Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Balloon vase


Materials: balloons, an air pump and scissors.

Buy balloons on Amazon (paid link): 
 Buy an air pump on Amazon (paid link): 

We can make vase of different size and various shapes working with as little as 2 and more balloons. Also, we can use different waving techniques to make different color patterns. In this particular example I am going to use 2 sets of 6 balloons to make a vase or a cup working in the same or similar way as described in previously published instructions: Balloon CakeBalloon Surfboard , Balloon Furniture , Balloon Umbrella and some other instructions. Inflate 12 balloons leaving about 8 cm flat tails (Pic 1). In this example I am going to use balloons of rainbow colors. You can use balloons of any colors or work with just one color.

Start with the set of 6 balloons. We are going to work all balloons in the same way. All bubbles of one row we have to make of the same size. Twist the first purple about 6 cm bubble. Lock the free end of the 1st purple bubble with the nozzle of the next (blue) balloon (Pic 2). 

Work in this way to connect together all 6 balloons. The free end of the last bubble of this row we lock with the nozzle of the first balloon. We have made the first row (Pic 3).

All connection bubbles between all rows we have to make of the same about 1 - 2 cm size. Keep in mind that making connection bubbles of any large size will leave visible gapes between rows. Twist the 2nd about 1 - 2 cm bubble. It is the connection bubble between rows. I am going to gradually increase size of row bubbles ( adding about 2 -3 cm) in the next 3 rows. Then I am going to decrease size of row bubbles of the following rows (making them about 2 - 3 cm shorter). As a result we will have approximately round shape bowl.
Twist the 3rd about 8 cm bubble. It is the row bubble of the 2nd row (Pic 4). Please note: in this example all even number bubbles of each balloon are connection bubbles. All odd number bubbles of each balloon are the row bubbles.

Lock the free end of the 3rd yellow bubble with the free end of the 2nd orange bubble (Pic 5). 

I am going to connect all bubbles of each row working in the same direction (Pic 6 though 8). Keep in mind that changing directions in which you connect bubbles will result in different color pattern. In order to connect the last and the first bubbles of the same row you have to force the end of the last balloon through the loop between bubbles of the first balloon.


We have made the 2nd row.

Make the 4th yellow connection bubble. Then twist the 5th yellow about 10 -11 cm bubble. Twists the 4th orange connection bubble. Lock the free end of the 4th orange bubble with the free end of the 5th yellow bubble (Pic 9).

Work the rest of the 3rd row in the same way (Pic 10).

Make bubbles of the 4th row about 12 -13 cm long (Pic 11 and 12).


I am going to decrease size of bubbles starting from the 5th row. Make the 5th row bubbles about 10 - 11 cm long, the same size as bubbles of the 3rd row (Pic 13).

Make the bubbles of the 6th row about 8 - 9 cm long, the same size as bubbles of the 2nd row (Pic 14).

Make the bubbles of the 7th row about 7 cm long. the same size as bubbles of the 1st row (Pic 15 - 17). Congratulations, we have made a pot or bowl. You can cut off the rest of the balloons and tie off the ends.



Attach the second set of 6 balloons to the ends where you cut off the first balloons (Pic 18).

Make the bubbles of the 8th row about 6 cm long (Pic 19).

Make the bubbles of the 9th row about 4 - 5 cm (Pic 20).

Make the bubbles of the 10th row about 2 cm long (Pic 21 and 22). Make sure the size of connection bubbles between the 9th and 10th row is less than 2 cm. 

We are making vase with narrow neck.

Make bubbles of the 11th row less than 2 cm (Pic 23).

Make bubbles of the 12th row less than 2 cm. I am going to increase size of bubbles starting from the 13th row. Make bubbles of the 13th row about 4 cm long (Pic 24 and 25).


Make the bubbles of the 14th row about 6 cm (Pic 26 and 27).


At this point I am going to finish the vase. We can use rest parts of the balloons to make flower shape at the top of the vase (Pic 28 and 29). Also, the petals can represent handles on top of the vase.


We can place objects inside of the vase through the hole at the bottom of the vase (Pic 30). Relatively heavy object placed inside of the vase helps to balance vase on the flat surface.

We can cut off rest of the balloons on the top of the vase and tie off the ends (Pic 31).

Congratulations, we have made the vase (Pic 32 and 33).


We can flip the sculpture upside-down to make a cup (Pic 34 and 35).


Here is and example of sculpture made of pink balloons (Pic 36 and 37). In this example I made 12 rows. Have fun and happy twisting :)



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