Simple DIY Polka Dot Balloons

Looking for a super simple way to transform inexpensive helium balloons in to something special for a party? Polka dot balloons are so simple to make and can be made with a wide variety of materials, so keep this in mind next time you are thinking about how to enhance the party decor you’ve just whipped up for a special someone! I made these pastel polka dot balloons for my daughter’s 18th birthday a few weeks ago and they really did look amazing, especially given the minimal time investment. And just by the way, a few helium balloons tied to a base of some kind can make a wonderful and very cost conscious centerpiece for a wide variety of occassions, especially for example bar mitzvah centerpieces, bat mitzvah centerpieces, family reunion centerpieces, brit milah centerpieces and more of course. I was looking for an airy bright look so I choose white balloons, but you can certainly go with a dark colored balloon and white or metallic polka dots, which could look festive and sophisticated and downright amazing! Okay, lets delve into polka dot balloons just a bit deeper…..

You’ll Need:

• three helium balloons per centerpiece, with long ribbon tails
• something to weigh down the balloons, like a mason jar with a candle, a beautiful glass filled with colored water or stones, etc.
• polka dot stickers, or polka dots cut or punched from sticker back craft foam (in my case) or contact paper or any kind of label
• something to rest balloon on, like a pot or small open garbage can
• scissors if cutting dots yourself

How To:

1. First of all, the resulting look is greatly affected by the size of the polka dots, small dots are elegant and sweet, large dots are louder and festive
2. Either cut your own dots or use stickers
3. If you are planning to do a whole bunch of balloons, I’d do one first as a test to see how to space out the dots, or even measure with a measuring tape to get the dot placement somewhat accurate. Don’t stress out though it does not have to be perfect!
4. I’d suggest placing balloon into a small vessel to help hold balloon level while you apply stickers, rotating balloon horizontally as you go. I needed about 20 dot stickers per balloon, for these smallish balloons, and truthfully you don’t need to cover either the very top or the very bottom, and lots of space between dots looks nice I think, unless you go for something very random, with areas of crowded dots next to areas of sparse dots……you decide!
5. Because I used the sparkle sticker back craft foam I had on hand, the balloons also matched the traditional birthday crown, yippee!

I hope this has expanded your horizons as far as using balloons for creative party decor, it is always about either planning ahead or pulling these quick tricks out of your sleeve, the later generally being what happens at CJM headquarters, and that is just fine too, though certainly more stressful. Such is life, enjoy!