mardi 21 janvier 2014

Balloon Arches Add Festive Fun To Any Celebration

By Judy Sullivan


Balloon arches are the perfect touch to any party decorations. They add color and whimsy to a room, stage, or anywhere else they are used. Some people may choose to enlist the skill of a professional party planner to install such an arrangement, but it is possible to make one without spending a lot of time or money.

There are so many variations of balloon arches that they are extremely versatile and can look great in just about any decorated room for any occasion. Parade floats, wedding reception halls, as a background for high-school prom photos, are just a few examples. Materials needed to build one typically don't cost much, and it should only take at most an hour of one's time.

High quality latex balloons should be used, since they are less likely to leak or break. Three or four balloons for each foot of arch are typically needed, one color alone can be used, or a pattern of multicolored balloons can be formed for a particular occasion like Valentine's Day, or Halloween. It's a good idea to buy more balloons than less, as some are bound to break.

Either helium or regular air can be used to fill balloons. Helium does not last as long, since it slowly leaks out, but should be fine if the arch is needed for less than 24 hours. All balloons should be blown up to the same size and the size of the balloons used should be determined by how big the arch is.

The location of the arch will need to be measured to determine the total length it should be. When the height and width of the space are equal, the arch length needs to be 1/2 the width plus the height. In a case where the location is wider than tall, add the height and width, and if it's taller than wide, add the width to the height multiplied by two.

If working with helium balloons, these can be tied onto a piece of fishing line that is placed along the intended site for the arch in the pattern which is desired, a task most easily done by two people. The balloon chain will gradually start to lift off the ground as it's formed. Or, another approach is to tie balloons to each other in twos, and then attach another pair to make a cluster of four.

The framework which the balloon chain or clusters are fastened onto can be made using PVC pipes for the sides and a bent piece of aluminum rod for the top of the arch and joining these components with electrical tape. After all balloons have been secured to the frame, some weight should be added to anchor it down, sand bags or bricks placed behind the lowest balloons work well.

Balloon arches should be wired to either some adjacent furniture, the wall, ceiling, or door frame when completed. If desired, some extra trimmings can be added such as flowers, streamers, ribbons, or a set of mini-lights, provided they don't directly touch the balloons, making them pop.




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