Piñatas have been around for hundreds of years and have been found in numerous cultures. They have been known to represent good luck and symbolize spirituality. Traditionally, they are filled with small toys and candy, however anything can be put in a piñata. Today, piñatas are found at all types of events and can be a fun addition to any party!
So… where to begin when getting a piñata for a party? They can be found at most big box store, (and believe me, I have bought my fair share of piñatas from my local big box store) however, making your own can be quite satisfying. Since I have learned to create my own, I have enjoyed adding a custom and fun touch to my parties!
A party piñata can be inexpensive to make, however they can take a lot of time to create. Also, differing skill levels may be required, depending on the complexity of the desired design. Read below for instructions on making your own piñata.
1. Choose a design
A piñata design can be as simple or as crazy as one can imagine…just remember you will be building it. Start with a sketch. I’ve found a general rule of thumb when designing piñatas : the harder it is to sketch, the harder it is to build. Plus, having a sketch to refer to when your feeling off track can help to re-motivate you.
A simple design can be as easy as turning a box into a square or rectangular piñata. On the other hand, the more irregular and curvy the shape, the more difficult it can be to create.
2. Gather supplies
The supplies for a piñata can be fairly inexpensive, however you can add fancier finishes, which may result in higher cost.
The basic supplies needed for any piñata are: cardboard, newspaper, paper tape, glue, water, streamers/tissue paper, card stock, marker, a small-to-medium sized container, fishing line/rope/twine. You will need some cutting tools, too (think box knife, scissors, Exacto knife, etc).
3. Create your “foundation”
For this step, you will create your overall shape or foundation. Start with the biggest part of your frame, usually a square or rectangular box. This will also act as the body of the piñata, which is where all the goodies go. So, it is important that you leave a point of access where you can add the treats later. Cut a hole big enough for all your treats to fit.
Also, you will want a way to hang the piñata. Generally, a piñata should hang straight and not tip to one side or the their. Sometimes finding this point is easy, other times, it takes some experimenting to get a feel for the center point.
For the hanging mechanism, reinforcement the cardboard, using 4 additional pieces of cardboard, approximately 4″x6″. Make matching holes or slits in each cardboard piece, that can fit the fishing line, twine, or rope through. Also, make these same holes in the body of the piñata. Then, placing two of these cardboard pieces on the inside and 2 on the outside, line up the holes, with the matching holes in the piñata body. Glue the cardboard in place and allow to dry. Next, feed about a foot of length of your fishing line, twine, or rope through the holes, make a loop, and tie a knot. You will layer attach a longer length to this loop for hanging your piñata.
Next, add more shape to the overall piñata. This is where you will add legs, heads, arms, etc, also any large accessories like backpacks and purses. Using paper tape, securely attach smaller boxes or pieces of cardboard to build up your overall form. I like to using paper towel rolls,strips of thin cardboard, corners cut from boxes, and even wadded up paper to add smaller shapes to the pinata body. Let your imagination lead you.
4. Make your final shape
Once the piñata foundation is made, it’s time to add small shapes to create form. You will use the same method as before: securely attach small pieces of cardboard, using paper tape. However, this time, the shapes will be even smaller (think ears and noses, fingers and toes, and other accessory items). Don’t worry about getting lots of detail, though, just basic shapes. Once the piñata gets covered, you won’t be able to see tiny details.
Once you are happy with your overall tough form, you will layer on newspaper to the outside of the piñata. The newspaper will need to be cut into small strips, approximately 1″ wide by 12″ long. Also, in your small-to-medium sized container, mix white glue with water, what works best for me is a 1:2 ratio of glue to water, however there are many combinations that work. Different ratios can change the strength of the piñata and affect drying time.
Next, place those newspaper strips on the piñata by dipping the newspaper strips, one at a time, into the glue solution. Using your fingers, wipe off the excess, drippy glue from the paper. Lay the glue covered strip onto the base layer of your piñata, keeping it smooth so the entire strip can adhere to the layer below. Evenly cover the base layer on all sides,while overlapping the newspaper strips. Once one layer is complete, add another layer. Repeat this for 3-4 layers; I’ve found that alternating the direction of the strips from layer to layer creates a stronger piñata. Also, more layers means a stronger piñata. The stronger the piñata, the harder it will be to break…so stronger is not always necessarily better. Make sure to test the thickness and hardness if your piñata as you add each layer.
At this point, you may desire to cover your base layer with a quick coat of paint. I often choose to do a layer of white or black before moving forward. You can also leave the base layer without paint, since most of your piñata will be covered in fringe, anyway. If there are areas you have planned to not cover with fringe, then definitely put a layer of paint onto those areas to cover the cardboard.
5. Cover with tissue paper
Next, it is time to cover your piñata with fringe. My favorite material for this is colored party streamers. They make a great fringe effect and come in almost every color to match any party theme. Tissue paper can also be used to create other, more unique finishes. For example: circular pieces of tissue paper can translate to a scalloped pattern and ruffled piece of tissue paper can be turned into flowers. Again, use your imagination to create unending looks with different sizes, shapes, and layers of fringe details.
For streamer fringe: Roll out a strip of streamer around 6 feet long, then fold it in half lengthwise, to make a double layered strip. On the unfolded side, cut fringes with your scissor. To speed up this process, you can the streamers into smaller length and cut multiple layers at once.
You will need quite a bit of fringe, therefore, this is one of the most time consuming parts of a piñata project. For me, it is easier to cut the fringe pieces as I go. This keeps me from making too much or too little, plus, it breaks up the long process.
Each piece of fringe will now need to be attached to your piñata. For this, you can use white glue or any remaining white glue solution you had from previous steps. Dab glue along the entire folded edge of the streamer fringe. Starting at the bottom of your piñata, attach the first row of fringe. Continue upward and for each new layer of fringe, overlap the previous row slightly. Keep adding rows until you have completely covered your piñata.
6. Add final details
Your piñata is almost complete, except, all you need now is the final details. This is the part where you add eyes, jewelry, logos… you get the idea. As far as materials go, you can use whatever your heart desires for this step: glitter and jewels, paper and markers, fabric, really any and everything! Affix the detail pieces to your piñata using the appropriate glue, usually craft glue or hot glue will suffice for most materials.
Now, fill your piñata with all your goodies and hang it up. Since a filled piñata can get heavy, find a strong and secure place to hang it from (a tree limb, a beam, etc). Destroy and enjoy!
Last two things, I promise: don’t forget the stick to break the piñata. Often times a broomstick will be decorated in fringe matching the piñata to complete the set. Plus, have small favor bags or boxes that guest can use to put their piñata goodies into.
Kristina