How to Make a Pinatas

You need to gather the following items:

1. 1 balloon - as large as you want.

2. 1 old news paper torn in odd pieces - 2 inches square.

3. 1 cup of flour - or more as you need extra paste.

4. 1/2 cup of water - more or less to paste consistency to

5. flour.

6. 6 feet of yarn - or strong cord to tie the Pi�ata.

7. 1 or 2 or 3 streamers of crepe paper to decorate it.

8. 1 small bottle of Elmer's glue to glue the crepe paper.

9. Masking tape.

10. Pencil.

You need to do the following:

Create a shape for the pinata. It could be a ball of tinfoil, a balloon or empty box.

Construction Tips:
Build a frame. Ex - If you need a round shape, like for a head or a sunshine, blow up a large balloon. If you create an animal that needs arms or legs, you can use toilet tissue spindles or paper towel spindles taped to the balloon. For other shapes, like squares, unbend a wire coat hanger and reshape in into the desired design. The frame must look like what you want the final project to look like. (For a Scooby Doo theme party, make a Great Dane shape out of several balloons.)
 

Tear (don't cut) strips of newspaper into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips so they have a slightly rough edge (tearing along a straight edge works well). The rough edges help make a smooth overall surface. Drag a strip of newspaper through the papier-mache paste, wipe off any excess with your fingers, and place it at an angle on the shape.

Cover the entire shape with the pasted-up strips except for a 2-inch square at the top, through which the candy will go. Let dry for up to 2 days. If you used a balloon, pop it and pull out of the hole. 

Next day if the paper feels dry when you touch it, then:

• Wrap the balloon with the yarn to give it strength to hold when swinging it.

• Put another two layers of newspapers dipped in paste.

• Let it dry for another day.
   

The decoration:

• The crepe paper streamers have to be cut up with a fringe, curl up with the help of the pencil, starting from the uncut side, cut up to handle them right.

• Start from the bottom and layer them overlapping.

• Make cones with newspaper and attach them to the balloon with masking tape,

• Decorate the cones with the crepe paper, adding strings to the tips.

• OR: After the project is completely dry, cover it with colored tissue paper. The tissue paper (like the kind that comes in birthday presents, not Charmin) should be cut into strips. Then cut the strips on one edge like grass. Glue the strips one on top of the other to cover the pi�ata. It is best to start at the bottom and work your way up. When this is dry, cut a small slit in the top and insert the candy. Fill it about halfway with the candy. (Make sure the inside of the pinata is completely dry before you fill it, so the candy won't stick to the sides.) Cover the opening with some tissue squares, and your pinata is ready to hang.

Papier-Mache Paste for Pinata
1/2 cup flour
2 cups cold water
2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons sugar

Boil the water. While the 2 cups of water are heating to a boil in the saucepan, mix the flour and cold water in a bowl. Squeeze out any lumps with your fingers.

Add the flour mixture to the boiling water and bring it back to a boil. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool before you use it.

Label and store leftover paste in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. If the mixture hardens, add warm water and whisk until smooth.

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