DIY Popcorn Arch- Backyard Movie Night

When one of my good friends told me she was planning a backyard movie night for her daughter's birthday and wanted to include a popcorn arch I was so excited to help out! The kits can be pretty expensive online, but I had an idea using probably my favorite party prop supply... foam board! I've used foam board to make all kinds of balloon backdrops and even a flower sign so I knew it would be perfect for a project like this.

This project only took a few hours and you really only need a handful of supplies. The difference between this arch set up is that you'll want to use a kit to wrap the balloons around. Typically I would make a balloon garland following this tutorial which doesn't require any special kit. That or fill them with helium and secure to the ground to make the true arch shape.

More Balloon Ideas

• How to Make a Balloon Flower- Balloon Daisy DIY
• DIY Putt Putt Windmill- Balloon Display for Golf Party
• Make a Baby Shower Hot Air Balloon

Supplies

• 4 pieces of foam board per box (8 total)
• xacto or precision knife
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• spray paint or acrylic craft paint

Steps

• Start by taking a plate and using that to create your 'scallops' across the top of the foam board. I used a dessert/smaller plate and on two of the pieces had four scallops and on the other two had five.
• Using your knife, cut the top lines following the lines you created for the scallops. Using those lines as guides create trace lines down the piece of foam board at a slight angle.
• Glue one piece of foam board at an angle to another. You want the base of it to be smaller than the top, that's why you glue it at an angle.
• Continue hot glueing pieces until you have the box shape.

• Trim the piece of foam board so there isn't any of the foam board hanging off the edges. I lay the foam board flat and use my knife to follow the glue line.

Painting the Foam Board

When it's time to paint your foam board, what I found to be easiest was to use a full sheet of foam board as almost a ruler/hard line. I held it against the board I was painting and then sprayed along it.

Using spray paint lets you improvise a bit too as I was working on it. If you're using paint and a paint brush you'll eliminate the overspray I ran into. However, this was by far the fastest approach. If using spray paint use a really thin coat, foam board saturates quickly and you don't want to make it soggy.

Tips

• Definitely paint outside and wear a mask if it makes you more comfortable.
• You want the foam board to be angled slightly when glueing on, that way it looks like a popcorn box instead of just a straight box. I glued the full sheets together before trimming so I could see how it would line up.
• Having 5 scallops on the front and back of the box makes it a bit easier to line up the boxes, I did 5 on the front and back pieces and 4 scallops on the sides.