This "Blazing Birthday" bouquet is a playful way to remind the recipient that there are a lot of candles on the cake this year. The birthday cake base is loaded with balloon candles, and the bouquet's foil balloons say, "So Many Candles, So Little Cake" to really get the message across!

Helium: About 4 cu. ft. Ingredients: 3 18" "So Many Candles" Microfoil® Balloons 1 18" Silver Microfoil Balloon 5 11" "Assorted Celebration Sprays" Jewel Assortment Latex Balloons 5 350Q Ruby Red Latex Balloons 5 350Q Citrine Yellow Latex Balloons 7 260Q Citrine Yellow Latex Balloons #40 Citrine Yellow Qualatex MasterBow® Poly Ribbon Qualatex® BalloonRibbon™ SUPER HI-FLOAT™ Balloon Flight Extender 5 Premium Balloon Stem Balloon Holders Balloon Straws White Hat Box Without Lid Red Ting Ting Yellow Shred Cake Board Plastic Foam Double-stick Tape Cool Glue Weights

Preparation:

1. To make the birthday cake base, cover the cake board with the Silver balloon.
2. Wrap the hat box with two Citrine Yellow 260Q bubble chains, and cool glue to secure. To make the bubble chains: Inflate a 260Q to about 6" and tie. Make three or four 1/2" bubbles at the knot end of the balloon, twisting each bubble several times in the same direction. NOTE: Hold the first 1/2" bubble with the little finger of one hand to prevent the bubbles from untwisting. Continue making 1/2" bubbles, twisting each bubble several times, until the entire balloon is used. (There's not enough room in one hand to hold all of the bubbles.) End the chain of bubbles by tying the knot and the last twist together.
3. Cool glue a piece of plastic foam in the hat box, leaving room at the back for the weights.
4. To make a balloon candle: Inflate a Ruby Red 350Q to about 7". Attach the neck end to a balloon holder and secure. Inflate a Citrine Yellow 350Q to about 2" and cool glue to the top of the Ruby Red 350Q.
5. To make a pom-pom: Using a ribbon shredder, shred a length of Citrine Yellow ribbon, leaving at least 3/4" unshredded at each end. Fold ends together and cut the folds of the shredded loops. Place double-stick tape on the bottom edge of the ribbon and roll around a balloon stem. Cover a rod with an uninflated 260Q in the same color. Slide the ribbon spray over the end of the rod.
6. To assemble: Helium inflate the 18" Microfoil and 11" latex balloons, tie to BalloonRibbon, tie to the weights, and insert weights inside the hat box. Insert the balloon candles, ting ting, and pom-poms. Fill the hat box with shred.

All balloons featured are Qualatex®. Recipe courtesy of Pioneer® Balloon Company, maker of Qualatex® balloons. For even more balloon ideas and instructions, visit Qualatex.com or call 1-800-771-3968 or 316-685-2266.