PREP
Mix the soaking solution. I couldn't remember the exact ratio, and when I looked it up on the internet, I found recipes to use flour as well. I thought I would wing it, and it worked out fine. In a bowl combine glue and water, easy huh? I used generic white glue. I bought a botte at Walmart for $.50. Use a pretty good amount. I'm guessing when I say, about 2 cups of water and half a cup glue.
Rip scrap paper into strips. I used an old magazine (magazine paper needs to be soaked longer) and some extra printer paper that I save when extracome out. You can also use newspaper, it soaks up the glue really well.
Blow up a balloon. I used an 11". I bought 12 of them off ebay for $1.
Cover the ballon with the strips of the soaked paper. I used 3 layers of magazine pages and one layer of printer paper. I would not suggest letting it dry until you do 2 or 3 layers first. The paper will be too thin and when the ballon starts to deflate the sides will callapse. You can do all layers at onc if you want, but I let i dry between the bottom laters and the final patterned layer. Do not cover over the knot in the balloon.
The final layer is the wrapping paper riped into strips. It is about the same thickness as the magazine, so they need to soak longer than newspaper printepaper s well. Let it dry over night. I bought the wrapping paper after Christmas. It was originally $3, but it was 75% off when I bought it.
Close up of the patterns
Holding the knot in the ballon, cut a small slit in the ballon and let the air out. Pull the balloon out through the hole.
Using a sharp knife (like an exacto) cut a flap in the side. Like a rectangle that isn't closed on one side. This is where you will put the candy/prizes.
On each side of the balloon hole knot, cut a slit big enough to fit the ribbon (or in my case fibers) used to hang the pinata through. I thought I had red ribbon, but after going thgough my stash, relized that all my red ribbon was patterned. So I used some red fibers. I got the spool of fibers at the Dollar Tree
Pull the ends of the fibers up through the knot hole. Tie the ends together.
Tuck the knot back in the hole.
You now have a loop to hang it up with. It also makes it a bit like a pull string pinata, ripping the pinata.
And that's it. I did a litle price comparing: An Iron Man Pinata for about $15. A Spiderman one for about $23. Superman for about $16. And Batman for $23. So that averages about $19. And that doesn't include the stuff that goes in it.
I spent less than $6 on supplies. And that's enought to do at least 4 or 5 pinatas. As long as you can find wrapping paper in the pattern you want, you can make a pinata to match. As cheap and easy as it was, I am going to make another one,that way the "little" kids and the "big" kids have there own.
