Once upon a time, I read somewhere that forcing yourself to smile has the capacity to actually make you happy. If this is true, wouldn’t creating a GIANT smiley face out of a mass of yellow balloons make you downright rapturous? We felt this was a theory worth investigating. 😉

In the same vein as our Giant Ombre Heart Balloon Wall and Giant Balloon Number, this project takes the iconic smiley face and turns it into a statement piece for your wall. A guaranteed smile-inducing backdrop for your party!

Materials needed: Projector, pencil, 5” mini balloons (in yellow), 11″ balloons (in yellow and black), balloon hand pump, double-sided Shurtape

Step 1: Project an image of a smiley face onto a large, blank wall. Lightly trace the smiley face design in pencil.

Step 2: Apply strips of double-sided Shurtape horizontally within the outline of the smiley face, leaving the eyes and smile un-taped. Remove the paper backing.

Step 3: Inflate a bunch of yellow 5” and 11” balloons in lots of different sizes. You want the balloons to be round in shape, so don’t inflate them all the way.

Step 4: Fill in the design, starting with the circular outline of the smiley face. Attach the larger balloons first, with the balloon tails facing toward the wall. Add balloons around the perimeter of the eyes and smile. Keep adding balloons until the smiley face is filled, using smaller balloons to fill in any gaps.

Step 5: Inflate 11” black balloons to fill in the eyes and smile of the smiley face. Place the balloons onto the wall. Make sure the two eye balloons are equal in size and that the smile is symmetrical before taping them to the wall with Shurtape.

Step 6: Add another layer of yellow balloons to cover up any areas where the wall is showing. Just apply a small piece of Shurtape to a balloon and stick it onto another balloon. Add more tape as needed.

Crafting by Naomi Julia Satake, Justin Pon, and Erika Kjos

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