Mum’s obsession with quirky balloon Christmas trees is festive goals

A Sydney mum has ditched regular ornaments to create a balloon extravaganza in her home this Christmas. And she’ll never go back.

When it’s time to celebrate any occasion, there’s one thing Renee always brings out: balloons. Lots and lots of them.

A life-long craft fan, the Sydney mum’s love of balloons began when she started making birthday decorations for her eldest daughter, Brooklyn’s birthdays.

These days, there is a balloon installation displayed in her family home year round. 

“I do them for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, my kids’ birthdays, Easter, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, any celebration at all,” the 39-year-old tells Kidspot.

“I spend a lot of time researching on YouTube and Pinterest for ideas. I think they create an amazing effect without having to spend much money. And you can create such a different look every time.”

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Renee loves creating unique and quirky trees. Image: Supplied

Decorating with balloons

Renee loves balloons so much that for the past few years, the mum-of-two has even left her traditional ornaments in storage in favour of decorating the family Christmas tree with balloons.

If that’s not enough, she’ll have another tree completely made up of balloons, similar to the popular Big W balloon tree kit, which, at the time of publication, was sold out.

“I’m loving The Grinch at the moment, everything from the colours to the theme, so that may end up being ours this year,” the creative dynamo says. 

That decision is still far off for Renee, who expects to create an incredible 40 different balloon-adorned trees before December 25.

At the time of publication, she’s up to number 5.

“I’ve done a pink disco, halloween, Barbie, an all red one, star one and the most recent is a candy cane one,” Renee, who posts her creations on her Instagram page, @inspired_by_party, all in her spare time outside of her office job.

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Decorating made easy - and fun!

Using a double electric inflator, it takes the crafty mum about an hour to decorate each tree, with many more hours added on top for the instructional video she does for each project for her Instagram followers.

Renee says she’s never spent more than $100 to decorate an entire tree with balloons, which makes it an affordable hobby she enjoys on a daily basis. 

“I look for bargains - everywhere from Kmart, Big W, party supply stores, Temu and anywhere online that sells balloon garland kits,” she says.

And just like ornaments, she goes to great lengths to reuse her decorations many times over - and encourages others to do the same so that balloon craft can be an environmentally friendly activity.   

“I reuse all my balloons and don’t throw any away,” she says, adding that she models responsible use with daughters, Brooklyn, 7, Bonnie, 4. 

“When it’s time to take the display down, I deflate all the balloons, blow a hairdryer on them to bring them back to their shape, and bring them out again and again. The way that I tie them, it’s in pairs in a loop, not individually, so they come undone easily. It’s important for me to do my part, and teach my girls to do the same.”

Some of the epic creations. Image: Supplied

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It’s that tying method that Renee says keeps her balloons inflated for weeks, if not months at a time, and makes for the most perfect Christmas tree she could imagine.

“It doesn’t let the air seep out,” she explains.

“If they start to look matt, you can spray some hairspray, and wipe it with a cloth, and that will give it that shine back. You can put up a balloon tree on the first of December and still have it look nice for the day if it’s done correctly.” 

“I’ll never go back to having a normal Christmas tree. I love the creative part of this way too much.”

Renee is passionate about the environmental impact of balloons, and is a member of the Pro Environment Balloon Alliance, and follows its principles. She is also an advocate for Amscan and Terracycle’s balloon recycling program, which has drop off locations around Australia.

Originally published as Mum’s obsession with quirky balloon Christmas trees is festive goals