DIY Graduation Cap Balloon Gift

This post is part of a campaign with Shutterfly and LooksiSquare.  All opinions are entirely my own.

Graduation season is almost here and whether you have a preschool graduate or high school graduate this DIY Graduation Cap Balloon Gift is a fun way to celebrate your scholar!

Balloons are an excellent way to make any celebration more festive and there are so many ways to personalize them for your special occasion. This year I have several graduation gifts to buy and while new towels or motivational prints are nice for their new college start, nothing beats cash.  The problem with giving cash is it just seems so boring, which is why I decided to jazz things up with this fun DIY graduation cap balloon.  If you are hosting a graduation party these would also make great centerpieces too!

Supplies:

• 12 x 12 Black Cardstock
• Twine
• Balloons
• Balloon Sticks
• Patterned Paper Straws
• Glue
• Glass Container
• Floral Foam

1. Take a sheet of black cardstock and cut it into 1 1/2″ strips.  Glue the ends together to form a circular base for your graduation cap.

2. Trim 1/2″ -1″ off of the 12 x 12 cardstock for the top of your hat.  Glue the circular base to the trimmed 12 x 12 black cardstock.

3. Make the tassel for your graduation cap with twine.  Cut several strands of the twine about 10-12″ long.  Find the middle and tie all of the strands together.  Wrap twine around the top section to create your tassel.

4. Attach the tassel to the top part of the graduation cap with a little glue.  Cover with a small circle, I used a sparkly gold paper and a paper punch.

5. Purchase balloons in coordinating colors for your graduates school and have them inflated.  Ask the florist to attach them to balloon sticks (or you can purchase these from the craft store and do it yourself) Slide patterned paper straws over the balloon sticks to make them more festive and insert them into your glass container with floral foam.

7. Roll money up and tie with twine or secure with washi tape and fill up the glass container.

8. Give your special scholar a graduation gift that is whimsical, practical and fun!

Here are a few tips:

• Use hot glue to secure everything, I started out using craft glue and it didn’t end up holding and I had to redo it.
• The DIY graduation cap is a little too heavy for the balloon to support by it’s self so I used an extra balloon stick and a dab of hot glue to prop it up.

Just like this custom gift idea, Shutterfly has lots of great graduation invitations and announcements for your special scholars to choose from. Graduates can choose from foil-stamped designs or create custom color palettes with their school colors.  There are so many options, here are just a few of the other custom features you can choose from to make your own unique graduation announcements:

1. Formats (flat, ¾ fold, tri-fold)
2. Card Sizes (6×8, 5×7, 4×8, 5×5, 4×5)
3. Trim options (square, rounded, bracket, ticket & scallop)
4. Back of card designs
5. Import your grad’s Instagram pictures!

I love that there are so many options to create your own one of a kind announcement, the scalloped invitations are my favorite!

There are so many ways to celebrate your special graduate this season, so why not make it extraordinary with this fun DIY Graduation Cap Balloon Gift!