Blue Balloon

For this months Design Team project for Faith Pocock Craft Studio, Faith sent me a hot air balloon kit.  Rather than decorate the whole balloon I cut the pieces in half and mounted the balloon inside two canvases.  Here is the first version, the second version will be up on my blog later in the month.

I began by decorating the canvas.  I glued embossed card around the outside of the frame then glued die cuts over the cardboard. Where the cardboard pieces joined I used upholstery pins to cover the joins.  I then cut squares and rectangles from chipboard and glued them onto the canvas.  The corners were made using the wooden pieces that come with the canvas to stabilise it.  

I added some Imagine If chipboard pieces and them painted the whole thing with black gesso.

I then brushed on some Finnabair rust paste, using the brown rust and red rust. To make it pop a little I added some Finnabair Vintage Gold wax.

For the balloon I cut the basket and the circular pieces in half. This gave me four support pieces for each balloon half.

I then cut a piece of chipboard to attach to the back of the balloon so that I could secure the edges of the fabric that I wanted to add over the top.  I cut a piece out of the chipboard so that when I glued the balloon to the canvas the chipboard would not show on the finished piece.

To cover the frame I used calico strips.  I dipped them into a combination of PVA glue and water and once they were saturated with glue I squeezed out the excess and draped the pieces over the frame.  I then did the same with a piece of baby muslin, draping it over the calico.  Using this technique the fabric dries stiff and hard.

Once dry I painted the balloon with Blue Bayou chalk paint from Verdigris Studio and then antiqued it using Deco Art Antiquing cream.

I cut strips of cardboard from a cereal packet, painted them black and glued on half pearls to simulate studs.  I then painted these and the chipboard pieces with Ranger Vintage Patina paints in rust, cinnabar and clay colours, The strips I glued to the ribs of the balloon and around the base of the balloon.

I glued a gear cabachon to a metal filigree and attached this to the main piece.

I used Finnabair moulds to make some screw heads which I added to the canvas and then I assembled everything.

I made little sandbags from calico, aluminum foil and twine to add to the basket which I covered in a piece of burlap and the piece was finished,  I am really pleased with how this project turned out.  The techniques I have used would also work if I had decided to leave the balloon whole and decorate it as an ornamental hot air balloon.  So go check out Faith's shop and have a bit of fun. 

Materials 

Hot Air Balloon Kit Small   Faith Pocock Craft Studio

Chipboard Pieces   Imagine If 

Passion for Paint Chalk Paint   Verdigris Studio

Ranger Patina Paint

Finnabair Art Extravaganza Rust Effect Paste