Saturday 16 April 2011

Pinata Tutorial - How to make your own Pinata


A few weeks back I decided to make a Pinata for my little girls birthday.  I thought I would write a little tutorial as it was fun to make and a hell of a lot cheaper than buying it from a shop :-)  Be warned though, you will need to do this a few days before the party (rather than 1 day before like I did lol)  to let it dry thoroughly.

So, what will you need?

Newspaper, ripped up in quite large strips.
A balloon.
A small bowl to hold the Pinata as you make it.
A large bowl to make up in the glue in.
Tissue paper to decorate.
Some string.
Water.
Flour.

Make up the paste that will hold the newspaper together, for this you just need 2 cups of water and 1 cup of flour.  Mix it up until there aren't any lumps.

Blow up the balloon and then pop it into the bowl for support.  Start dipping the newspaper stips into the paste mixture and then layer it on the balloon until it is all covered but leave a hole  large enough to put sweets in, this is where the balloon is tied (this should be sitting in the bowl).  As you can see from the above photo this is quite messy so make sure you either do it outside or on a surface that is easily cleaned or thrown away.

Make about 3 layers and if possible make the top a few layers thicker (the top of the Pinata so the area that is nearer the bowl as when you take it out of the bowl that will be the top of your Pinata).


When it is completely dry make two holes near the entrance, thread some string through this .  Now cut up some tissue paper and decorate the Pianta however you wish, we used strips of tissue paper in various colours.  I glued this on with PVA glue but double sided sticky tape would work too.

Now fill the Pinata with sweets or treats and some cut up tissue paper to add to the effect when it explodes :-)


Hang it up and have fun!   


Remember it is best that the children do this one at a time to lower the injury risk, we used a wooden spoon to smack ours :-)  Here is a good video link for more info on how to make one - click here.

11 comments:

  1. FAB. I want to make one Right Now and fill it with Easter Eggs. Thank you.
    Hope all's good with you. Happy hols, Ax

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  2. ~Thanks so much for sharing this I had always fancied having a go and now I know how!

    Whenever I think of Pinatas though I always remember the scene in the Cat in the Hat (Mike Meyers) when he is mistaken for a pinata and gets clobbered somewhere unfortunate by a baseball bat!!!! The footage stops a split second before and cuts to the Cat on a swing, dressed up in a frock, to the music of "Easy on a Sunday Morning". Makes me laugh til I cry every time!!

    Have a lovely weekend!

    Helenxx

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  3. That is fab! May do an Easter one!

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  4. Hiya!

    That is so fantastic!!! I am ashamed to say I bought one!!! Still we had great fun!
    Yours looks fab and now I see how easy it is I will make one next time!!
    Have a lovely restful Sunday evening,
    Andrea xx

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  5. I love this, such a great idea (and fairly simple) to make it! :) x

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  6. That is a very, very good idea!

    Now all i need is a party....

    Lx

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  7. wow! love it - thanks for a great blog post

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  8. I remember making one as a kid - it was so fun, and messy, and fun

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  9. Oh what a super fun idea!!!!
    I can see many of these coming in handy with all the parties we have ahead of us:)
    Happy Easter to you and your sweet family!

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  10. Completely fab! Especially as I have both my boys birthday's coming up shortly and they will love being allowed to wallop something until it breaks - lol! Beth/The Linen Cat

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Thank you for spending the time leaving a comment, it really does make me smile :-)