Pinata Ideas for Cinco de Mayo
Holidays are full of traditions and Cinco de Mayo has plenty to share. One of the traditions is the striking of Pinatas for the children to enjoy and even adults. Pinatas are filled with candy and other goodies in almost any shape. In this article we are going to discuss how to make your own piñata rather than having to buy one. We will also be giving some ideas regarding shapes.
First to make a piñata you must decide what type of formation you would like. Most of the piñatas in the store are going to be animals such as Alpacas, sheep, horses, and bulls. It is really up to you how complicated you want to make the piñata. Any Mexican theme such as a taco or other food they may have, animal that they have like an armadillo, or other piñata idea will really work. You can of course be very simple with just a rounded balloon that makes a ball shaped piñata. You will need to have some supplies in order to create whatever idea you have come up with. Typically making a piñata at home requires a balloon, card board, newspaper and tissue paper.
To start once you have selected your design you will need to create the formation out of a balloon or cardboard. Cardboard can be the easiest for food or animal ideas that you have. Even wire is a good tool to use if you are able to shape it in the right formation as the paper mache can break around the wire without anyone getting hurt. You need to leave a small trap door open or cut one in when you get done to place the candy inside.
To do paper mache around any of the cardboard, balloon, or wire you need flour and water. The paste you create should be rather thick. It should not be like soup, but a thick paste that when dry will make the formation you want. Once the paste has been made you need to take two inch strips of newspaper and place it on the formation you have created. The strips should be placed next to each other so that no space can be seen. They don't need to be placed on top of each other. The strips should also be very smooth. Once the strips are completely dry you can start gluing the tissue paper on the animal or other formation. The tissue paper is to hide the newspaper and give the festive look of the piñata. If you have used a balloon for the shape you need to puncture the balloon after the paper mache has dried to fill the piñata with candy. It usually takes overnight for the entire design to dry on the inside and outside, especially if you soaked the newspaper too much. The newspaper should be wet, but not wet enough to disintegrate. Don't forget to have a wire at the top of the piñata to make it easier to hang
