How to Make a Piñata
By Priscilla Kissinger
Hola, mis amigos! Hello, my friends! Welcome to this
month’s craft corner. Continuing with my theme in last month’s
recipe section, I thought I’d share a craft idea in honor of
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15).
The piñata is a main staple at Mexican celebrations
from birthdays to religious holidays. It’s a fun game for adults and
children, guaranteed to liven up a fiesta! To learn more about the
history of the piñata, check out this website:
www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/wdevlin/wdpinatahistory.html
I also found a wonderful book titled The Piñata
Maker/El Piñatero by George Ancona. This book tells the story of
an authentic piñata maker in Mexico, complete with real photographs.
The book goes one step further by sharing the story in both English
and Spanish. It’s a true treasure!
But on to our craft. Although an authentic piñata is
made from a clay pot, today we’ll try a simpler version. I’ll warn
you, though, this isn’t a single afternoon project. More like
several days. We like to think of it as prolonged fun. And the
finished project, along with the entertainment it brings, is well
worth it!
You’ll need:
1 12-inch balloon
1 large bowl
1 cup of flour, or
more as you need extra paste
½ cup of water, more or less to make
consistency of glue newspaper strips
wine crepe paper
streamers
tape
Procedure:
1. Inflate balloon and tie it.
2. Tear newspaper
into long strips about 1-inch wide and 6-8 inches long.
3. Make glue by
mixing paste with flour and water. It should be the consistency of
white glue.
4. Here’s where your methods can vary. Dip newspaper
pieces into paste and cover the balloon with four layers,
crisscrossing strips for strength and leaving a 2-inch opening at
the top (the tied end) to put the filling in. OR Wet the balloon
with the paste, spread newspaper strips on the balloon, smoothing
more paste over the strips (do not leave any newspaper dry),
crisscrossing the strips for strength, and leaving a 2- inch hole at
the top to put the filling in. Hint: Some may want to alternate a
layer of regular black and white paper with a layer of color comics
to make sure each layer is complete.
5. Let piñata dry overnight.
6.
Drape a long piece of twine over the top and down both sides of the
balloon, with both ends of the twine extending about 30 cm beyond
the tied end of the balloon. Tape the twine to the balloon. Drape
another piece of twine over the balloon in the same manner, but at
right angles (dissecting the balloon into four equal parts) to the
first piece of twine. Tape the second piece. These pieces of twine
will later be used to hang the piñata.
7. Add at least four more
layers of newspaper and paper mache, allowing balloon to dry between
every four layers. The more layers you add, the thicker the piñata,
making it harder to break/longer-lasting. You may want to use white
paper for your final layer, as this will provide a neutral surface
before decorating.
8. Hang the piñata by the tied end of balloon,
allowing it to dry for at least one day once you’ve added your final
layer of newspaper/paper mache.
Decorating: Once the piñata is completely dry, pop
the balloon, then you can paint a design on the piñata or decorate
it in the traditional fashion.
To decorate traditionally, cut crepe paper streamers
into 30-inch long pieces. To give the crepe paper a fringed look,
make cuts about every ½ to 1 inch along the length of the paper. Be
sure not to cut fringe more than halfway up the width of the paper
or it will be difficult to attach paper to piñata.
Starting at the bottom of the piñata, with the
fringe towards the bottom, use Elmer’s glue to attach the crepe
paper to the piñata, circling the paper around the piñata and
layering it as you continue moving towards the top. Be careful not
to use too much glue as it may cause the crepe paper coloring to
run.
Once the glue is dry, fill your piñata with all
kinds of goodies: unbreakable party favors, wrapped candies, even
fruit and nuts!
Breaking your piñata: Now comes the fun!! Tie the
ends of the twine together at the top. Tie a longer rope to the
piñata. Be sure the rope is long enough that it can be draped over a
tree limb, leaving the person holding the rope enough length to pull
the piñata up and down while staying out of harm’s way.
Blindfold a partygoer and spin him around several
times. Hand him a large stick (a broomstick works well) and let him
take a whack at the piñata while the rope holder raises and lowers
the piñata.
Listen to the cheering and clapping, the laughter
and giggles your piñata will provide. Just be sure to give everyone
a chance to take a swing! And enjoy!
Additional tips: An oval piñata may seem boring to
some. Take heart, there are plenty of ideas for shaping your piñata.
There’s the traditional star, animals, fruit, cartoon figures,
whatever your imagination can conjure.
To make each star point, cut 2 quarter circles out
of thin cardboard or card stock. Tape the straight edges together to
form a cone. Cut 1-inch slits along the bottom, bending the slits
outward and then taping the cones to the piñata.
Attach the points at the same time you attach twine,
then continue adding the layers of paper mache and newspaper. Once
you attached the crepe paper fringe, add ribbons to the ends of the
star points.
If you’re looking for more ideas and how-to help,
try one of these books or websites:
Making Cool Crafts and Awesome Art by Roberta
Gould
The Muppets Big Book of Crafts by the Muppet
Workshop with Stephanie St. Pierre (a cute idea for a bat piñata,
perfect for Halloween)
http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/papermache/l/blpmachp1.htm
www.kinderplanet.com/pinata.htm
http://nh.essortment.com/pinatamexican_rzfa.htm
http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/youth/cinco_pinata.html
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/cartoons/birthday/scooby_doo.htm
(another
neat idea for a bat piñata, as well as links to other ideas)
Ready to craft more? Check out the ink at the bottom of
this page. It’ll take you to the archives from past months’ Craft
Corner to make book thongs (Yep, that’s thongs. It’s not a typo.
Fun idea, huh?) and paper dolls. You’ll love Kiki’s articles and
sense of humor, so give her crafts a try!
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Quick and
Easy Recipes
By Pam
Payne
Love chocolate? Especially deep, rich chocolate?
Writers tend to live on chocolate as they slave over their
manuscripts. But because we’re on deadlines, we like our chocolate
fast and easy--kind of like our heroes.
Here’s a recipe for the best fudge you’ve ever
eaten, and it takes less than two minutes to fix.
Ingredients:
8 x 8
buttered pan
3 cups
semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 can
sweetened condensed milk (fat-free works just fine)
1 cup
chopped nuts
1 teaspoon
vanilla
Place milk and chocolate chips into saucepan and
stir over medium heat until chips are melted. Remove from heat and
add vanilla and nuts, stirring until smooth. Pour into buttered pan
and allow to cool.
Enjoy!
Easy Pot Roast
Easy is good when it comes to cooking, right? But
good food doesn't taste easy. This pot roast will get you plenty of
praise but takes only seconds from counter to oven.
Buy a good sized roast--any kind--and place in glass
or metal pan. Smother roast with a large can of cream of mushroom
soup, cover tightly, and roast at 350 degrees until tender (time
will depend on size and type of roast, but usually 1 1/2 to 2
hours). You can add a small amount of water to the bottom of the
pan, but don’t pour it over the soup.
When it’s done, you’ll have a roast that melts in
your mouth and comes with the added bonus of a delicious gravy.
To read
last month's Stuff to Make article, click
here
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