Crawfish Balloon Centerpiece Tutorial

Easy to create and inexpensive, these Do-It-Yourself crawfish balloon centerpieces are the perfect idea for decorating a crawfish boil. These festive red crawfish balloon centerpieces will work well indoors or out with the multiple tables needed for a traditional crawfish boil. This centerpiece can also work for a lobster party. Using air filled (versus helium) balloons in the centerpiece, allows you to make the decorations days in advance and saves you money.

Here is how to create these festive red crawfish balloon centerpieces.

SUPPLIES:

To purchase these products from www.mardigrasoutlet.com, click on the individual product link below or click HERE for a page listing all products

1/2 of a Dry Floral Foam Brick

Metallic Red Mylar Tissue Sheeting

Metallic Red Deco Flex Tubing Ribbon

(4) 5" Red Latex Balloons

(1) 11" Crawfish Red Latex Balloon

Stick/Cup Sets for 5" Balloons-5 sets

Scissors

Optional: 

Air Balloon Inflator Hand Pump

Spanish Moss
Plastic Crawfish

COST/TIME
This centerpiece can be put together in less than 30 minutes.  The supplies cost approximately $6.25  for each centerpiece.

STEP 1

Cut the red mylar tissue in half and layer 2 together. Cut the floral foam in half with scissors. Center the square of floral foam in the middle of the tissue sheets.

STEP 2

Lift up the mylar tissue sheeting and bunch it over the top of the floral foam. Cut a short piece of metallic red deco flex tubing ribbon and tie it around the tissue to secure. This is the centerpiece base.

STEP 3

Make a bow with the deco flex tubing ribbon. First, form a loop and hold it in one hand. Form a second loop, and keep going back and forth until there are 10 loops total. 

While still holding the loops in one hand, use the ribbon that holds the tissue sheeting together to secure the bow to the centerpiece base. Pull out and fluff the loops.

STEP 4

Inflate the 4, 5" red latex balloons and the Crawfish Latex Balloon and tie the necks in a knot. This air balloon hand pump inflator makes it easy to inflate the balloons. 

STEP 5

Stick/Cup sets are an easy way to create balloon centerpieces without helium balloons. Thread the air filled crawfish balloon knot through the plastic cup to secure the balloon. The balloon should stand up in the cup. Insert the stick into the base of the cup. 

Insert the end of the stick through the center of the mylar tissue sheets into the center of the floral foam  so that the balloon is in the center.

STEP 6

Twist the knotted ends of two air filled  5" balloons together, and then twist again around the balloon stick to secure. Twist the last two 5" balloons together and then twist them around the stick.

OPTIONAL:

Add loops of deco flex tubing betwenn the 5" balloons for added sparkle.

Set your tables with newspaper or our new crawfish printed newspaper. Scatter real spanish moss and plastic crawfish around the base of the centerpiece for a complete crawfish boil centerpiece.

Create a Crawfish Balloon Decoration

What's hot right now in Louisiana- Crawfish Boils! It is the perfect way to celebrate a graduation, engagement or birthday!  Create your own crawfish decorations out of inexpensive air-filled red latex balloons in two sizes. This creative crawfish balloon decoration is quick and easy to make.

Customize your crawfish balloon creation with added accessories fit for your theme. Add a veil and tiny top hat to two crawfish for a bride/groom pair or a festive party hat for a birthday crawfish boil.

 Attach a small mortar board/graduation cap for a graduation party. This crawfish sized graduation cap was easily created out of black construction paper.

Supplies:
one (1) red 12" latex balloon
seven (7) red 5" balloons
red pipe cleaner
2 googly eyes
double stick tape
balloon air pump (optional)
black marker (optional)

Basic supplies and an instruction sheet  are available in the

Create a Crawfish Decoration Kit

Tutorial: How to create a crawfish balloon decoration

  Fill the larger 12" red latex balloon with air. Tie

 Inflate three (3) of the 5" balloons to the standard uniform size. They are fully inflated when they start to get a pear shape. Inflate the remaining four (4) 5" red latex balloons about half way (size of the balloon on the far right).

Create each arm out of one (1) 5" balloon filled to standard size and one filled half-way. Tie the necks of these two balloons together for each arm.

Using double sided tape, attach each of the arms/claws to the body of the crawfish. Position the arms as shown. Neck of the large balloon faces forward.

Create the tail out of one regular size 5" red latex balloon and two smaller 5" balloons. Tie the balloons together at the neck of the balloons as shown.

Attach the tail to the rear of the large balloon with a piece of double stick tape as shown.

Add two googly eyes above the neck of the 12" balloon body. Wrap the red pipe cleaner around the neck of the balloon to form an antenna.

Draw lines on body, tail and claws as shown on the illustration below.

Your custom Create-a -Crawfish balloon decoration is complete

*Air-filled balloon tip*
A small amount of water in the main air-filled balloon will help to weight down the centerpiece if you are using the crawfish as a decoration outside or  in a windy location. Or you can anchor the crawfish to the table with double sided tape.

A kit with the basic supplies and instruction sheet is available:

Create-a-Crawfish Balloon Kit.

Air-filled Balloon Centerpieces: Ideas & Tutorials

Looking for the perfect centerpiece? Inexpensive and easy-to-make air filled balloon centerpieces are the answer! Air filled balloons make festive centerpieces with the added bonus that they can be created days in advance of an event. While standard helium balloons only last a few days, air filled balloons last for weeks. This type of balloon centerpieces is also well suited for outdoor events where helium balloons can get blown around by the wind.

When creating a table top centerpiece of air filled balloons, the smaller 5” balloon is the perfect choice. To keep the air filled balloons upright like helium filled balloons use plastic balloon sticks and cups. The air filled balloon is inflated and the stem / knot of the balloon is inserting into a small plastic cup that sits on a 12’ plastic stick.

Creating an air filled balloon centerpieces is easy and quick. Here are tutorials for two different versions of a Mardi Gras balloon centerpieces using these 5” air-filled balloons.

This arrangement made with five balloons is anchored in a Mylar foil covered bag weighted with sand. The larger seven balloon centerpiece (shown above) uses a purple glass vase with Mylar tissue as a base.

Supplies:

5” latex balloons (in purple, green and gold)

Plastic stick and cups sets (sized for 5’ balloons)

Air pump (optional)

Metallic Mardi Gras star floral picks

Base options:

Bag filled with sand for weight/stability or Floral foam

Mylar tissue
Purple cube glass vase
Yellow rectangle glass vase

Green metallic glass candle bowl

Plastic hurricane glass
Ribbed metallic glass votive holder

Centerpiece base

The options for a centerpiece base are only limited by your imagination. Vases, bowls, boxes or glasses will all work. Here are a few different options from Mardi Gras Outlet. A simple bag filled with sand provides an inexpensive weight for the arrangement. Fancier clear and metallic glass vases add a touch of sparkle and weight to the centerpiece. With the vases you will need to use floral foam to anchor the balloon sticks. Mylar tissue is used to cover the floral foam, adding another layer of sparkle as well.

Tutorial: Air-filled Balloons with sticks/cups.

Inflate the 5” balloon until it begins to form a pear shape (apx 5” long).

Seal the balloon by tying a knot in the neck of the balloon.

Insert the knot of the balloon into the center of the cup, pushing it back out the side of the plastic cup. Insert the knot into the slit in the cup to secure the balloon in place.

Place the plastic cup onto the 12” long plastic stick. Repeat for each of the balloons you will need.

Tutorial: Basic five balloon centerpiece

With all five of the balloons attached to the cups and sticks, arrange them into a pleasing shape.

Once arranged, use a piece of clear tape to secure the sticks together at the base.

Cut off any extra long pieces of balloon stick.

Cut the mylar tissue sheets in half. We used one of each of the traditional colors of Mardi Gras (purple, green and gold). Layer the three (3) half sheets of tissue on top of each other.

Put the balloon sand bag on top of the mylar tissue. Insert the sticks into the sand bag.

Secure the sticks into the bag, sealing in the sand, with clear plastic tape.

Gather the tissue up and around the balloon sticks. Secure the tissue in place with ribbon. Green curling ribbon is used here. Curl the ends of the ribbon.

 

OPTIONAL: Add some more sparkle with floral sprays.  Three metallic star picks were added to the arrangement. This can be done now or in the beginning when you are arranging the balloons. Each star pick is inserted into a different part of the arrangement (and at different heights).

TIP: The (non-wired) mylar pieces in the pick can be curled just like curling ribbon. Run the blade of the scissors over them to create soft or tight curls.

The complete Mardi Gras balloon centerpiece

Tutorial: 7 balloon centerpiece in vase

Inflate seven of the 5” balloons and place on the sticks and cups as instructed above.

Use a piece of floral foam cut into the shape of your vase. If you are using a clear container like this one, use the mylar tissue to conceal the green floral foam.

Layer three (3) half sheets of mylar tissue under the floral foam and push the floral foam into the container.

Insert each of the balloon sticks into the floral foam.

Balance the three colors in the arrangement. Cut some of the sticks down to shorter heights so you can vary the levels of the balloons.

Add in the three metallic star picks around the arrangement. Fluff the tissue up and over the balloon sticks, hiding the green floral foam.

OPTIONAL: Add in mask or other floral picks for added interest. This is a great way to bring in a theme for an event.


With simple supplies and inexpensive air filled balloons, these festive centerpieces can transform a large space on a small budget. By changing the color scheme and floral accents this style centerpiece will work for any themed event.

Be sure to SHARE your balloon centerpiece creations with us!

for the supplies shown in these tutorials!