. 2). Check its size with your balloon
sizer and inflate or deflate as needed (fig. 3).
Now comes the tricky part, knotting the balloon directly onto
the line. It's pretty much the same as tying a normal knot in the balloon except
that as you stretch out the neck the line should be running over the top of it
(fig. 4). And as you start tying, the knot will form around the line (fig.
5).Sure, it's a bit fiddly, but by the time you come to your last balloon you'll
be doing it like a 'pro'!
The first balloon of your floating arch is in place. Let's continue with ...
Step Three: Adding the Remaining Balloons and Curling Ribbons
Position your first balloon on the nylon line about 10 to 15cm
above the base. If you wet the nylon line with your fingers, you'll find the
balloon slides along very easily.
Take about 1m of your curling ribbon and tie it to the neck of
the balloon, so that you are left with two equal lengths hanging from it (fig.
6). Now curl the ribbons, using the open blades of your scissors. We recommend
doing this for each balloon as you go along, but you may prefer to wait until
all the balloons are attached.
Inflate and attach your second balloon as explained in step two
above. Then position it so that it's just touching the first balloon (fig. 7).
Repeat Steps Two and Three for all your remaining
balloons. Your 'String of Pearls' is almost finished. All you need to do now is
to cut the nylon line from the roll, leaving about a meter to play with and
attach it to the second base with a temporary knot.
With your arch in its final position, stand back and check that
you're happy with the height and the spacing of the balloons. Make any
adjustments, if necessary, and then finally tie your securing knots on the base.
Congratulations! You've created a beautiful 'String of
Pearls', that's sure to impress your guests.
Sidebar:
There are many ways to add extra touches. In our example we crowned the arch
with a red mylar heart to tie in with the theme of this decoration.
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