I was standing in the paint department at Home Depot buying paint on Memorial Day weekend. Totally distracted. They had a balloon arch over the counter that seemed relatively easy to make. The balloons were all tied on to a length of thin pvc pipe.
In my mind’s eye, I added Mickey mouse ears to the simple pvc balloon arch. A Mickey Mouse Balloon Arch! For the 4th of July! It would be easy. All you’d need would be a couple of hula hoops….
There was no question. I had to try it. I may have gone shopping for paint, but I left with an additional project.
The Home Depot version attached to the table with some c shaped brackets that the PVC could thread through. I wanted my version to be free standing so I purchase some re-bar and we pounded it into the ground with a mallet and then slipped the pvc up and over it to hold the arch in place. It might be a good idea to anchor the pvc to the rebar with a little duct tape if you think children will be playing a lot with the arch. It’s not super easy to slip off but it sort of snaps a little when it does and I’d rather be safe than sorry.
How do you attach the ears, you ask? Zip ties of course! I kinda left them off the drawing. Oops. They have to be attached in two places, tightly. They should overlap a little with the pvc.
Also of note: the balloons I used were not so stretchy. They could not be tied directly onto the pvc and hula hoops. They had to be tied on with ribbon, individually, which was kind of a pain! If I do this again I’ll pretest the balloons and for sure I’d invest in a balloon pump or three too to get the balloons all inflated quickly – this project requires a bazillion balloons. About 100 went on this frame, I think!
It’s pretty easy to move your Mickey Mouse Balloon Arch around if you want to try it in different locations – check it out in the back yard.
Want a cool treat to serve under your arch? Check out this Red White and Blue Mickey Mouse Fruit Salad.
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