Silhouette is having a sale right now that I’m a little late sharing. Sorry! (go here today to get a HUGE discount on the Cameo and Portrait Vinyl Combo….but make sure to use code HAPPY when checking out for the discount to show up). So they sent me some strawberry vinyl to play around with. I had the idea of putting some vinyl on balloons before so I put it to the test. I’m pleased to say that this is something that works, but there are some things to be aware of.
First of all, I used my Silhouette machine to cut out two things: a phrase and a heart. I got both graphics from the online shop. Then miss E and I went to a party store and got some plain balloons. I stuck the vinyl on them in the car because I had originally planned to go stick them on my hubby’s car. But it was too windy to try and do pics of them, so they came home with me. I do not recommend trying to put them on the balloons in a car! It was a bit difficult trying to hold it down and get it on without much room 🙂 But, it worked. And if you don’t push the vinyl down when putting it on, you can take it off if it gets messed up. Just be careful. They didn’t pop on me, but I think if you pulled it off fast it might make the balloon pop.
My daughter says these are for Valentines Day, and well I do suppose they look very Valentinesy. But remember my original plan? Yes. For love. I think this would be cute for a photo prop for doing the first 12 months of an infants life, engagement pics, birthday balloons, etc. Here is the problem though. These kind of balloons loose air pretty fast. They shrink, but the vinyl does not. See pic below.
This is what it looked like after 7 hours. So if you want to do this, Don’t put the vinyl on until close to the time you need it. And take your time putting it on. Maybe even enlist some help (you know, someone hold it still while you put it on). I think I will make some number ones for my girls birthdays. If you were to do this, what event would you make them for?
-Jess
Julie Rosenhan says
April 27, 2013 at 7:47 amThis is genius! Thanks for the idea.
Sarah says
April 27, 2013 at 11:16 amwhat an awesome idea!!!
Megan says
April 29, 2013 at 6:35 pmFun idea! They would be great for parties or pictures. Definitely adorable for a new baby announcement photo shoot!
Patricia says
March 23, 2015 at 9:29 amHi. I have a question for you, Did you use transfer paper to attach the letters?
Jessica says
March 30, 2015 at 10:04 pmI didn’t have any when I did these, but I would highly recommend using transfer paper 🙂
Woodrow Gravit says
September 29, 2018 at 5:55 amwow just wow
Tina says
October 6, 2018 at 6:21 amI have Tryed this and the vinyl does the same as your photo after putting it on after a while how can u stop it from doing it thanks
Jessica says
November 9, 2018 at 1:52 pmWell I haven’t tried it lately, so I do not have any tips to help it go on straighter. Maybe the image can be curved in the cutting machine program so it wraps easier?
Migdalia Rodriguez says
March 5, 2019 at 3:57 pmHi. Thank you for the idea. Did you use air or helium on the ballons?
Jessica says
May 5, 2019 at 6:14 pmI used helium for these 🙂
Ro Jones says
May 13, 2019 at 9:46 amThank you! I used Cricut holographic vinyl for these and my balloon would not float afterwards. I filled my balloon the night before so according to your post, it probably lost too much air to hold the weight of the vinyl. Next time, I’ll wait to fill the balloon until just before cutting and placing the vinyl. Thank you so much for addressing troubleshooting.
Jessica says
May 13, 2019 at 2:50 pmThank you for sharing your experience. It’s always great to know what works and what doesn’t from multiple people who try. The mylar balloons probably would work better since they hold the air a lot longer than latex ones too (I haven’t tried that type though so can’t say for sure lol). If you didn’t need it to float, you could always put it on a balloon stick too 🙂