Heart Dove

By Ralph Dewey

Here is a simple dove made from three 6" white heart balloons and one white #321 bee body balloon. Unfortunately the white Qualatex #321 balloons have been discontinued. You can still make the dove, but it will have to be in red, yellow, pink or orange.

Inflate two 6" hearts (the wings) to about 75% capacity then tie their nozzles together. Of course you can tie each balloon first and then tie them together, but that gives it too much bulk at the knots. I try to minimize the size of the knots to keep the simplicity of the dove. Twist off a 1-inch bubble on one of the lobes of each heart. Twist-connect them together. Those two bubbles represent the feet of the dove.

Inflate the third 6" heart balloon (the tail) to about 50 or 60% and tie off the nozzle. Tie the nozzle to the two feet. Use scissors to trim off the nozzles of the two wings.

Inflate the #321 balloon (the body and head) so that it is about 60% inflated and near the nipple end. Tie off the nozzle. Tie the knot of the #321 around the feet. Poke the nipple end up through the two wings. The #321 is not twisted into separate bubbles, merely wedged between the two wings. Position and squeeze the two parts of the #321 (the body and head) so that you have a head of about 2-1/2 inches and a body of about 3-1/2 inches. You will have to experiment a little to get the proportions and shape that you desire. You may want to curve the beak (the nipple end downward slightly) to achieve a nicer head shape.

Decorate the eyes and wings with a black marker to complete the dove.

Groaner Ideas
Warning! The following two balloon ideas may make you groan. You can make a bee sculpture and print "Ray" on it. Now you have Ray Bees (rabies). Twist a horse and print "C" on it to make a Sea Horse.