DIY Putt Putt Windmill- Balloon Display for Golf Party

Balloon mosaics are a fun way to make a backdrop, statement decor piece, or just something fun to tie into your party theme. Especially for kids' parties they can be a lot of fun! I like making them for parties because they're affordable, disposable and make for a fun backdrop. I've made a barn backdrop and a letter three, but this putt putt windmill might be one of my favorites! It was for my son's golf-themed birthday party and was a big hit! You can get more details on the actual putting green in this post too!

This is a super affordable project, but it does take a bit of time. You'll want to dedicate or block off 4ish hours, depending on if you can work on it in chunks. A bit of that is prep, like blowing up the balloons, (please get an electric pump if you don't already have one) and cutting the foam board. No advance skills required!

Supplies

• Foam board (I used 6 pieces and have used both this and this brand and size)
• exacto or detail knife
• pen or pencil
• white duct tape
• measuring tape
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• glue dots
• 5 inch balloons in colors of choice

Steps

1. If using a template, print and lay it out. You can get an example of how a template works on this post. This putt putt windmill design was one I made up so I did not follow a template and the below instructions are how I made it.
2. Start by taping four pieces of foam board together with white duct tape, taping both sides.
3. Draw a line on one half of the foam board to be the 'edge' of the windmill. Using your utility knife, cut that piece off. Take the piece that was removed and use it as a mirror piece to make a duplicate cut on the other side.
4. Repeat for the base depending on how large you want the windmill to be.

2. When cutting the hole for the golf ball to go through, cut one side and then flip the piece you removed to trace the other side of the tunnel.

3. Next you'll create your edging strips. Using a ruler and a new piece of foam board, create a 5 inch mark and cut your strip. Use that piece to make 4 more the same size. Once you have those strips you'll use them to cut to size around the edges and hot glue them to create the border.

To make a tunnel, or to go around any non-flat edge of your mosaic, cut halfway through your foam board piece and then 'crack' it so that you can fold and manipulate the foam board into the desired outline position. This is how I made the hole for kiddos to try to putt into too!

To make a windmill shape, I made a small circle using the foam board and them created the 'arms' of the windmill. I hot glued the arms to the edge of the mosaic as well as to that center circle.

After you have your 'frame' built and hot glued, and have added your arms, you'll start to add your balloons. I used white and light blue but you could use any color you prefer! Add glue dots to the balloons, I used 3-4 per balloon and adhere to the foam board. Keep in mind you may want a few extras ready on standby as these are prone to fly away/fall off.

I usually secure the mosaic by tying to a structure, you could also build a stand for it. Just remember you're working with foam board and don't expect it to be the most stable fixture!