Alternate title: This is not a piñata tutorial (although it may look like one).
It's Christmas in my house and like any other crafty person with a German background it's time to make piñatas. Just add gin (my version of eggnog) and let the fun begin!
Of course, I had to start my piñatas about 2 weeks ago or they never would have been ready to give as gifts to my stepsons. I gathered my materials: balloons to make the basic form, flour, water, cord, and just as I was about to drive to the 7-11 to buy a newspaper, the best early Christmas gift, ever, arrived on my doorstep: one of those annoying phone books that no one uses anymore. Instead of walking it right to my recycling bin, I brought it inside to use in place of newspaper. Perfect!
AFTER I started my flour and water piñatas, someone told me that the best way to avoid having the children receive a "mold piñata" (it's very humid here in Florida) is to use Elmer's glue and water for the binding agent. Next time!
This time, I went old school with flour and water for my paste and looked up some instructions to see if the proportions of the 2 ingredients were important. One crafter's post recommended using an electric mixer so you don't wind up with lumps in your paste. Uh, yeah...it's a piñata, not Thanksgiving day gravy for your in-laws. The best method is to put a couple cups of flour in a big bowl set down in your sink, dump a lot of water in all at once, then mix it fast with a whisk. Success!
Warning! I found out that a 10 lb dachshund can put away a fair amount of flour and water paste if left unattended. I shudder to think what a Lab could do.
Layering the paper and paste is a slow process that must be done in stages over the course of a few days but I find the process soothing and imagine I look just like Demi Moore in Ghost, working that potter's wheel. I think I want Henry Cavill to come up and embrace me from behind, though. I like to occasionally update my mental images.
My drying rack is equally perfect for drying clothing or drying piñatas.
When it comes to fillings, I want the biggest mess possible so I add lots of confetti, little pompoms from the craft store, jingle bells from Goodwill, anything I can find. This time, I couldn't remember where I found the cheap confetti so I decided to cut my own out of tissue paper. It wasn't as much of a pain in the ass as I thought it would be and it looked so good when I had a big fluffy bowl full.
Filling the piñata is kind of messy although I could probably fashion some kind of cardboard funnel for the job.
The final result is guaranteed to whip a child into a frenzy. I've never gotten too involved with the decorating of the piñata because the fun of it is beating the crap out of it.
I had a friend in Missouri who was originally from Mexico and he said, in a pinch, his parents would put some candy in a cardboard box, tape it shut, and hang it from a tree as an impromptu piñata and they loved it.
I can't wait to see the boys get medieval with their Christmas piñatas!
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