Pinata Crafts : Crafting : Home & Garden Television

Family activities expert Dana Christine joins TIPical Mary Ellen shares instructions for making papier-mache pinatas.

Materials:

newspapers
flour
water
whisk
large balloon
large bowl to hold balloon
thin plastic gloves
scissors
candy or other treats of choice
tempura paints
construction paper
tissue
markers
glue

Steps:

Begin by ripping several newspapers into long skinny shreds. Make a paste mixture by combining one part flour and two parts water. Use a whisk to remove the lumps.
Blow up a large balloon and tie it off. Set the balloon on a bowl that is large enough to keep it steady.

Figure A

Put on thin plastic gloves, then begin dipping the newspaper strips into the paste mixture and layering them on the balloon (figure A). Brush off excess mixture as the layers are added. This will make cleanup easier.

Let the first layer dry, then add three more layers, allowing for drying time between each layer.

Figure B

Figure C

Once the form has dried, pop the balloon and pull it out. Cut an opening that's large enough to insert candy and begin dropping treats through the hole (figure B). After enough treats are inserted, cover the hole with more papier-mache.

Decorate the papier-mache with tempura paints. Use construction paper, tissue, markers and glue to decorate the pinata (figure C).

Other Ideas

Make a papier-mache piggy bank by painting the pinata pink. Make feet and a snout by using lids from cans of spray paint.
Leftover wallpaper paste also works very well for papier-mache projects. A mixture of two parts white glue and one part water also works for smaller projects, but it's fairly expensive to use on large projects.

Guests
Dana Christine
Entertaining Expert
Grand Rapids, MN
Phone: 612-819-6611
E-mail: Danaholzinger@yahoo.com

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