In this article, we will show you the easy steps we used to create this spectacular floating balloon decoration without helium for the ceiling.

What you need

You will need at least three complementary balloon colors. We chose regular 12 inch round balloons.  In yellow , dark and light purple

You will need a few rolls of ribbon, the higher your ceiling, the more you will need.

A pair of scissors is required for cutting the ribbon to the required length.

Finally, you will need a balloon inflator to pump all your balloons.

Secret Ingredient

The secret ingredient in this balloon decor idea is balloon glue dots. You will need to add about two dots for each balloon. A roll of ballon tape contains about 100 balloon dots.

Now let's get started!

Instructions

Use your scissors to cut strips of ribbon to the length you desire. You want the string to hang about 4 feet from the ground. For our 9 foot high ceiling,  we used four and a half feet of ribbon per balloon. To get the correct length,  measure the height of your ceiling and subtract 4 feet and six inches. Four feet is the distance from the floor and six inches for the difference in the height of your balloon and the extra length for tying.

You will need at least three complementary balloon colors, we chose yellow and two shades purple, one dark and one light. Feel free to add other decorative balloons such as confetti or polka dots.

Inflate all your balloons.

You can use a manual or electric pump. Electric pumps are a bit more expensive, but they are faster, and they will not tire you out, especially when inflating a lot of balloons.

While inflating your balloons, it is more convenient to tie them to the ribbons at the same time. This reduces the additional work of going through all the balloons again to pair them to the strings.

Using a balloon tying tool makes tying a balloon and adding the ribbon super fast and very easy. A balloon tying device also prevents soreness of your fingers after tying a hundred balloons.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to use a balloon tying tool.

Voila, you now have a tied and ribboned ballon, ready for floating.

Repeat this procedure for all your balloons until you are complete.

How many balloons do you need for the no helium, floating balloons ceiling arrangement?

You will need just a little over one balloon per square foot. For our space of 8 ft x 10 ft (80 square feet), we used 88 balloons. We distributed the colors equally between the dark and light purples and the vibrant yellow.

There you have it, all balloons are inflated, creating a sea of beautiful vibrant colors.

We then transported the balloons to the area we planned to use for the setup. You can inflate your balloons up to 48 hours before the actual decoration. We left these balloons up for almost 2 weeks, and only a few of them deflated. The only disadvantage is that after a few days, they lose their newly inflated shine for a matte, powdery look.

We used a small stool to reach our 9-foot high ceiling. You may need a step ladder for higher ceilings.


Flying the Balloons without Helium

From there, the process is simply placing the balloons on the ceiling in your desired pattern. We tried as much as possible to not have two same colors of balloons in close proximity.

But how did we get the ballons to float without helium?

We used our secret ingredient, balloon glue dots.  Take 1 - 2 dots of glue from off the strip and stick them to each balloon. Two more dots will keep heavier balloons secured to the ceiling.

Then reach up and stick your balloon to the ceiling, simple as that. This gives the illusion that your balloons are filled with helium and floated up to the ceiling.

A tip to ensure your balloons remain stuck to the ceiling is before making your arrangement, use a damp cloth to remove any dust particles that may prevent the adhesive on the glue dots from losing its stickiness. After ensuring that the surface is clean and dry, stick your balloons to the ceiling.

The glue dots work best on very smooth surfaces, rough surfaces may not offer enough surface area for effective sticking.

And Finally, we add our last balloon then viola. Behold the marvelous arrangement of floating balloons without helium in all its majestic glory.

That's all, folks.


More color options

Maroon, Gold, Pink
White: combines with everything, especially blue, red and black.
Beige: combines with blue, brown, emerald, black, red, white.
Gray: combines with fuchsia, red, violet, pink, blue.
Pink: combines with brown, white, mint green, olive, gray, turquoise, light blue.
Fuchsia (dark pink): combines with gray, yellow-brown, lime, mint green, brown.
Red: combines with yellow, white, fulvous, green, blue, black.
Tomato-red: combines with cyan, mint green, sand, creamy-white, gray.
Cherry-red: combines with azure, gray, light-orange, sandy, pale-yellow, beige.
Raspberry-red: combines with white, black, damask rose.
Brown: combines with bright-cyan, cream, pink, fawn, green, beige.
Light-brown: combines with pale-yellow, cream-white, blue, green, purple, red.
Dark-brown: combines with lime-yellow, cyan, mint green, purple-pink, lime.
Reddish-brown: combines with pink, dark-brown, blue, green, purple.
Orange: combines with cyan, blue, lilac, violet, white, black.
Light-orange: combines with gray, brown, olive.
Dark-orange: combines with pale-yellow, olive, brown, cherry.
Yellow: combines with blue, lilac, light-cyan, violet, gray, black.
Lemon-yellow: combines with cherry-red, brown, blue, gray.
Pale-yellow: combines with fuchsia, gray, brown, shades of red, yellowish brown, blue, purple.
Golden yellow: combines with gray, brown, azure, red, black.
Olive: combines with orange, light-brown, brown.
Green: combines with golden-brown, orange, salad green, yellow, brown, gray, cream, black, creamy-white.
Salad green: combines with brown, yellowish-brown, fawn, gray, dark-blue, red, gray.
Turquoise: combines with fuchsia, cherry-red, yellow, brown, cream, dark-violet.
Electric colors: combines with golden-yellow, brown, light brown, gray, or silver.
Cyan: combines with red, gray, brown, orange, pink, white, yellow.
Dark-blue: combines with light-lilac, cyan, yellowish-green, brown, gray, pale-yellow, orange, green, red, white.
Lilac: combines with orange, pink, dark-violet, olive, gray, yellow, white.
Dark-violet: combines with golden-brown, pale-yellow, gray, turquoise, mint green, light-orange.
Black is a universal color — it looks elegant in any combination, especially with orange, pink, salad green, white, red, mauvish, or yellow.

Source: https://www.quora.com/What-three-colors-look-best-together

Arrangement ideas

We have other great no-helium floating balloon design videos on our website. Feel free to check them out for more inspiration and instructions.

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