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Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations

August 27, 2012 2 Comments

Two of my favorite people on the planet (Tuesday of Muggy Tuesday and Jess of Milton & Margie’s Soy Wax Candles) and I have recently started a new business designing and making party decorations for everything from arts benefits to first birthday parties. This weekend was the first birthday party for one of our favorite clients, and it was HOT AIR BALLOON-themed. So, so, so cute! We made 15 unique hot air balloons, party bunting, and a photo booth backdrop for this party, and today, I want to show you how we made the hot air balloon decorations.

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Supplies

Chinese lanterns

acrylic paint

paint brush

string/fishing line

yarn or tapestry needle

ruler

scissors

packing tape

paper cut into a square (or origami paper, which comes square)

push pin

Directions

Paint your lantern however you like with acrylic craft paint. For the first birthday party, Tuesday chose our color palette, and we used different patterns and color combinations on each of the 15 lanterns we were commissioned to make. When your lanterns are painted, you’ll need to create paper baskets for them using square paper, packing tape, and string. Here’s how to make the baskets I designed…

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Fold your square piece of paper in thirds one way, and then the other, creating a tic tac toe board shape. I measured and marked where the exact lines should be so my thirds were perfectly even on both sides.

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Fold a diagonal line within each corner’s square on the sheet of paper, as shown.

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Fold the paper into a cube shape, securing the “basket” with packing tape.

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Use a bulletin board push pin to poke four holes on each of two sides of your basket. They should be the sides that aren’t thickened by the folded corners and tape (this will make your life easier – believe me, I made 15 of these).

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Sew your string through two of the holes, diagonally across the bottom and up the far side of the basket. I used some catfish-specific fishing line, but I realize not everyone has that stuff just laying around. Sturdy thread will work just fine too. Sew the other side, forming an “x” across the bottom of the basket.

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Then, tie the basket to the base of the lantern. The way I designed the string on the baskets makes them incredibly adjustable in case the baskets are looking crooked to you when they’re hung. The adjustable design totally saved our butts when we hung the lanterns since they were transported across Chicago in my car. The back seat was literally full to the ceiling with these cute bad boys!

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Setting up the party space

Tuesday and I handled setting up our decorations at the party venue, a perfectly weathered white space. Tuesday’s dress matched our ladder. :)

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

While we were both operating on significantly less sleep than anyone should use a ladder on, we had so much fun seeing everything come together. Check out some shots from our setup, and our sleepy attempts at making the most of the adorable photo booth backdrop Jess made for the event.

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

This is me being all “I haven’t slept like at all, but I’m trying to not look like I’m dying!”

How-to: Hot Air Balloon Party Decorations | HandsOccupied.com

Tuesday, equally tired, being way more adorable than I!

I can’t wait to see the professional photo booth and event photos! If I get permission, I’ll share some of the highlights. :)

Filed Under: Home Decor, How-to Tagged With: balloon party, chinese lanterns, hot air balloons, origami, paint, paper crafts

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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  1. 4.7.13 – Emily’s Baby Shower | phillypott says:
    April 9, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    […] Hot air balloon tutorial: Hands Occupied […]

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  2. Adventure Party Time | Make and Bake It says:
    May 13, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    […] going with the “Up” inspiration, I wanted to do some hot air balloon decorations. This site had a really helpful tutorial. All I had to buy was some paper lanterns and some string. I changed […]

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
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Have a good weekend, everyone! 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn’s Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica & Dragon’s Breath 
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#handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #wip #knitting
Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #continentalknitting #howtoknit #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #knit #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #knittinghack  #handknitting #handknit #norwegianpurling
Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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There’s more on the differences between picking and throwing in my latest blog post & You 2ube video - the l1nk is where you’d think!
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #knittingstyles #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitter
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