Piñata Making 101

Now that 2010 has arrived, our Thanksgiving and Birthday Piñatas are old news and distant memories. Still, we had so much fun making them that we thought we'd share some tips from our crash course in piñata making.

Tip #1: Making a piñata involves many steps and is a significant investment of time, so start your creation long before you plan to crack it open. I recommend giving yourself at least a week.

The base forms for our piñatas came from balloons covered in paper mache. To make the paper mache, we tore newspaper into strips and covered them in paste made from two parts water to one part flour.

Tip #2: If you cook the paste, it sets up faster and you don't have to wait as long between layers for the paper mache to dry. However, this also makes the paste thicker, so I recommend increasing the water in the 2:1 ratio.

Tip #3: With each new layer, alternate using black and white newspaper strips with colored newspaper ads. This lets you see what areas have already been covered and where you need more.

Tip #4: After you have paper-mached three layers, allow your project to dry. Then tie a rope or ribbon around the girth of your creation, adding an extra loop at the top. This will be the string that you use to hang your piñata when it is all done. Tape the ribbon in place so it doesn't slide--then paper mache another three or four layers over the top. Since the string is actually integrated into the piñata itself, it will be strong enough to hold the weight of the candy and stand the abuse of being knocked without pulling through.

Tip #5: I don't recommend filling with hard candies because they shatter during the merry-making. Trust me. :)

Tip #6: If you want an absolutely gorgeous finish, covering your piñata in crepe paper squares creates a dazzling effect. (To do this, twist each individual square around the eraser end of pencil and dab in glue.) However, it takes an outrageous amount of time, so make sure you really want to invest that much time in a bunch of paper that's just going to get smashed to bits.

I confess that Jason and I had differing opinions (aka marital strife) about whether or not our "bee" was worth the twenty hours we invested in it. I grew more and more frustrated with each rotten square that I glued until I finally remembered it was our Thanksgiving piñata, and I needed to "Bee Grateful." The unpleasant experience of decorating transformed into a happy one as I envisioned each little piece of paper as a blessing. I realized that even the thousands of paper squares couldn't match the ways in which I'd been blessed. A good dose of thankfulness took the sting out of the bee project, leaving behind the sweetness of a "gratitude attitude."

Tip #7: Don't do it (squander half your week gluing crepe paper squares, that is). Even though I finally came to peace with this extremely tedious method, I much preferred the time-investment of our second piñata. We covered this one in torn pieces of construction paper that had been painted with glue. This method was a resounding success with the girls. They really couldn't mess it up, and between the tearing, glue-painting, and applying, it actually held their interest for most of the time. (Or am I the only parent who often finds herself finishing up the kids' projects all on her own, since the kids have long since wandered somewhere else in search of something else to mess up...)

Tip #8: When the piñata breaks, quick grab some chocolate to help you feel better when you realize your masterpiece is no more.