Making Pinatas

Making a pinata is fun and easy. However it can be time consuming and messy. Don’t let that stop you though. I’ve made a few pinatas for my boy’s birthdays and and it ranked right up there with opening presents when it came to excitement. A pinata can be of simple design or more complex depending on your creativity and the amount of time you are willing to invest.

When you decide to start on your pinata make sure you have the time to get a good bit done. Once you start applying the newspaper your hands will have the paste all over them. Pick a location where you do not mind to get messy, I’ve found out that working on my pinatas in garage and outside is best. Every time I’ve worked on them inside, even with protective covering, paste always gets all over everything. Being outside allows for much faster drying time during this stage.

Be careful not to over inflate the balloon because once you start applying the newspaper strips it will weigh a lot on your balloon and it could pop even with just a few strips on it. After you start applying the newspaper strips make sure you get most of the balloon covered all the way, except for the tied part. Once that layer starts to dry it will shrink and it could bust the balloon.

The amount of strips you apply to your pinata will determine how hard it will be to bust. Unless your making one for very small kids, you may want to apply as many as twelve layers. A few more than twelve is even more recommended, as even five year old children seem to have a healthy swing. You really want it to last a while and be able to last long enough for every participant to get a crack at it.

Keep in mind the candy or other treats you will fill it with. The place where you will hand the string will have to be thicker than any other part of the pinata if you want the pinata to remain suspended. Oh, and keep in mind how you will get the candy in the pinata. The last one I did, I just cut a small door in the back of it with a razor blade.

Pinata materials needed are:

Warm water

Flour

Newspaper strips ( narrow and wide strips) I even used old phone book pages. They are great!

Balloons

Tape (optional)

Cardboard (optional) Cut into the shapes you want.

String ( very long ) You may even want to double it up. Pinatas can get heavy!

Paper streamers (optional)

Paint

Glitter (optional)

Tissue paper (optional)

Start by getting your work area ready. Put down a plastic sheet or something. Have your newspaper or phone book page strips ready. Mix your warm water and flour. You will want the mixture to be a little thinner than gravy, but not watery. It’s OK to have the mixture a little on the thick side, but keep in mind this adds a lot of weight.

Dip the strips of paper in the paste mix and apply to the balloon one at a time. You can apply them in any pattern you want. Just be sure to get the entire balloon covered in two or three layers at this stage. If the balloon over inflates or pops then you will lose your original mold. Tie a string around the tied end of the balloon and hang it up until it dries.

Allow for good drying in between every few layers. Once good and dry, your mold will now be supporting the weight, not the balloon. It doesn’t matter what happens to the balloon once you have a sturdy mold.

Make sure your paper layers are even, meaning you do not want more in some places and less in others. In other words, soft spots. The only place I recommend a thicker area is the spot you will be threading the string through. This is the area that will be supporting all of the weight of the pinata, and it’s candy. Be sure to make this area nice and thick. In the end, the entire pinata will be covered and no balloon will be seen.

Look at the two I made. I papered two balloons at once, then taped them together and bonded them with the paper mache strips. When connecting two balloons this way, be sure to apply the strips in an X manner on one half side to start with. I then positioned it to tilt the way I wanted it to and allowed it to dry before I started on the other side. You will work your way around the entire area and apply enough strips to support both balloon molds.

I used cardboard for the legs of both the ant and the dinosaur I made. Tape held the cardboard on the pinata long enough to get the paste strips on them. You do not have to cover the entire piece of cardboard in paper mache, I didn’t. You want to put enough paper mache strips to sturdily connect all cardboard pieces. When doing this I suggest you tap into your inner sculptor. Apply paper mache strips to both the inside and outside of all cardboard attachments. Sometimes the paper will tear, that’s fine. You will be pushing, poking and all kinds of stuff to make it look good. Smooth down paper mache that is loose.

Once you are finished you will want to cut a flap somewhere for the candy and paint your pinata. To make this flap, you will cut three slits that connect. In other words it will look like a square that is missing one line. It will take a few coats of paint to cover up the print on the newspaper. If your pinata is not smooth, make sure you dab your brush down in the ruts. Be sure you get under any connections, like arms and legs, tail or whatever. After you get all the base color you need to cover the basic model you may go ahead and apply your design, or whatever you need to get your pinata the way you want it. Alternately, you can cover the pinata with tissue paper instead.

Reference:

• www.associatedcontent.com/article/1399044/how_to_make_a_pinata.html?cat=24
• www.associatedcontent.com/article/558155/how_to_make_your_pinata_environmentally.html
• www.associatedcontent.com/article/277631/how_to_make_a_pinata.html?cat=24