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Balloon Portrait

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Balloon Portrait

Tools and Materials
One 6-inch heart-shaped balloon
Several 160-size balloons
Two 5-inch eyeball-decorated balloons
260-, 350-, and 646-size balloons: The first digit represents the diameter of the balloon when fully inflated; the second two digits represent the length. Example: 260 is 2 inches in diameter, 60 inches long.
Foam core with Glue Dots -- affix 11 160-size balloons to an 11-by-17-inch piece of foam core with Glue Dots.

Accessories
Uninflated balloons, size 160, for hair
Tongue: one 160-size balloon
Ears: two 160-size balloons
Bow-tie heart-shaped balloons
Wart: Scrap of latex tied into a knot
Earrings
Eyebrows
Teeth
Mustache

Box Chain Frame How-To
1. Inflate four 260-size balloons, leaving a tail (deflated tip) of 10 inches.

2. Tie 2 together at the nozzle, and repeat with the other two.

3. Overlap the two pairs so the knot in the second pair is about 2 inches from the first.

4. Twist a 4-inch bubble on each of the first two 260s, and wrap them together.

5. Make two 4-inch bubbles in the opposite pair of balloons and join those bubbles.

6. Repeat until the balloon is at desired length.

7. Repeat above steps to complete each side of the frame.

8. Cut off remaining tails on each side with scissors and tie the tail ends together.

9. To cover corners, tie an under-inflated round balloon, twist it in half, and wrap around each corner of the frame.

10. Using Glue Dots adhesive, affix to outer edge of foam core.

Balloon Face How-To
1. Start inflating a heart-shaped balloon. Stop once the balloon starts to take on the actual shape of a heart.

2. Put very little air into two 5-inch eyeball balloons and tie their nozzles (the part you blow into) together high up on the balloon you started with.

3. Twist one lobe of the heart balloon to form the nose. This will also be the central attachment point on the face.

4. Wrap the eyes around the nose.

5. Make the mouth by creating a loop with a 160-size balloon. Slide the loop around the nose attachment point in the same manner as the eyes. Shape as desired.

6. There is one additional attachment point on the head; this is the knot on the heart balloon. Use this to attach a hat and hair. Additional pieces can be added using Glue Dots.

Hat How-To
1. Inflate a 5-inch round balloon.

2. Tie nozzle of this balloon to the nozzle of the heart balloon that forms the face.

3. Inflate a 160-size balloon long enough to wrap around the 5-inch round balloon.

4. Wrap the balloon around the 5-inch round balloon.

Hanging Portrait How To
1. To hang your portrait, simply open up one end of a paperclip and insert it up into the back of the foam core.

2. Add masking tape to keep paperclip in place.

3. Manipulate the other side of the paperclip so it fits on a nail.

Resources
To learn more about Larry Moss and the art of airigami, please visit airigami.com. To learn more about Balloon Manor, please visit balloonmanor.com. All proceeds of ticket sales are donated to Teens Living with Cancer. To buy balloons, please visit qualatex.com. For more information about balloon art, visit balloonhq.com

Special Thanks
Special thanks to Brian Asman, John Reid, Richard Rivera, Joel Klein, and Matt Steinberg from balloonmanor.com and Buster Balloon.

From The Martha Stewart Show

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