Decorating for a Balloon Animal Themed Party is a cinch once you get the hang of making a few basic animals. Working off the original balloon dog DIY as created in the Balloon Animal Table Centerpiece, I created a bunny and a giraffe to liven up the party! Follow the steps below and you'll be on your way to creating a whole zoo of fun!
Learning to create the balloon bunny is easy peasy, especially after you've mastered the basic balloon dog. You can find the steps to create the balloon dog here. Begin the balloon bunny by using a hand-held balloon pump to inflate an animal modeling balloon in your choice of color to about three inches from the end. Starting from the knotted end, twist a section about 1 1/2" long to create the bunny's face. Next twist two 3 1/2" sections to form the ears.
Fold the bunny's face against the longer body of the balloon and twist the ears and face together to lock and form the full head of the bunny. Next, twist three more sections to form the bunny's body and front legs. The body should be about 2" and the front legs about 2 1/2" to 3" each in length. As you did above with the head, twist and lock the three sections together.
Now create another 2" twist to form the bunny's back and two longer equal sections to form the back legs. The back legs should be slightly longer than the length of the front legs and should leave you with only a small 1" section that will act as the bunny's tail.
Fold the bunny's back and legs against the short tail and twist against each other to lock them together. Lastly, bring the back legs forward and tuck the front legs between them so the bunny sits upright.
Creating a balloon giraffe is basically the same as creating a balloon dog with just a few tweaks. For a refresher on creating the balloon dog check out the Balloon Animal Table Centerpiece DIY here. Begin by inflating an animal modeling balloon in a color of your choosing to about 2" from the end. Starting at the knotted end, create the giraffe's mouth by twisting a 2 1/2" section, followed by two 1" sections to form the ears. Bend the mouth downward towards the body of the full balloon and fold the mouth over the second ear and twist to lock the three together to form the full head of the giraffe.
Next, create the giraffe's long neck by twisting a 5" section, followed by two 3" sections to form the front legs. Repeat the twist and lock step to form the front of the giraffe. Now twist another 3" section to create the giraffe's body, and then two additional 3" sections to form the back legs. Twist and lock these three sections together, leaving the remaining bit as the giraffe's tail.
Finally, use your balloon animals as party décor! I topped my cake with the balloon bunny and used glue dots to add the giraffe to the back of a chair, but they would look cute just about anywhere in your party space!
For more Balloon Animal Party inspiration be sure to check out the fullRainbow Balloon Animal Partyalong with the tutorial for making a Balloon Animal Table Centerpiece and the steps to create your own DIY Balloon Animal Cupcake Toppers.