1. Inflate the balloon to the size you want (if this is your first time, start small), and hang it so that it's not touching anything. (We used a punching ball, so there was already a giant rubberband attached.) We worked at my dining room table. I HIGHLY SUGGEST covering your work surface with newspaper. My whole table had a decoupage glaze until I could get it clean.
2. This is definitely going to take two people – even if you have it hanging. Getting started is tricky, but once you get going, it's simple and fun. I recommend getting your fingers a little wet with the Mod Podge to get started.
3. Ultimately, you want the yarn to have a cool, chaotic look. But to get started, you have to be organized. Do a bunch of vertical wraps until you feel like things are pretty secure. Don't be afraid to pull tight into the balloon's elasticity a bit.
4. Take turns with your buddy. With everyone's fingers a little bit messy with mod podge, one person hold the balloon still, and the other person just get wrapping – being as intentionally chaotic as you can stand.
5. Stand back. You don't want to under-do this, but you don't want to over-do it either. At some point you'll hit the sweet spot and you'll know it. That, or your back will be so tired and your hands will be so sticky that you'll cry uncle and conveniently be at a happy stopping point. You know… either way.
6. While everything is still wet, start thinking about the reality that you're going to need to fit a lightbulb and your fist through the bottom hold, and that the top hole will need to almost perfectly fit the light fixture. No pressure, there will be time to make adjustments once everything is dry. But the more you can do now, while everything is still wet, to accommodate those things, the better.
7. Now, go nuts with mod podge. Once things are about how you'd like them to be, and you're totally finished wrapping, make it stick. (And speaking of stick, don't worry about it sticking to the balloon – it will all work out great in the end!) We used a foam brush at first, but ultimately found that it was just easier to scoop the goop out with our hands and slather it on. Clean up was tough though, so if you're a tidy person, use a foam or bristle brush for this step.