Polka Dot Balloons & DIY Gold Tassels

Happy Monday, friends. Where in the world did the weekend go? We worked on our bathroom, cleaned out the playroom, attended a neighborhood block party, and had a competitive family game of baseball.  It was busy and productive! After making these, I am convinced that all balloons need polka dots and tassels. They were so easy to make and are such happy balloons! I always love creating easy to replicate projects for the 12 Months of Martha program. These balloons would be darling for any celebration and the color combinations are endless.   SUPPLIES: You don’t need much! Once you pick up your balloons, tie each one to a different chair. This will allow them some space to dry. Choose any colors that match your celebration. The Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors are really awesome. Tassels are a breeze! Holding the balloon at it’s base in one hand, use the other hand to create the dots. Using a round sponge brush makes it quick and simple. These foam little numbers are a great staple to have in your craft closet {and very inexpensive}. The sponge leaves the dots looking like the one on the left. Use your finger to smooth it out once all the dots are done. It is easy to do and makes a prettier polka dot. GOLD DOTS: For the gold, glittered polka dots, I used the pale pink paint and then sprinkled gold glitter on each dot. I tipped the balloon and shook off the excess. You could also use glitter glue instead of paint. Either work great. I am just so bummed that I can not ever capture the true sparkle of the gold glitter. They shimmer so beautifully. I also drew an “R” on one balloon with paint and used the gold glitter on that as well.   I am in love with these  scissors. They fringe anything. Genius. I used tissue paper that already comes folded. I cut it down to the size shown above. Keeping the fold at the top, it’s really easy to fringe the ends with the scissors. Once cut, I wrapped each one around the base of the balloon. As you wrap it, it naturally takes the tassel shape. I secured it with a 12” length of curling ribbon. Very simple to do. I love when a simple addition makes a really big impact. It’s just enough to add some charm and uniqueness to the balloons. You could easily monogram a balloon or use the number of the age the person is turning. The options are limitless. And of course, they do make colored polka dot balloons so if you were not up for the DIY that would be the way to go. I just love that you can easily make any color combination you wish. Martha Stewart has every paint color know to man. And then some! HINT: If you are using these outside, I would let the solid colored dots dry for 30 minutes and do one more coat to make a brighter dot.  If you are using them inside, one coat is plenty because the sun isn’t shining through them. And did you know you can pay very little extra {around $.15} to have balloons last 24 hours!?  You could easily make these a day ahead of time. Just FYI. I hope you’ll try adding tassels or dots to your balloons next time. This project was easy to make and added such a fun touch to the balloon bouquet. I highly recommend using glitter especially if the balloons will be inside. It adds such a fun sparkle to the celebration. If you missed my last 12 Months of Martha project you can click on the photo above to see how I made the Glittered Easter pots. I think I have a thing for gold glitter right now!