Categories: Decorating & Design

Pizza Cardboard Pinata

We crafters are definitely doing our part to clean up the world! We hardly throw anything in the trash anymore! Bottles, jars, cans, paper, foil – it can all be turned into other things that are beautiful or just serve a purpose. If we keep on going at this rate we’ll have no use for a trash can any longer! Okay, that might be an overstatement, but we’re on the right track! No matter what it is we can probably use it to make something else. So, the next time you order takeout pizza why not turn the cardboard trays into an after-dinner project? You can make a unique pinata with two pizza cardboard circles and that pinata can be made for any occasion at all – for a couple of bucks!

You’ll need two cardboard circles which are the same thickness and size. In addition, you’ll need some spare cardboard to make the outer part of the pinata. This additional cardboard doesn’t necessarily have to be the same thickness as the cardboard circles.

If the cardboard has a lot of grease stains just cut a piece of paper and attach it to hide the stains. This side of the cardboard will go on the inside of the pinata. Set the first cardboard so that the paper side is facing up. Cut a strip of cardboard that’s long enough to go all the way around the circle. This strip can be as wide as you want but a nice size is three to five inches wide. If you don’t have a strip of cardboard long enough to go all the way around the circle tape two or more pieces together.

Begin wrapping the cardboard strip around the first cardboard circle, aligning the edges with each other. Tape all the way around. Poke a hole in the band, at any location, centering the hole on the band. Cut a piece of twine, push both ends through the top of the hole, then tie a knot in the ends. A dot of glue helps to hold the hanger for the pinata.

Add the candy and surprises to the circle and band arrangement. Don’t fill it completely up; fill it to be about halfway full or it will be too heavy. Position the second circle over the band and tape it in place. Now you can use any number of methods for decorating the pinata.

Use pieces of colored wrapping tissue, cotton balls, pieces of cut paper – even an mylar balloon that has deflated – to decorate the pinata. Covering it with pieces of paper makes it easy to create a sun, a smiley face, a peace sign or another design. Cutting the front off of a mylar balloon gives you a way to recycle the balloon plus instantly create a theme for the pinata.

The next time you order takeout pizza think of your next upcoming celebration. Be it a holiday, birthday or other occasion you can make the perfect pinata!