Ingredients 9 11" Qualetex® "Top Hats-A-Round" latex balloons (Onyx Black 39542) 4 5" Qualatex White latex balloons 2 Top Hats 1 Lomey Plastic Tray 1 Lomey Pedestal 2 Styrofoam Cubes Dowel Rod Black Paint Foam Board X-ACTO® Knife White Foam Wire Silver Mylar Shred Pan Glue Ribbon

Preparation

Glue the pedestal to the plastic tray. Glue one top hat to the pedestal and one to the tray.

Make a bow tie out of foam board, using the X-ACTO knife. Glue this to the pedestal. Next, paint the wooden rod black and attach to the arrangement by gluing both to the tray and the bow tie.

Place the foam cubes inside the top hats. Underinflate the 11" "Top-Hats-A-Round" Latex Balloons with air at various sizes, pushing the air to the top of the balloon, and knot closed. Do the same with the 5" white latex balloons. Then pan glue these underinflated balloons around the pedestal and inside the top hats as shown. Accent the arrangement with curls of foam wire, and fill any gaps in the top hats or on the tray with mylar shred.

Finally, make a hole in the elevated top hat, helium inflate 5 of the 11" latex balloons, attach ribbon, and tie to the top hat. Don't forget to curl the ribbons.

Design by Gary Wells, CBA, of Premiere Designs, Kentwood, MI. Photo courtesy of Balloon Images magazine, a Qualatex publication. Balloon Images is free to those who qualify, call 1-800-356-0901 for more information.