Cupcake Wrapper Decorated Balloon

Decorate a balloon with cupcake liners - so fun!

Introducing my cupcake wrapper balloon! As of today, Design Improvised is officially on summer break, and I figured what better way to make the announcement than with a giant summer balloon…decorated with cupcake wrappers!

Last July I took a month long break from blogging in order to slow things down and enjoy some less hectic time with my daughters before school started up again. It was just the break I needed to catch my breath, soak in a bit of summer, and spark my creativity for a new round of projects. I enjoyed it so much I plan to make it an annual tradition at Design Improvised!

It hit me the other day that Stella is starting Kindergarten in just 6 short weeks. I’m anxious to enjoy that precious time with her and Hazel…and that requires me shutting my computer!

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In the meantime, read on to see how you can decorate a balloon with cupcake wrappers!

Supplies for Cupcake Wrapper Balloons

Giant 36″ balloon (you can also try smaller 16″ or even 12″ balloons – the cupcake wrappers are light enough the balloons should be able to hold them without sinking)
Colorful cupcake wrappers
Yarn or string
Large needle
Mod Podge (not shown)
Foam brush (not shown)

How to Decorate Balloons with Cupcake Liners

1. Inflate your balloon with helium (warning – a giant balloon will use a lot of helium! I used part of a large personal tank to inflate mine, but you an also have a party store inflate it. Or use smaller balloons!).

2. Tie your balloon to a length of yarn or string. Thread the string through a large needle and start stringing on cupcake wrappers by alternating their direction each time. I chose two of the same pattern to face into each other. Keep adding more until you have as many cupcake wrappers as you want on your balloon string. If the wrappers don’t stay up on their own, you can secure them in place with a small piece of tape or a dab of hot glue on the bottom of the last cupcake wrapper.

3. If you want to create a word on the balloons using cupcake wrapper letters, just flatten them and cut them out freehand like I did. If you want something more exact, you can trace a letter template onto the cupcake wrapper and cut out. Or just leave the balloon blank and only decorate the string with cupcake wrappers!

4. Apply an even layer of Mod Podge to the back of the cupcake wrapper letter using a foam brush. Carefully place the letter where you want it on the balloon and then tap down with your fingers. Avoid getting Mod Podge from your fingers on other parts of the balloon. Repeat with the other letters to “glue” them on.

That’s it! As I mentioned above, this should work with smaller 12″-16″ balloons as well if you don’t want to use a giant one. Just string on fewer cupcake wrappers if they start to weigh the balloon down.