Spring Project

So i found this great craft/decorating idea on Pinterest (dont you just love this site!!!) It was an Easter Egg Garland! I knew right away i had to try it!  But i opted for a more spring like approach, and less holidayish!

The original post called for liquid starch, but i made my own out of water and cornstarch.  I used about a 1/3 cup of corn starch and a cup of water... just mix it til its like a creamy consistency.  I also added in a big glob of elmers glue, just to make sure it would be good and sticky and strong! But you can easily just use liquid starch with flour and mix that too!

Next, i got some embroidery floss. I wanted to use really bright and vibrant colors for spring, but really you can use any color you want! I read you could also use cotton thread, or crochet thread too.  My next attempt is going to be twine! But the Embroidery floss is great and very cheap! i purchased like 10 colors for under $4!

Then you want to carefully unwind your string into the starch mixture, dont just glop it in there, but unwind it carefully so it doesnt get knotted up! (trust me on this one! i know!!! lol) Make sure your thread is fully covered in the goo! ( i know i know, it's very messy!!)

Also just a tip here, i lined my table with foil... but you could use wax paper too.... just makes it easier to clean up and the balloons wont stick to it!

Oh don't forget to blow up your balloons! obviously you can make them as big or as small as you want them! Mine turned out to be about 4 inches in diameter and it was a nice size to hang! But i might try smaller ones next time. 

Then take one end of the string and just start wrapping it around your balloon.  Be sure to cover all the areas to make it stronger! I ended up using 2 skeins of Embroidery Floss per balloon, because 1 didnt seem enough.  Again, you will know as you are wrapping it around.  Also use the thread whole, it comes in 6ply, but dont take it apart, it will be too thin!

It’ll take several hours for it to dry. I let mine dry over night, and it was perfect. Once it dries, pop the balloon. You might have crusty stuff in-between the string, You can just kind of scrap it out with your fingers or a needle or straight pin.

You could stick them in a bowl to display, But i wanted to hang mine! I just took a bit more of the embroidery floss and threaded it through one end.  I tied a knot at the top of each ball, so they stayed in place, and this worked perfectly! 

I really want to try it again, now that i know what i'm doing! I can see all kinds of fun colors too - Red and Blue for 4th of July, christmas colors... i think it would be super cute with a string of white lights too!

 Let me know if you try it! i'd love to see pictures!