Total Time Needed: Afternoon Or Evening
You may want a few of these elegant ornaments for your own home, so make sure your crafter creates a few extra. If you're lucky enough to live somewhere hot and humid this time of year, crank up the air conditioning before beginning to work: you'll get the best results in a cool, dry environment.
Materials
- Newspaper
- 9-inch round helium-quality balloon
- 2 plastic cups or yogurt containers
- Scissors
- 3 to 3 1/2 yards of 1/4- to 5/8-inch-wide satin or similar-weight ribbon (no curling or sheer ribbon)
- Measuring cup, water
- White glue, such as Elmer's (regular, not washable)
- Craft stick or paint stirrer
- String or yarn
Instructions
- Have your crafter cover her work area with newspaper, then inflate a balloon to 3 or 4 inches in diameter, tie it closed, and set the balloon on an upright cup or yogurt container.
- Help your child cut 8 to 10 ribbons (the wider the ribbon, the fewer she'll need), each one long enough to wrap completely around the balloon with 1 inch of overlap.
- In the second plastic cup or container, use the craft stick to mix together 1/2 cup of glue with 1/4 cup of water. Help your child dip the ribbons, one at a time, into the glue mixture, squeezing any excess back into the cup. Starting at the top, she should snugly wrap each ribbon completely around the balloon, avoiding the balloon's knot and smoothing out any wrinkles. Have her wrap the last ribbon around the middle of the balloon, equator style.
- Set the ornament on the container and allow it to dry completely, turning it every 1 to 2 hours. When it has dried, help your elf carefully poke at the balloon with a pencil eraser to separate it from the ribbons, then pop the balloon with a pin and remove it. Tie a piece of string or yarn to the top of the ornament for a hanger. To add a bow, thread a length of ribbon through the bottom of the ornament. Tie the ribbon into a bow, dip it into the glue mixture, and hang the ornament over newspaper to dry.
