Monday, September 28, 2015

DIY Bubble Gum Balloon Dogs








Are you sick of standing in a long line at the fair with your kids, to wait for a balloon dog from a creepy clown, only to have it pop seconds later...forcing you to stand in line again?!  Well, I found the perfect solution for your next party. BUBBLE GUM balloon dogs!!!!!  NO lines, NO creepy clowns, and NO popping!
  
Before we get to the tutorial, I would like to give credit to the creative genius behind the "grape balloon dog".  The only problem is that I have seen several versions on Pinterest, so I'm not sure who had the original idea. Will the real "grape balloon dog" designer please stand up?!  I just wanted to say that this post was completely inspired, and I just changed the materials to add some fun color options. 

You can see my attempt at the balloon dog on Instagram, but since I used red grapes, it looks like he's made of sausage.  NOT the look I was going for!  I was determined to come up with an alternative, to make him look even more like the real deal...and that's when I found some old boxes of Dubble Bubble Egg Shaped Gum in the pantry from last Easter!  Yeah...pretty embarrassing.  If you're here for the tutorial...don't worry.  Oriental Trading Company carries egg gum, so you don't have to rely on last year's stale Easter stash! 

Supplies to make ONE balloon dog:

6 toothpicks
1 pin
scissors

Now for the tutorial:

Let me start by saying that I cut five of the toothpicks in half, and I used a pin to pre-poke all of the holes in the gum.  For the holes holding the pointy end of the toothpick, I simply poked a hole to get it started.  I enlarged the holes that will hold the cut (blunt) end of the toothpick, by rotating the pin in a circular motion, until the hole was big enough to hold the width of the toothpick.  Remember that it is easier to stick the blunt end in single pieces of gum, rather than pieces that you have already assembled.
  
1.  Put two pieces of egg gum on your one whole toothpick.  After you have slid the pieces together, so they're touching in the middle, cut off any excess toothpick using scissors.

2.  Next, assemble four legs using 4 toothpick halves, and attach them to the body.  You may have to adjust the legs a little to make them stand better when you're done.  TIP:  Place the legs on the same end as close together as possible, but angle them outward.

3.  Now, referencing the photos above, assemble the neck and head, and attach two ears using your toothpick halves.  The ears do not need to start quite as close together as the legs, but they do need to angle outward.  Carefully attach the neck to the body, being sure to hold the body in place so that no pressure is applied to the legs when you insert the toothpick.  

4.  Now attach a tail at the opposite end from the head, and your balloon dog is ready to party!  

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