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Thursday, January 23, 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.

These festive decorations are versatile and can be used in a variety of settings. They look nice in wedding reception halls, as a photo back-drop for high school proms, and even on parade floats. It may only take at most an hour to make one, and it does not have to cost a lot of money.

Using high quality latex balloons will ensure that the structure stays looking its best for longer. Generally, three or four balloon per each foot of the arch's length is the rule. Sometimes all one color of balloons may be used, but most often a pattern of alternating colors or designs is featured, this is an effective way to create a theme, for instance Valentine's Day or Halloween. Since balloons break easily, it's best to buy more than one needs.

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.

In order to choose the proper size arch, the area where it is to be placed should be measured. If the height and width are the same, the arch's length should be 1/2 the width plus the height. Those which are wider than they are tall, just add these two dimensions to determine the length, and for those which are taller than they are wide multiply the height by two and add the width.

When helium balloons are used, secure a piece of fishing line across the intended place for the arch. As the balloons are blown up and tied, they can be added to the fishing line in desirable intervals. It may be easier to do this with two people working on it. The entire structure should start to rise. Another way to do this is to tie balloons together in twos and couple these with another two to make groups 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.

Wire the arch to the wall, ceiling, doorframe, or a nearby piece of furniture. Finally, extra decorative accents can be added to balloon arches to make them look even fancier such as ribbons, flowers, streamers, and even a string of mini-lights as long as they don't get too hot and contact the balloons directly, causing them to pop.




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