Balloon Bottle Centerpiece

This is an easy, cheap, recycled decorating tip for kids' birthday parties. I do it for every party my kids have. Cuts the cost of helium for party balloons.

Approximate Time: 5-8 minutes

Supplies:

• glass bottle or jar
• character picture
• balloon sticks or small dowel rods
• balloons

Instructions:

Save a glass bottle (or jar) of any sort: ketchup, juice, wine - as long as the "trunk" is plain with no writing or curved surface. Removing the label is the hardest part of this craft!

Cut a picture of the featured character from a coloring book, picture book, magazine advertisement, party napkin or party invitation. Printed pictures from the Internet work, too.

Roll the picture to fit through the neck of the bottle and use the sticks to unroll it inside the bottle.

Attach balloons to the sticks, insert into the bottle, and voila! A centerpiece for the birthday table that kids won't be tempted to "bat" at while eating cake.

The balloons still have the "floating" effect, but without the cost of helium. Different heights of sticks look really good and mylar balloons can be used, too.

You can blow them up with a hand pump, deflate after the party and use again later or pass on to another family. If need be, add a little sand, colored flour or sugar, or marbles to the bottle for stability.

By Kelli from Sentani, Indonesia