These tissue paper balloon bowls were the first project that I didn’t really want to do but Anna did. Like, a lot. Since we already had the balloons on hand from our DIY Stress Ball adventure, I figured why the heck not.
Our original idea was to use buttons because that looked the cutest in pictures and would put our button stash to good use. Turns out, it’s really hard to make a bowl out of buttons with regular old Elmer’s Glue because of how heavy the buttons are. They just slid right off the balloon and both of us ended up frustrated.
We decided to switch gears and use up our supply of tissue paper bits. I have a huge bag of scraps from making tissue paper flowers and it was the perfect way to make use of otherwise wasted scraps.
The tissue paper was a million percent easier to use and created a really fun and colorful bowl. They aren’t super sturdy, though, so wouldn’t consider these anything other than decorative. Unless you did like 10 layers. Or used a different kind of glue (Mod Podge, I’m talking about you).
Funny thing happened once we got into our groove: I started to love the project and Anna started to freak out a bit because she was getting glue all over her and didn’t like how it felt. (Poor kid was pooped and this was just the proverbial icing on the tired cake.)
The project redeemed itself the next day once everything was dry, though, because Anna got to pop both of our balloons. Worth every frustrated tear she shed the day before.
How To Make Tissue Paper Balloon Bowls
Supplies:
- Balloons*
- Tissue paper (or scrapbooking paper)
- Glue* (we get the gallon size because make a lot of slime)
- Sponge brushes*
- Plastic bowls or tupperware to rest balloon on
- Art Smocks*
- Pin (or something sharp) to pop balloon
- Scissors*
*This is an affiliate link. I make a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase it through the link.
Ingredients:
- 1 balloon per bowl
- Enough tissue paper for 3-4 layers (about 3 sheets ripped into small pieces)
- Glue
Instructions:
- Blow up your balloon and set it knot side down on your bowl.
- Paint a thin layer of glue on the top and about 1/3 of the way down your balloon with a sponge brush. This is going to be the shape of your bowl, so feel free to do more or less based on size of balloon and desired size of bowl. Know that you will cut some of the bowl off to even out the edges, so go a little bigger than you think you’ll need.
- Start adding your tissue paper pieces and press into the glue. I found that bigger chunks of paper were easier to work with than the tiny shreds for little fingers. Also, if your tissue paper has a pattern on it, make sure to face the pattern TOWARDS the balloon for the first layer and AWAY FROM the balloon for the rest. That way the pattern will show on the inside and outside of the bowl.
- Continue adding tissue paper until it covers where your glue is and then add another layer of glue and repeat the process. Do this 3 or 4 times total and end with a layer of glue.
- Set balloon aside and let dry overnight.
- Once the balloon is completely dry, grab your push pin (or other sharp object) and pop the balloon! (I highly recommend recording this step on the slo-mo setting if your phone allows you to.)
- To remove the balloon, gently pull it away from the paper a little at a time until it comes off altogether.
- Trim the edges with your scissors to give your bowl a clean edge.
- Admire your beautiful creation! And then fill with everything imaginable to make sure your bowl is as awesome as you think it is.
Notes:
- We started with regular kitchen bowls until I realized that it has to dry on the bowl and I didn’t want the glue sticking on them, so switched to the plastic take out containers from wonton soup. It ended up being the perfect size.
- The glue will probably drip all over the place so make sure you put something under your work during and after while the bowl is drying. Otherwise you’ll be scraping glue off of your table tops (not speaking from experience or anything here ?).
- If you want a sturdier bowl, go for more layers of tissue paper. Or try scrapbooking paper instead.
- We found that the darker colored tissues papers worked better than the white or light colored ones when it came to aesthetics. They may be good for layering in the middle, but don’t do so well when it comes to the outside surfaces.
