You will need:
- Red, White and Blue Yarn
- 5 inch balloons – you can get them from a party store like Party City.
- 2 large bottles of white Elmer’s Glue
- Petroleum Jelly
- Wire
- String Lights
- Water
Step one: Blow up the balloons!
Step two:
Rub petroleum jelly all over each ballon so that they won’t stick to the yarn after they shrink or get popped.
Step three:
Prepare the yarn and the glue. I wrapped the yarn around my hand about 10-12 times and then cut it. If you make the strands too long they will tangle. I used 2-3 strands on each balloon. Mix 2/3 glue to 1/3 water and stir until smooth.
Step four:
Soak a strand of glue (a little less saturations than shown here is best) and then loosely tie one end to the tip of the balloon and wrap around the balloon in all directions. Use 2-3 strands of yarn for each ballon. Mix the colors if you like or keep them all one color. It’s up to you.
Step five:
Allow these creations to dry for 48 hours. Tie string between 2 chairs and hang them on with clothes pins or use a drying rack with a clothespin and yarn system. Put something under them to catch the drips.
Step six:
After 48 hours remove the balloon from the yarn balls. Most likely the balloons will have shrunk.
Step seven:
You could:
- Place in a basket or bowl to decorate for your 4th of July party
- String them together to make a 4th of July Garland
- Use some thin wire to attach your string lights to the inside of each yarn ball
- Use some thin wire to attach your string lights to a red, white or blue garland
For extra insight on this project go to www.ehow.com/patriotic_string_lights
I hope you enjoy making these for your special 4th of July event!
