Craftibilities: inspiration

Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Giant mosaic balloon numbers - Inspiration & FAQ - how to make, print, how many balloons, what size - Frequently asked questions

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Oh my goodness!! I'm overwhelmed by all the love, comments, feedbacks and sweet emails. I've now shared the templates with over ~~3,000~~ 6,000 people!!!

Happy to share 0, 1, 2, 3, 6 & 8.

I love inspiring others and seeing all the wonderful creativity!!

Here is a list of my frequently asked questions:

Will this work on a regular printer?

Yes, it works on any printer.

Will this work on my computer?

Yes, it works on a Mac or PC. I have heard people have trouble with printing from an iPad or phone.

What size do they print?

You can print 3ft, 4ft, 5ft or larger. Adjust the percentage to get the size you want. The dimensions are shown above the preview on the print screen. Note that dimensions are of all the pages and not cut out. For example, I print 5ft but after cut out the numbers will stand about 4 1/2ft tall. I wouldn't recommend printing smaller than 3ft so you can fit the balloons. This video has the best printing instructions.

Is there a way skip printing the blank sheets with the template?

If you don't click on cut marks or labels the pages will be blank. They help to follow the layout of the template. You can reuse those blank pages and put them back in your printer for future use.

How do I get the templates?

Send me your email address on Craftibilities.com under contact me. I get to those messages first. You can also send me your email on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube. I'm check them as well.

Can I download from your website?

Unfortunately, no. I don't pay for a service to host PDF files, only photos. Since the number templates are PDF files I need to email them to share.

What numbers and letters do you have?

I have 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, & 8 and USA. My computer crashed before I made them all.

UPDATE: now available - 7 & K

Do I need Adobe?

Yes, but you only need the free version called Acrobat Reader. It's just a PDF viewer and can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website. Use the website instead of from the app store.

Where did you get your balloons?

I usually order my balloons from Amazon and have used several different companies. I really like Qualatex balloons (not an affiliate.) The quality is amazing. Here are links to my Amazon buys:

#2 balloon mosaic - pinks and gold theme

5" Pearl pink - https://amzn.to/3oefP6t 5" Pearl white balloons - https://amzn.to/2D7J9Ja 12" Metallic gold balloons - https://amzn.to/3dMVAba

#3 balloon mosaic - hot pink, zebra theme

Qualatex 7 piece - zebra birthday - https://amzn.to/3lrJIPm 11" Tropical assortment - https://amzn.to/2D9RgFh 5" Tropical assortment - https://amzn.to/3jqr5cY 5" Pearl white - https://amzn.to/2D7J9Ja 5" Pearl Onyx Black - https://amzn.to/3gEy1Bk 7" Chrome - https://amzn.to/2EFYGAq

#10 balloon mosaic - tropical theme

11" Tropical assortment - https://amzn.to/2D9RgFh 5" Tropical assortment - https://amzn.to/3jqr5cY

#16 balloon mosaic - black, white, & gold

5" Pearl white - https://amzn.to/2D7J9Ja 5" Pearl Onyx Black - https://amzn.to/3gEy1Bk 12" Metallic gold balloons - https://amzn.to/3dMVAba

#18 balloon mosaic - green & chrome

7" Chrome - https://amzn.to/2EFYGAq

Green balloons were purchased from Amazon but I wasn't happy with them.

What do I do if the balloon frame leans forward or won't stand?

The sides are 6" wide and stand pretty well indoors. You can fill the bottom tight with balloons to provide extra support. If you are using them outdoors I would recommend a stand.

How many balloons did you use?

#2 Gold, pink & white I used 16 - 12" balloons and 5" balloons to fill the rest.

USA letters I used 130 - 12" balloons and 5" balloons to fill the rest.

#16 Gold, black, and white I used 200 - 5" balloons and 40 - 12" gold balloons.

10K Milestone - I used 230 balloons.

100 - 7" Chrome balloons

100 - 12" balloons from the kit.

30 - 5" balloons from the kit.

I actually could've used more 5" balloons to fill in the smaller gaps.

I do not fill any of the balloons all the way up.

How far in advance can I assemble?

I would not assemble more than a day in advance since balloons start to shrink. It's normally not noticeable but you can definitely tell in a balloon number mosaic. Gaps start to form and balloons start to pull from the sides and other balloons. IF using glue dots, I would assemble the day of the event. They do not last long. Balloons will also become dull looking. Especially if using them outdoors and in the sun.

I highly recommend using HI-SHINE to keep them looking shiny. Worth the money. You just spent hours building and filling with balloons. This will make it stay looking amazing!

See my Mother's day heart with Hi-Shine.

Do you recommend glue dots or glue gun?

Hands down I highly recommend a low temperature glue gun. I purchased this one on Amazon. Balloons do not stay as long with glue dots.

What thickness is the foam board and where do you buy it?

5mm or 3/16th thickness. I found the cheapest foam boards are from Dollar Tree and they sell them online in a bulk box of 25 boards. Search foam boards. They come in black and white.

Even with shipping they are cheaper than Amazon, Michael's, or Office Max. They also come in both white and black.

What do I do if my printer doesn't print in draft or grayscale?

Unfortunately I'm unable to edit the PDF templates to make them a lighter gray or outline. If your printer doesn't have a mode to save ink, you can send the file to Office Max or Office Depot and they can print it for you. I've heard it's not expensive. Just tell them you need a poster print and the size you want.

How do I arrange the pages?

Look at the print preview window on the print screen to double check the layout. Usually the pages will be horizontal and 4 pages across the top. Some printers have pages vertical with 5 pages across the top.

Now for some inspiration!

Thank you to everyone that shared their amazing creations.

GENDER REVEAL party PHOTOS & planning details - themed decorations, favors, treats & drinks - How to make tutorials - Baby Shower ideas

AND I can finally say.....It's a BOY!!!!!!!

I was the "keeper of the gender" for a reveal party. Whew! I survived the quizzing & guessing and kept it a secret until the party. Now I'm sharing free downloads and tutorials. I had the best time planning and creating.

I did it! I kept the secret for two loooong weeks. TIPS if you're a keeper.

1. Anytime someone asked about the gender I always answered, "You have a 50% chance of being right." Practice that phrase!

2. I recommend replacing the following words:

pink, blue - both colors

boy, girl - baby or sex of baby

I bought this cute Keeper of the Gender shirt on Etsy & nail polish from Ulta.

I found the balloon at Wal-Mart and after watching reveal party fails, I purchased another balloon at Micheal's just in case. I also hid the balloon in a spare room until the reveal. I only had it out for a few photos before the guests arrived.

I used the letters on the treat table. Details HERE

I made chocolate dipped oreos, my favorite go to treat.

Alternated blues and pinks from the ribbon.

I bought these Team Pink & Team Blue stickers on Amazon.

We had everyone wear the color they were guessing. Some wore both colors. For the photos with the TEAMS SIGNS we had everyone pick their guess. No more "we guess both" and had everyone pick either pink or blue. They couldn't have both colors.

I made candy tags to match the welcome & team signs. This is also my go to candy ideas. I made them for police appreciation week, LUAU, with office logos, team candy, thanksgiving treats, and so many more. I need to make the text darker and I'll upload a free download. Check back soon.

Don't laugh but I ran out of time. I was finishing up decorations & signs, making oreos, painting my nails, and packing up supplies. I knew I wouldn't have enough time to bake cupcakes BUT I wanted to have pink and blue icing.

I purchased cupcakes from the bakery and removed the icing. Colored store bought icing and decorated. Totally cheated but they turned out so cute!

I made these cute tags to match the welcome and team signs.

4x6 size - 1 per print.

Print at your local Walgreens, CVS, print lab or print at home.

(Click link below and right click and save)

CUPCAKE TAGS

The very first thing I made were these candy bars. I put them away in the pantry and ended up forgetting them. I was pretty bummed.

Glitter Hershey's Candy Bars tutorial.

I also had beads for everyone to wear along with the stickers but I forgot them too. :(

Even the drinks were themed. Lemonade and Blue Hawaiian Punch for BLUE & Pink Lemonade for PINK.

I found some other decorations at Michael's on sale.

Gender Reveal SIGNS - TEAM blue/pink - WELCOME SIGN (girl or boy) Gold glitter - LARGE 16x20 prints - Free printable

I'm hosting a gender reveal party and made these cute TEAM PINK & TEAM BLUE and Welcome to the BIG REVEAL signs.

I love how they turned out!

On the invitation I 'm going to ask everyone to wear their guess - pink or blue. I also purchased stickers if someone doesn't wear their guess or wears both colors.

You can have the files for FREE. Just email me.

I would love to see photos if you use them. Please share!

The Team BOY & Team GIRL signs are 16x20 and I printed at Walgreens. They did not cut them to size so I had to trim at home. I used an exacto knife and they look pretty good.