THINGS TO DO: Make a Pinata

I love papier-mache. It is so fun and messy and and cheap and the possibilities are endless. Pinatas are especially great since they involve candy and smashing - two of my kids favorite things. Pinatas are easy but they can take some time. You'll want to allow several days for building, drying, filling, and decorating. And their construction is messy. I like to build them outside where I can hose off our remains.

TO BUILD A PINATA:

1) Design your pinata. Pinatas are typically made using an inflated balloon for the shape. But I have built a bird and a pterodactyl using multiple balloons, and this time around I experimented using paper for the form. After the papier-mache part is finished, you can add paper and cardboard details to the pinata when you decorate. Anything is possible.

2) Mix up the paste. I use the following recipe: Mix one quarter cup of flour into one cup of water. Add this into five cups of boiling water. Gently boil and stir this mixture for about three minutes. Cool before using.

3) Create your form. It is easiest to have a blown up balloon to follow in creating the shape.

4) Cut or rip strips of newspaper. Size the strips appropriately for your pinata design.

5) Begin laying the newspaper strips on the pinata form. To do this dip the newspaper strip in the paste. Remove excess paste. Place the strip on the form. Smooth the strip on to the shape. Repeat, crossing the strips back and forth for strength. Leave an opening to place the candy into the pinata.

6) Layer the strips. If the form becomes too soggy, take a break and allow the papier-mache to dry before continuing. I generally build about three layers on a pinata. I feel it when it is dry and make sure it seems sturdy, and add more layers if needed. Generally my pinatas end up stronger than imagined.

7) Break the balloon and fill the pinata with candy. After you break the balloon inside your pinata, pull it out if possible. I made a pinata for my wedding without removing the balloon, and all the candy went into the balloon when it went into the pinata. When the pinata broke, a ball of candy filled balloon fell with a thud and we had an additional game of baseball to break the balloon open.

8) Cover the candy opening with more paper mache. In a pinch, I have just taped this closed.

9) Decorate the pinata. Pinatas are traditionally covered with tissue paper. The tissue paper is cut into strips and one edge is fringed. The fringe is glued all over the pinata. I just use white school glue to attach the tissue paper.

10) Hang the pinata. This step can be integrated sooner. I like to papier-mache the hanger for the pinata on right away and work on the pinata with it suspended. In the case of this pinata, the candy was too heavy for the string I chose to hang the pinata, and the line ripped right out. Oh well. The plan is now to hang it with some ribbon birthday present style.

11) Break the pinata. Traditionally each participant has a chance to try their luck beginning with the youngest child and working through to the oldest. It is fun to hang the pinata so it can be manipulated up and down while the blindfolded players attempt to hit it with a stick or baseball bat. Once the pinata breaks it is a free for all.

* * * * * * *

We had some challenges with our pinata creation this time around. Marek decided he wanted to make his own raindrop (balloon) shape pinata. Unfortunately after it was filled with candy, we left the pinatas on the table for the night. The dog decided she wanted to sample some of the delicacies inside, and that was the end of his nice raindrop shape. Marek was disheartened and did not attempt to repair his efforts.

The cake shape I made in three separate layers and then joined the layers together after they were dried. For this reason, some of this pinata is very thick, but I sure hope the joints don't give out immediately. I am always curious how strong my pinatas turn out to be. This one has fallen three times already without damage through the construction process, so I am hoping it makes it through most of the thirty kids that will be at Mom and Doug's birthday party.

The Newtons are packing up the pinata and heading to the party. I may take a break from blogging for a while and enjoy the festivities and the beginning of summer break. But I will be back!

Happy Sixtieth Birthday, Mom and Doug!