You Make My Heart Soar - Hot Air Balloon Art

Have I told you lately...that I love you? NO, really.

Sometimes you guys leave the sweetest comments and I just grin from ear to ear. I know, I know...I suck at responding... but sometimes it's just not my fault.

But that's a whole other post...seriously.

But I wanted you to know... You Make My Heart Soar

Cheesy, right? Sorry, sometimes I'm just all about cheese.
Anyway...a long, long time ago...when I was in college... I mean waaaaaay back when... like, aaaaaallllll of my friends were elementary ed majors. Seriously, what's up with that? Not me, I was gonna be Indiana Joanie.
But that's a story for another time...or never.

So, I had this friend who needed an awesome idea for a bulletin board display. She was kind of obsessed with hot air balloons... I think her psychiatrist father had something weird to say about that... but I digress.
I came up with this fabulous plan for a 3D hot air balloon and I totally wish I had a picture of it now. We made giant strips of paper and laminated them at the library and she stapled them to the board. I don't remember all the details, come on, that was twe....a bunch of years ago. A bunch.
Let me tell you...it was really something and a big hit.

I have attempted to recreate that in a smaller version here for you. I used a 9X12 canvas, construction paper, twine, paint, washi tape and a little ingenuity.
I painted the canvas all cream...then mixed some other colors, shown above... in swirly patterns to mimic whimsical clouds and repeated with some pinks for a truly Valentine-y sky.

This picture shows you the basic shapes I used for the balloon. I didn't take a picture of the basket, sorry. I hot glued them to the canvas to make the balloon shape.

A gold paint pen was the easiest to write the swirly words... I can't really write letters with a paint brush. Ugh.
Then I brushed some paint mixture over them so they were more blended and wispy.

The glitter circles are just cut from scrapbook paper and used to cover the twine ropes. I used the washi tape around the edge of the canvas, but didn't get a great picture of it.

I thought about spraying the whole thing with some glitter spray, but was concerned it might make the paper splotchy. So I didn't...

Up, up, and away! So, if you ever find yourself in need of a gravity-defying idea for a bulletin board, or just a bit of whimsy...I hope I've tweaked your imagination.

You're welcome! :)
Well, I hope your heart is soaring...high above the clouds. In a pretty pink hot air balloon.
Come back next week! I'm hoping to have Sara's bedroom reveal ready. {that was the secret project!}
If not, I promise it will still be something great!

Flying lessons here:

Put A Bird On It
From My Front Porch to Yours
Crafts a la Mode
AKA Design
Craft Dictator
Love of Family and Home
Whipperberry
Horrific Knits
Jennifer Rizzo
Cheerios and Lattes
Serenity You
It All Started With Paint
Will Cook For Smiles
I Heart Naptime
Reasons to Skip the Housework
Maison de Pax
Dwellings
The Dedicated House
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
A Stroll Thru Life
Love Grows Wild
Life With The Crust Cut Off
Ivy and Elephants
Ella Claire
Embracing Change