How to Make a Balloon Arch

Making a Basic Balloon Arch

Find or create a wire base. Use wire cutters to cut a long piece of sturdy wire to the length and height you want the arch to be. You can also purchase a balloon arch kit from the store, and use the wire frame from there. Because wire gets flimsier the longer you cut it, this method is best used for smaller arches.

Anchor the arch. Stick the ends of the arch into a bucket filled with gravel, pebbles, or sand. If you bought a pre-made arch from the store, it may already have a flat, base or platform. In this case, place something heavy, such as a brick or cinderblock on the base to weigh it down. Add a thin layer of colored sand or pebbles to your bucket. This will hide the plain sand or pebbles. Wrap bricks or cinderblocks in paper that matches your balloons. You can also paint them to match the base of your balloon arch.

Blow up four balloons with a balloon pump. They can all be the same color, or they can be different ones. Tie the tail end of each balloon into a knot as soon as you finish blowing it up. Try to make each balloon the same size. Use a regular pump for this method, not a helium tank. You don't have to use a balloon pump for this, but your lungs may get tired after a while.

Tie two balloons together by the tails in a double-knot. If you are having trouble with this, you can tie the balloons together using string instead. Repeat this step for the remaining two balloons. You should now have two balloon pairs.

Twist the balloon pairs together to make a clover shape. Place your first set of balloons over the second one in a cross shape. Pull the bottom two balloons upward. Pull the left one to the right, and the right one to the left. You will have something that looks like a four-leaf clover. Alternatively, you can tie the balloons together in a cross shape with some string.

Tie or twist the balloons to your wire. Pull the balloon clover against the wire. Make sure that the wire is resting against the knot in the middle of the clover. Twist the two adjacent balloons together so that they close in front of the wire. You can also secure the balloons to the wire with string or colorful ribbon.

Repeat the process to make more rows. Blow four balloons at a time. Twist them into sets, then twist the sets together to make a clover. Slide the clover onto the wire, just above the bottom row of balloons, and secure it. Keep doing this until the wire is filled. You can use all the same color or you can alternate colors. Stagger the balloons. Let the balloons in row two rest in the cracks between the balloons in row one.

Making a Floating Arch

Tie a long piece of fishing line to a balloon weight. Choose a balloon weight that matches your color scheme. Wrap the end of the fishing line a few times around the handle, then tie it into a secure knot. Don't tie down the other end yet. If you can't find any fishing line, use white string instead. You can also use balloon ribbon that matches your color scheme. If you are making a large balloon arch, tie the string to a bucket handle instead. Fill the bucket with sand, gravel or pebbles. You can also tie string to a cinderblock if you are making a large balloon arch.

Inflate a balloon using a helium tank. Unlike other arches, this arch relies on floating balloons for structure. Blow up your first balloon using the tank, then tie off the tail end. You can buy a helium tank from a party supply store or an arts and crafts store. Some places will also allow you to rent them instead.

Tie the fishing line to the balloon. Measure up abut 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) from your weight. Wrap the string around the tail end of the balloon, just above the knot, then tie it in a secure, double-knot.

Continue inflating and tying the balloons to the string. Place the balloons close enough so that they bump against each other on the sides. Work from one end of the string to the other. Leave about 12 to 14 inches (30.48 to 35.56 centimeters) of space at the end of the string empty. If you used a cinderblock as your anchor, you will need to leave enough string to feed it through the holes on the block and tie it off.

Anchor the other end of the string. Measure 12 inches (30.48 centimeters) from the last balloon. Wrap the string a few times around the handle of your balloon anchor, then tie it into a secure knot.

Add ribbon to the bottom of each balloon, if desired. This is a cute touch that will make it look like the balloons are floating in an orderly fashion. Cut a length of balloon curling ribbon in a contrasting color, then tie it to the bottom of each balloon. For extra flair, use a pair of scissors to curl the ribbon.

Decorate heavier balloon anchors, if desired. Small balloon anchors often look like little gift boxes and are pretty enough on their own. If you used a bucket or cinderblock to anchor a large arch, however, you may want to decorate it. Here are some ideas: Cover cinderblocks with wrapping paper. Paint the bucket with spray paint or acrylic paint. Fill the top layer of your bucket with colored sand or gravel. Tuck flowers into the bucket or cinderblock.

Making a Mounted Arch

Use wire cutters to cut chicken wire for your arch. How long you cut the chicken wire depends on how wide and how tall you want your arch to be. If the chicken wire is very wide, you may want to cut it narrower. This will make it easier to bend and curve it into an arch shape.

Bend the chicken wire into the shape you want it to be. It can be a perfect arch or a warped one. If you need to, loosely crumple or fold the wire in half lengthwise to make it thinner.

Secure the arch to your wall. You can do this with nails, thumb tacks, or pushpins. Start at one end of the chicken wire and work your way upwards to the peak, then work your way back down to the other end. The arch does not have to be perfectly symmetrical. Try a warped arch for a more organic design.

Blow up your balloons using a balloon pump. For a more interesting design, blow up balloons in different sizes and colors. Try some water balloons, regular balloons, and jumbo balloons. You can also blow up regular balloons with varying amounts of air. Do not use a helium tank for this. You can blow the balloons up with your mouth, but your lungs may get tired.

Secure the first balloon to the base of the arch. Place a glue dot to the tail end of the balloon, just below the knot. Wrap the tail behind the wire, then press it against the knot. Hold the tail and knot together for about 10 seconds before letting go. This ensures a secure bond. You can find glue dots in the scrapbooking section or an arts and crafts store. They are dots of glue that come on a strip. Peel them off one at a time as you use them.

Attach the next balloon in a similar fashion. Make sure that you place it close enough to the first balloon so that they are touching. Find the spot where the two balloons touch, then place another glue dot between them.

Work your way around the arch. Create clusters of balloons. Start with the larger ones first, then work your way towards the smaller ones. You can even place smaller balloons over larger ones using glue dots.

Consider adding fillers. Dried or fresh flowers work especially well for this, but you can use fake ones too. You can also tuck some colorful ribbon in between the balloons instead. This is also a great way to hide any gaps and give your balloon arch a more organic feel. Secure the flowers to the chicken wire with glue dots or string. Make sure that the flowers don't have any thorns. If they do, cut them off with a crafting blade.