Cheapie balloon bags

Hey. Happy New Year.

The first year I had to do the New Year's eve party I invested in balloon bag kits. They were kind of expensive, hung too low from the ceiling and really didn't work very well.

So, the next year I had to think of something else.

I am sure that this was not an original idea. Probably a thousand and one activity directors are rolling their eyes saying "DUHHH".

But anyway - you can make a kind of o.k. balloon bag out of a cheap, plastic, dollar store  tablecloth.

Here we go: Get yourself a plastic tablecloth. Unfold it until it is halved. Then put one or two little slits in it.

Lay it out

Then bunch the ends and tie w/ribbon

Then put in balloons ( the balloons were 20 for a dollar at Dollar General). How many balloons you need depends on how much you blow them up. Usually a 100 - 150 balloons will make 3 balloon bags. I was lazy blowing them up this year, so the bags are not as plentiful as in past years. But that just means there will be a little less waste. 

I like to throw in some serpentines b/c ... well, I like serpentines. 

I kind of stopped taking photos here b/c ... I just wanted to get it done. 

But I tend to staple the bag closed as I fill it. It ends up looking kind of like a body bag. (Well, it does.) 

The first year I made it like a hammock and filled it after I hung the 2 sides. It looked pretty hanging, but it was a pain in the butt to hang and fill. 

If it's all closed up, it's easier to hang from the ceiling. 

I add extra long strands of curly ribbon from the ends so and throw serpentines over it to dress it up a bit when it's hanging. 

If I think of it, I will take a photo of the finished work of "art" and post it later. 

Of course the efficiency of the bag depends on how low your ceiling is. Someone has to stand underneath of it and rip it open. 

You could probably devise some kind of something with ribbon or string to rip it open if the bag is out of reach. Like if you made, like, small slits down the length of the bag then stapled ribbon or twine or i don't know something to an end. Maybe you could pull it open. Or if you put 2 bunches of strong ribbon or something in the middle, maybe you could pull it apart like a curtain. I don't know. I've never had to worry about that. 

So, anyway. There you go. 

Happy new year.