Gift Bag Pinata You Can Make in Minutes

Thinking of having a fabulous pinata for your child’s birthday party? Don’t want to pay upwards of fifty bucks for one? Don’t. Make your own pinata; it’s easy, fun, and perfect for little kids. Although store-purchased pinatas may be a little more detailed, the handmade ones are a fraction of the cost, and just as cute. As a matter of fact, your homemade pinata will be so unique that everyone will want to know where you got it.

You’ll start with an ordinary gift bag, or even a fancy one from a party-theme store, to make the pinata. Although party-theme stores may charge more than average for a bag, it’s still nothing compared to the price of a pinata.

You’ll find cartoon character bags, as well as bags shaped like balloons, pets, wild animals, people and more. These shaped bags are perfect for the pinata project but an ordinary gift bag will work just as well. Bags without the slick coating are most appropriate for this craft but they’re a little more difficult to find. The coated bags will work, though, but will be more difficult to bust while hitting it.

Another way to create the perfect gift bag pinata is to purchase a colored gift bag, then attach an image, cut from cloth or paper, to the front of the bag. The rest is easy: fill the bag with candy and tape it shut! The handles on the bag will serve as a way to hold the pinata on a stick, or hang it from a tree.

Slick bags will break open much easier if you use a nail to puncture it. Just poke the nail through the bag, every few inches, around the bottom perimeter. This trick works well with any bag, actually, especially when little kids will be trying to break the pinata.

You can make the bag a little more three dimensional by adding various craft supplies to it. For example, you can tie a real bow tie around it, add dangling legs made from socks – with little baby shoes attached – or by adding yarn-type hair. You can also tear strips of colored paper, like those which cover regular pinatas, and glue them all over the gift bag. Just remember, the more you add to the bag, the harder it will be to break open.

There are ways to make similar pinatas, for next to nothing, by using a grocery bag instead of a gift bag. Place the candy in the bag – but don’t overfill. Tie the grocery bag shut, trapping enough air to inflate the bag. A piece of tape over the tied area will help secure the knot and keep air from escaping. Decorate the bag by taping or gluing on many small pieces of torn, colored paper. Use craft eyes, and other supplies, to make a giant face out of the bag. You can even rig up a small basket, for the look of a hot air balloon, by simply using straw pieces and a tiny basket or box.

Just about any bag can become a pinata in a matter of minutes, including a bread wrapper. Blow air into the wrapper until it is inflated, then tie shut. Decorate it with colored strips of paper and voile! The pinatas can be as simplistic as you want them to be, or as elaborate, by simply adding a few craft supplies to the project.

Because the bag pinatas are so inexpensive and easy, kids will enjoy making them – and playing with them – all year long, regardless of special occasions. Remember this on a day when the kids are buggin’ you and let them make their own pinatas. It’s a fun project that any child – or adult – will enjoy.

Reference:

• Purchase bagged candy and tiny toys online: www.orientaltrading.com