DIY Valentine's Day photo backdrop

After seeing this beautiful ombré balloon heart photo backdrop on DressUpButtercup's instagram last week, I was determined to make one myself! I had to go to Walmart that day anyway, so I grabbed everything I needed and got to work!

When I got home, I knew I needed to do this pretty quickly, because my dog is TERRIFIED of balloons. Even after putting him upstairs in our room where he feels safe, he still freaked out. I think from start to finish, I did this in under an hour because of this. 🤣 Poor Fiji...

Luckily, Kinsley already had this red dress from Christmas that she only wore for 5 minutes before changing back into her new Elsa dress for the day. I purchased her dress from Etsy, her shoes from Walmart, and her bow is also from Walmart. I got my red sweater from H&M back around Christmas as well.

All you need:

Double sided tape

Red balloons

Two shades of pink balloons

White balloons

Balloon pump (worth it!!!)

First, I aligned the double sided tape on the wall into a heart shape as almost a rough draft. I read where you can use a projector to trace a heart right onto the wall, but I don't have a projector and really didn't want to draw on my wall, lol.

Next, I used my balloon pump to blow up all of the balloons. This balloon pump is sooo worth the $20! I've used it countless times at birthday parties, bridal showers, baby showers, the list goes on! It's one of the best purchases I've ever made, not to be dramatic. 🤣

Then, I started at the bottom of the heart with red balloons and stuck them to the tape. I ended up adding lots of tape to different angles of all of the balloons because they kept falling. I made my way up the heart, changing colors when I felt necessary. I added smaller balloons on top where I thought there were "gaps." This not only helpled fill in the heart, but also gave it some dimension. It took a lot of trial and error, but I eventually had an ombre heart!

Finally, I grabbed Kinsley fast before the balloons fell and snapped some photos! ☺️ (Helpful hint- have yourself and your toddler dressed and ready BEFORE starting this project)

I hope this post inspires you to do a Mommy & Me photoshoot with your little one! I love that I will have these photos to cherish forever. ❤️💗

Please tag me on Instagram (@jaylenerheta) if you try this DIY photo backdrop, I'd love to see your photos!!!