Create an amazing hot air balloon out of papier-mâché

I'm delighted (and slightly relieved!) that the Trumpety Trump shop window display has finally come to an end. I thought it would be great to create a hot air balloon scene made from papier-mâché (French for 'chewed paper'!); little did I realise how long it would take! I have to say though that all those late evenings painstakingly applying layer upon layer of newspaper with glue, was worth it in the end. I am now delighted to be looking out my shop window at floating balloons painted in bold, eye-catching colours.

For those of you who have the patience, here's how to make a papier-mâché hot air balloon...

1. Firstly, I inflated some balloons and ripped up lots of newspaper into approximately 6-8 inch strips. If you are doing this with a child, smaller balloons are easier to papier-mâché, especially for young children.

2. PVA glue and water (about 3 parts glue to 2 parts water) were mixed together and the adhesive applied with a paintbrush to sections of the balloon. The strips of newspaper were then placed on the glue and the edges smoothed out with the brush. This process was repeated, ensuring that the paper pieces were overlapping as I covered the entire balloon. I then hung the balloon up to dry for the evening by attaching a bit of string to the end of the balloon.

3. Once the first layer of papier-mâché was dry, two further layers were applied and then left to dry again overnight (I used white paper for the final layer). Once completely dry, the balloon inside was popped and the bits of balloon latex removed.

4. I then cut a 3 inch diameter around the air hole end of the papier-mâché. Small baskets were made out of paper cups wrapped in brown packing paper and attached with string to the papier-mâché.

5. An easy design was created and the mould painted in bright colours with poster paint. Ta-dah!

My husband did a splendid job of making a huge papier-mâché hot air balloon which was carried out in much the same way as above. The difference being he used chicken wire to create the balloon structure, instead of a balloon. Once the desired balloon had been manipulated into shape, it was held together with cable ties. Layer upon layer of strips of newspaper were again applied until it was completely solid and ready to be painted.

The children got involved with the creation of the large hot air balloon and had lots of fun in the process. They particularly enjoyed splashing glue all over the place whilst we frantically put strips of paper over the mould!

WARNING: A fair amount of patience is needed if you get the little ones involved!