| How to Make Balloon Animals Posted: 25 Apr 2019 05:00 PM PDT Learn how to make balloon animals and share your skill at a festival or party. People love making a special request and seeing a colorful balloon animal come to life. Get familiar with the twisting techniques that form the foundation for every balloon animal, then put your knowledge to use by making a balloon dog, monkey, and swan. EditLearning the Fundamental Twists - Make a basic twist. Inflate a balloon and tie it off at the end. Grasp it near the tie in your non-dominant hand. Use your dominant hand to twist the balloon a few times so that you create a separate balloon segment. In order to keep the balloon from untwisting, hold the two segments with one hand.
- Use #260 balloons, which are long balloons designed for the purpose of being made into balloon animals. These are available at party stores and costume stores. Water balloons and party balloons can't be twisted into animal shapes.
- You can inflate the balloons using your lungs, but it's far easier to use a small hand pump. These are available at toy stores and party stores that sell balloon supplies.
- You should be able to grasp the balloon firmly without it popping. Keep your fingernails and jewelry away from the surface of the balloon so they don't catch on the rubber and pop it. If the balloon seems to pop at the slightest touch, try using a higher-quality brand. Less expensive balloon brands use less rubber in their balloons, and the thinner surface area is much easier to pop.
- Make a lock twist. Inflate a balloon, tie it off and make two basic twists close together, so that the balloon has a total of four segments. Hold all four segments in the same hand to keep them from coming untwisted. Use your other hand to grasp the two middle segments and gently hold them apart from the two end segments. Twist the two middle segments together three times, then hold up the balloon. The segments are now locked in place.
- The lock twist is used to hold the balloon sculpture together, since without it the balloon comes untwisted.
- The lock twist is also used to make small balloon animal ears and other animal features.
- Make a fold twist. Inflate a balloon, tie it off and make one basic twist near the end. Holding the twist in place with one hand, use your other hand to fold the top of the balloon down. Grasp the twist and the top of the balloon and twist them together three times so that you form a loop. The balloon now has three segments: two end segments and one loop segment.
- The fold twist functions like a lock twist, in that it prevents the balloon from becoming untwisted.
- The fold twist is often used to create ears, noses, and other animal features.
EditMaking a Balloon Dog - Inflate the balloon and leave a 3-inch tail. Just keep blowing until the air has inflated the balloon to about three inches from the end, then stop blowing and tie off the balloon.
- Make three basic twists. Starting at the knotted end of the balloon, make three basic twists to create a total of four balloon segments. The first segment, which includes the balloon's knot, will form the dog's snout. It is slightly longer than the second two segments, which will form the dog's ears. The last segment, which will be twisted into the dog's body, is the longest.
- Hold all of the segments in one hand to prevent them from becoming untwisted, since they have not yet been locked.
- Experiment with different segment lengths for the snout and ear segments. You can also make an extra-long snout and call your balloon animal an anteater.
- Twist the ear segments together. Use your free hand to grasp the second and third segments, the ear segments, and twist them together three times. This lock twist will keep them from coming untwisted. Do you see the dog's head?
- Make three more basic twists. Make the first twist a few inches below the head to form a neck segment. Make two more twists below the neck to create two segments that are equal in length; these will be the front legs. Hold all the new segments in the same hand to prevent them from coming untwisted.
- Would you rather have a giraffe than a dog? Make the neck segment extra long; the rest of the body is exactly the same.
- You can make the leg segments long or short, but they should be the same length.
- Twist the leg segments together. Fold the balloon at the twist between the two leg segments. Grasp the leg segments with your free hand and twist them together three times at the base of the neck. The legs and neck are now locked in place.
- Make three more basic twists. This time divide the remaining length of the balloon into four equal segments. The first segment is the dog's body, the second two segments will become the back legs of the dog, and the final segment is the tail. Hold them all in one hand to prevent them from becoming untwisted.
- Twist the back legs together. Fold the balloon at the twist between the two back leg segments. Grasp the segments and twist them three times at the base of the body segment. Take a look at your finished sculpture: it has a knotted nose, short ears, front legs and back legs and a tail that sticks straight up. Your work is complete.
EditMaking a Balloon Monkey - Inflate the balloon and leave a 6-inch tail. Leaving a shorter tail might result in the balloon popping halfway through the sculpting process, so make sure you have plenty of uninflated balloon at the end. Tie off the balloon with a knot.
- Make a basic twist. Twist the balloon a few inches from the knot to create a small segment that will be the monkey's face. Hold both segments in one hand to prevent them from untwisting.
- Make a short fold twist. Start by making a second basic twist close to the first one so that you have a small segment in between the twists. Fold the segment so that the two twists line up. Use your free hand to grasp the folded segment and twist it three times to lock it in place. You've just made the monkey's first ear.
- Make another basic twist. A couple of inches from the first ear, make another basic twist to create a short segment. Hold it in one hand so that it doesn't untwist. This new short segment will be the monkey's forehead.
- Make another short fold twist. Start by making a second basic twist close to the first one so that you have a new small segment between the twists. Fold this segment so that the two twists line up. Use you free hand to grasp the folded segment and twist it three times to lock it in place. This is the monkey's second ear.
- Twist the ears together. Carefully grasp the two ears by the twists at their bases. The forehead segment will be sticking out between them. Twist the ears together three times to lock them in place. The monkey's head is now complete: it has a nose, a forehead, and two ears.
- Make three more basic twists. Make the first twist a few inches below the head to form the neck segment. Make two more twists lower down to form two segments that are equal in length. These will become the monkey's arms. Hold all of the segments in one hand to prevent them from untwisting.
- Twist the arms together. Fold the balloon at the twist between the two arm segments. Grasp the segments and twist them three times at the base of the neck segment to lock the arms and neck in place. The balloon should now resemble a monkey with a head, neck and arms.
- Make three more basic twists. Make the first twist a few inches below the arms to form the body segment. Make two more twists lower down to form two segments that are equal in length. These will become the monkey's legs. Hold all of the segments in one hand to prevent them from untwisting.
- Leave plenty of room at the end of the balloon for the tail, which should be the longest segment of all.
- Twist the legs together. Fold the balloon at the twist between the two leg segments. Grasp the segments and twist them together three times at the base of the body. The body and legs are now locked in place, and the tail is hanging down from the body.
- Make a coconut tree trunk. Choose a balloon in a contrasting color and inflate it completely, then tie it off. There's no need to leave a tail at the end. Slide it between the monkey's arms and legs so that the monkey appears to be climbing it.
EditMaking a Balloon Swan - Inflate a balloon and leave a 4-inch tail. White or black balloons both make striking swan sculptures.
- Fold the balloon. Create a paperclip shape with the balloon; the knotted end should be at the center of the paperclip, and the tail end should jut out from the end of the paperclip. Another way to approach this shape is to create a circle with overlapping ends, then flatten it.
- Make a basic twist. Grasp the folded balloon in the middle so that you're holding three parts: the top of the paperclip, the bottom of the paperclip and the knot in the center. Twist the three parts together, making sure you catch the knot in the twist. Hold the twist to make sure it doesn't come undone. You now have two loops with a long neck jutting out from the center twist.
- Tuck one loop into the other. Use your free hand to close one of the loops and push it up through the other one. This creates the body of the swan, with the tucked-in loop resembling folded wings and the outer loop resembling the swan's underside. Tucking in the loop also keeps the structure from coming undone.
- Make the head. Grasp the neck a few inches from the tail and use your hand to move some of the air into the uninflated tail part. This will cause the top of the neck to curve into the shape of the head. The remaining uninflated tail forms the swan's beak.
- Use new balloons rather than stored ones. Older balloons are more likely to pop when you are inflating or twisting.
- If it pops, pretend that it was part of the entertainment; play it cool.
- Carry a permanent marker and make a smiley face on your animal.
- Experiment with other sizes and shapes of balloons to make apples and bumblebees.
- Put glitter inside the balloons so when they pop there will be a glitter explosion that people will like.
- If balloon pops, laugh, make a joke about "blowing up" some balloons for fun and start over. Children will back up a step but they won't leave.
- Store balloons in an air-tight container as latex deteriorates when exposed to air.
- Every child in the room will want one. Seriously. Do not send children home crying if it can be avoided.
- Talk as you twist. Be funny and entertaining. This will help you be entertaining if you make a mistake.
- Do not buy cheap twisty balloons from a toy store. Look for a year round costume shop with clown supplies. Check the expiration dates on the balloons. Expect to pay quite a lot more than ordinary balloons per bag, but the price difference is well worth it.
- Use an inexpensive balloon pump from a toy store. Some people can inflate a #260 by mouth, but not many. Hand pumps are more sanitary.
- Carry balloons in your pocket to school, wedding receptions, any place where children may roam.
- A little corn starch in storage container will prevent latex from adhering to itself.
- Learn to make snakes, swords, hearts, turtles, funny hats and other balloon shapes.
- It helps to inflate the entire balloon until air is spread throughout, then to deflate it slightly, leaving about at the end as mentioned in step 3.
- Balloons are not for little children due to danger of choking.
EditThings You'll Need - Uninflated #260 balloons
- Balloon pump
EditRelated wikiHows EditReferences EditQuick Summary |
| How to Clean Abalone Posted: 25 Apr 2019 09:00 AM PDT Abalone are quick and easy to clean! To clean the meat, simply remove it from the shell, trim off the liver, and remove any dirt from the flesh. If you want to clean the shells, use muriatic acid to help loosen the barnacles and then use a chisel and wire brush to remove them. Polish your abalone jewellery with a jewellery cloth to accentuate their natural colourings and add shine. EditCleaning Abalone Meat - Scrape the abalone meat out of the shell with an oyster knife. Push the oyster knife under the abalone meat to dislodge it from the shell. If the meat won't come out, try scraping the meat out from a different angle.[1]
- If you don't have an oyster knife, use a small serrated knife instead.
- Scrape the meat out of the shells over a sanitised surface in case the meat flies out of the shell unexpectedly.
- Trim off the brown liver and guts with a pair of scissors. To the side of the pale abalone meat, you will notice a squishy, dark-brown bag – this is the liver and the guts. Use scissors to cut off all the brown areas from around the abalone. It is best to remove this as it doesn't have a pleasant taste.[2]
- Wrap the liver and guts in paper before putting in the bin to reduce the smell.
- Scrub any dirt off the abalone meat with a scrubbing brush. Abalone often have a little sand or dirt on them after they are retrieved from the ocean. Simply agitate any dirt off with a clean brush. Don't press too hard, as this can pierce the meat.[3]
- A clean toothbrush or nail-brush will also work well for this task.
- Rinse the abalone flesh under a tap. Hold the abalone water under cold tap water to rinse off any dirt that you scrubbed off. If necessary, use your hands to push off any residual dirt from the abalone. If you are cleaning lots of abalone, place them into a bowl to rinse them.[4]
- Avoid using hot water, as this can cause the abalone meat to start cooking.
EditSanitising and Shining Abalone Shells - Spray the outside of the shell with muriatic acid. This helps to loosen the barnacles from the shell. Place the shell on a concrete surface outside and then spray the acid over the entire shell. You will notice the acid fizz as it reacts with the shell.[5]
- Purchase muriatic acid from a hardware store.
- Work outside on concrete, if possible, or use an acid-resistant container.
- Always be careful when working with strong chemicals, such as muriatic acid. Wear gloves and a respirator and keep the acid away from children and pets.
- Rinse the acid off the shell with water. Liberally pour water over the shell to remove all the remnants of acid. If you have a hose nearby, use this to rinse off the water. Alternatively, pour a bucket of water over the shell.[6]
- Wear gumboots to stop acid from touching your feet.
- Keep your gloves on while you are rinsing the shells to avoid getting burnt by the acid.
- Chisel off as many barnacles as you can. Place the head of the chisel onto the barnacles and gently tap the handle with a hammer. This will help to dislodge the barnacles away from the shell. Avoid tapping too vigorously, as this can crack the shell.[7]
- If a barnacle won't come off, try tapping it at different angles.
- If you don't have a hammer, use mallet instead.
- Scrub off any remaining barnacles with a wire brush. Press down firmly on the brush and agitate off any barnacles from the outside of the shell. Keep scrubbing until the all the barnacles are off the shell. This reveals the beautiful colours underneath.[8]
- Purchase a wire brush from a hardware store.
- Leave the shells to dry in the sun for 1-2 hours. This helps to remove any bad smells from the shells and makes them easier to polish. Place the shells in a sunny place where they won't be stepped on by animals or children. A sunny window sill or porch works well.[9]
- If the shells are still wet after a few hours, simply leave them in the sun until they are completely dry. Drying time will vary depending on your climate.
- Polish the shells with mineral oil to add shine. Dampen a clean cloth with mineral oil and gently rub it over your abalone shells. This helps to accentuate the colours in the shell and adds a beautiful sheen. Microfibre cloths and cotton cloths both work well for polishing shells.[10]
- If you don't have any mineral oil, use baby oil instead.
EditPolishing Abalone Jewellery - Wear the jewellery regularly to coat it in natural oils. Your skin produces natural oil which will transfer onto the abalone. This helps to polish the shell and brings out its deep colours and patterns.[11]
- Avoid wearing the abalone in the ocean or in the shower, as salt and beauty products can damage the shiny coating on the jewellery.
- Clean your abalone jewellery with a cloth each time you wear it. Jewellery cleaning cloths work best for this task, but microfibre cloths will also do the job. Simply rub the cloth back and forth over the abalone shell to polish and clean it.[12]
- Avoid cleaning your abalone shell with chemicals, as this can damage the fragile shell.
- Purchase a jewellery cleaning cloth from a jewellery store.
- Store your abalone jewellery out of the sun in a box by itself. Avoid exposing the abalone shell to extensive sunlight, as this can fade its beautiful colours. Keep your abalone jewellery by itself to avoid it from getting scratched.[13]
- If you don't have a jewellery box, place it in a jewellery bag.
- Muriatic acid is a caustic chemical. Wear thick gloves and a respirator when using it as it can harm your skin and lungs.
EditThings You'll Need EditCleaning Abalone Meat EditSanitising and Shining Abalone Shells - Chisel
- Hammer
- Muriatic acid
- Water
EditPolishing Abalone Jewellery EditReferences
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| How to Do the Carlton Dance Posted: 25 Apr 2019 01:00 AM PDT The classic 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a major television hit. One of its most iconic contributions to pop culture was the "Carlton Dance"—an exuberant jig to the tune of "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones. Invented by actor Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Will Smith's cousin Carlton Banks on the show, the dance quickly became a global sensation.[1] To do the Carlton Dance, learn the basic steps, throw in some extra moves, then perform with the help of some nostalgic '90s props. EditMastering the Basics - Swing your arms back and forth. Start by pushing both arms straight out in front of you, then swing them around and up to the right. Your right elbow should be bent at a 90 degree angle with your hand pointing at the ceiling. Your left arm should be bent in front of your chest. Snap using both hands. Repeat the swinging motion, to the left this time. Snap.[2]
- Move your head and chest forward and backwards as you swing your arms. Once you've gotten comfortable with the arm movements, it's time to incorporate your head and upper body. When your arms come straight out in front, push your chest and head back. When you swing your arms to the side and snap, push your chest and head forward.[3]
- Repeat this back and forward motion as you continue to swing your arms to the beat.
- Do a step-touch to the right, then to the left. First, step to the side with your right foot. Then bring your left foot in and touch the floor lightly. Don't put any weight on your left foot. You've completed one step-touch. Repeat the move but in the opposite direction, starting with your left foot.[4]
- Try this part without the arms at first to make things easier.
- Push your hips up and down while you step-touch. Now it's time to add some hip motion. Push your hips up to the left when you step to the right. Bring your hips down when you bring your left foot in for the touch. Then, push your hips up to the right when you step to the left. Bring your hips down again when the right foot touches. Repeat.[5]
- Try making this motion very smooth. It should look almost like you're swaying back and forth.
- Swing your arms and step-touch in unison. Now you're ready to combine all the moves. Swing your arms to the right as you begin your step-touch to the right. Your step-touch should end when you snap your fingers. Then, reverse the motion—swing your arms to the left while stepping to the left. Repeat until you can do all the moves fluidly and rhythmically.[6]
- Once you feel confident, try playing "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones to practice dancing to the beat.
- Spin in a circle after doing a step-touch. Carlton occasionally spices up his signature dance with new moves. Try adding in a quick spin between the basic steps. To time this move with Carlton in his most popular version of the dance, twirl at the end of the line "But when I see you hanging about with anyone" in the first verse.[7]
- Do a jazz split after the spin. If you are flexible enough, go down into a jazz split with your front leg straight and back leg bent. Once you've hopped back up, continue performing the basic Carlton Dance moves.[8]
- Make sure to limber up beforehand, to make sure you don't pull a muscle or injure yourself while doing an advanced dance move like the splits.
- Pause and wave your hand in front of your face. Time this move to the lyric "I wanna die" at the end of the first verse. Stop step-touching, stand with your feet about hip-width apart, and bend your left arm so your hand is in front of your face. Then, wiggle your hand quickly back and forth as you bring it down, while simultaneously bending your knees.[9]
- Jump back into the basic steps once Tom Jones has finished singing the line "I wanna die."
- Slide to the side to add some flair. Step to the left and slide your right foot along the floor to bring your feet together. At the same time, hold your arms at a diagonal, with the right arm pointing up and the left arm pointing down.[10]
- You can repeat the slide multiple times in a row to move across a room, like Carlton does.[11]
EditPerforming the Dance - Learn the lyrics to "It's Not Unusual" so you can sing along. When Carlton Banks dances on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," he often mouths the words. Sometimes he even sings into an imaginary microphone. Search online for the full lyrics of Tom Jones' famous song, then break it down into sections that you can memorize one by one.
- Grab a candle to use as your own imaginary microphone, like Carlton in season 3 of the show.[12]
- Dress the part by wearing a Carlton Banks-inspired outfit. To round out your performance, considering dressing in the preppy '90s style of Carlton Banks. In his most iconic version of the dance, he wears a blue and purple madras shirt, khaki pants, and a brown leather belt.[13]
- For another signature Carlton look, try a chunky, cable-knit sweater over a collared shirt.[14]
- Play "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones. Make sure to play the song while you dance. Purchase the song, or play it on a streaming service like Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. You can set up a computer, or put out speakers to play the music.
- Perform at a party or event. Put your skills on display by doing the Carlton Dance in public. You can plan in advance to do the dance, by asking the DJ to add "It's Not Unusual" to his or her playlist. You can also perform the dance spontaneously, if the song happens to come on during an event.
EditReferences
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