Hey guys...this is a How-To tutorial for all my non-family members on how I made Jonah's pi
ñata
for his birthday back in July. They already know how to make it, so now I'm going to teach YOU!
I know the Spiderman pinata is so Mexican looking {didn't help that I stuck his eyes off centered}
but just wanted to share the easy recipe for this craft to make your own 'sculptures.'
Ok, Ok, I'll call it paper maché....
We use this a lot in Mexico, to make pinatas and various sculptures.
All it takes is flour, water, one balloon, and some newspaper.
WARNING: This is an extremely messy craft!
Before mixing anything, you want to make sure that you cut strips about the size of 1x5 inches of newspaper.
And keep them in a nice pile {my kids happened to be around when I was doing this}
Next, blow up a latex balloon to whatever size you need.
Then, heat up a small saucepan on low.
Pour about 1 cup of flour, and about 2-3 cp of water and stir.
You'll get some chunks which is fine, but don't over-stir and don't overheat.
Keep stirring and if the mixture is too thick, gently add more water.
You can pour the mixture into a container and keep it away from ventilation so it doesn't dry.
You can also keep it warm for a softer consistency.
{Sorry that I did not take pictures of the actual process because once you start,
you can't really stop and my hands were extremely messy}
Grab a strip of newspaper, dip it into the engrudo and paste it onto the balloon.
Keep doing it until your entire balloon is covered, making sure there are no gaps between the newspapers.
I chose to do one layer of paper so that Jonah could easily bust the pinata, but if you want to not make it so fragile, keep adding layers of newspaper.
Your balloon will become heavy and messier and messier.
Try to put a bowl or some kind of ring under your balloon when you're working to keep it steady.
Once you've covered your balloon and are finished, find a line and attach it so that it can air-dry.
I hung mine out in the Houston sun. It took about 2 hours to dry. The heavier you've layered it, the more it will take to dry. Sometimes it's best to leave them drying for about 1 day.
Once your paper is dry, you can puncture the balloon {the funnest part, IMO}
And now it's ready to decorate!
You can paint it, you can add legs to it, and you can make it into a pinata.
But don't stop there! There are COUNTLESS of sculptures you can do, like these cute piggies!
The possibilities!
