Fly high, little guy: make a toy hot air balloon

Gemma Adams’ creativity soars to new heights as she transforms an everyday object into an imaginative toy.

You will need

• Rice paper light shade
• Small basket (this one was from a set of three from Urban Sales)
• String
• Small pieces of fabric for the sandbags
• A little stuffing
• Needle and thread

Method

1.  First, make the sandbags by cutting your fabric into a small square, about 7cm x 7cm. Pop a little stuffing in the middle, and using your needle and thread, loosely stitch around the stuffing in
a rough circle. Pull the fabric sides together and tighten your gathering stitches. Wrap your thread
a few times around the gathered part, then tie it off. Repeat with the other pieces of fabric.

2. Next, cut a piece of string about 50cm long, fold it in half, and in half again, then loop it through the bottom wire of the light shade. Tie the ends together about 7cm below the light shade wire.

3.  You may need another pair of hands to help you attach the basket. While your ‘assistant’ holds the paper shade, pull one of the four pieces of string down to the basket. Using small scissors, make a hole in the basket to pull the string through and tie it on. Repeat with all strings, keeping the basket level.

4.  Once the basket is secure, tie some string to each sandbag, leaving an 18cm long tail. Make another little hole in the basket, pop the tail through and tie off. Repeat with other sandbags.

5.  Now the only thing left to do is to find a tiny traveller to hop on board and take a ride!

Styling and photography: Gemma adams @blackbirdgoods