Last year I wrote this blog about making mini Pinatas for the Christmas Tree. They were so popular with the kids and grown-ups alike I thought I would re-share this great way to make the festive season even more special!
Christmas eve is going to be extra busy this year with all the nephews and nieces coming for dinner. Excitement levels will be sky high so I decided to arrange a little pre-emptive entertainment.
Pinatas are everywhere at the moment - for children's parties, Hallowe'en and festivals. So why shouldn't Christmas get the mexican treatment too?
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| Getting prepared |
You will need:
Pack of small balloons
Scissors
Ribbon to hang
Shredded Newspaper/Brown Paper/Tissue Paper
Paste (1Cup flour to 2 Cups Water and pinch salt)
1" paint brush
2 Lengths of cardboard
Treats to fill the finished baubles
Embellishments to decorate
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| Mixing the paste |
Firstly make up your paste: It's really very simple, boil together 1 Cup plain flour with 2 cups water - keep stirring until it starts to thicken then add a pinch of salt and take off the heat. I store mine in a used yoghurt pot with a sealable lid (keep in a cool place). Once this is made you're ready to set up a work space, be sure to lay down newspaper or a plastic sheet on your table and an
apron to protect your clothes. Get comfy with a
nice pot of tea or a glass of wine before you start.
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| Keeping things neat |
I made a simple stand to hold the balloons as they dried by cutting two lengths of card (kindly decorated by my 2 year old nephew) I cut a slit down the middle of each piece and slotted them together to make a X shape. Along each side I cut two more shallow slits to hold the knots of the balloons as they were drying.
Now you can shred your paper and blow up the balloons to the size you prefer (I decided on keeping them fairly small and liked the varied shapes not being properly round)
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| Ripped paper is better |
I found that the cut paper wasn't so easy to stick and blend in as ripped paper so forget precision and get stuck in - great for stress relief but noisy so not great if your family is trying to watch their favourite program in the same room but is fun if you have a little helper.
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| First layer going on |
I brushed a layer of the paste onto the balloon as well as onto the paper itself. You'll find that the paste soaks through the paper this will give it strength when its dry. I left mine overnight to dry and did another layer the following afternoon.
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| Left out to dry |
These take a little while to make because each layer needs to dry before adding the next. You can speed up the drying time by choosing a warm place to leave them to dry or perhaps a hairdryer?
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| Securing the ribbon |
After the second layer is dry you need to
add your ribbon. I taped it to the bottom and all the way around before adding another layer of paper. This way the hanging loop is firmly attached ready for the kids to bash them on Christmas eve.
Be sure to leave a gap either side of the ribbon ready for you to make the opening to fill the baubles when this layer is dried.
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| Ready to be filled & decorated |
Another layer goes on top I finished some with Brown Paper ready to be
embellished with sparkles, buttons, ribbons or metallic pen, some had a layer of white tissue to help masque the newsprint before painting and the others will have one more layer using christmassy gift wrap to make an easy decorative finish. When this layer is dry you will see the pinatas are now quite tough and ready to be filled. Take your scissors and cut a hole big enough to fit your treats through in the top, cutting the knot off the balloon and you can carefully pull the rubbery layer out.
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| Sweet inside |
Now to fill with sweets and tissue paper pieces (only if you don't mind cleaning the confetti up) and seal the top to match the last layer before decorating.
Now really is the fun part - you can decorate these baubles however you like...so let your imagination run and get the kids involved too, they'll love decorating their own, though they may not want to bash them open on the night - they can always get to the goodies inside by poking through the thinner layer covering the hole.
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| Ready for the tree |
Have fun being creative this Holiday season...
Ruthie
in South Africa
Posts
There are lots of ways to make your pressies stand out from the crowd; over the coming weeks we'll give you a some fab ideas to make your wrapping unique this year: 
