How to Make Mexican Decorations
Making Mexican decorations for Cinco de Mayo events or other South of the Border themed birthday parties is budget-friendly way to enjoy the fun of a fiesta. A piñata makes a great craft project and activity for children. The instructions are simple, but the process can be time-consuming because it takes so long to dry. Use the time to make other colorful Mexican decorations for your next group gathering. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Balloon
- Newspapers
- Flour
- Glue
- Paint
- Colored tissue paper
- String or ribbon
- Candy and party favors
- Large sheets of colored tissue paper
- Pipe cleaners
- Construction paper in brown, red, green, yellow and white
- Scissors
- Mini craft pots
- Styrofoam balls
- Toothpicks
- Green paint
Instructions
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Making a Mexican Piñata
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Blow up the balloon to the size and shape you want for the piñata. Boil 4 cups of water. Mix 1 cup of flour with 4 cups of cold water. Add the boiling water. Mix the paste and allow it to cool. Tear strips of newspaper about 1-inch thick.
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Dip one strip of newspaper into the flour paper mache paste. Place it against the balloon. Place another strip in the flour mixture and stick it next to the first one on the balloon. Overlap the rough edges about 1/4 inch. Continue with every newspaper strip until you have covered the entire balloon. Leave a small area at the top without any paper covering it. Allow the balloon to dry in the sunshine or fresh air.
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For a stronger piñata, layer more newspaper strips on the first layer. Pop the balloon inside to leave the hollow paper mache shell. Cut a long strip of ribbon or yarn long enough to fit around the piñata vertically one time and leave a foot free at the top. Place the length of ribbon on the work surface. Place the piñata on the center of the ribbon. Bring the ends up around the top of the piñata. Glue the ribbon to the sides of the piñata. Leave the edges free at the top for hanging later. Layer newspaper strips over the ribbon on the sides of the piñata.
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Let the piñata dry. Cut strips of colored tissue paper 4 inches wide. Make each strip into a fringe by making vertical cut 2 inches into the paper. Place the cuts about 1/2-inch apart along the entire length of the tissue paper strip. Roll the ends of the fringe around a pencil to make them curl. Place one tissue paper strip at the bottom of the piñata with the fringe hanging down and glue it in place. Layer another strip on top so that the fringe overlaps the top of the strip. Work from the bottom up to completely cover the piñata with tissue paper strips.
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Glue two cones, made from newspaper, to the sides of the piñata. Or glue empty cardboard toilet paper or paper towel roles. Cover these with layers of fringed tissue paper. Glue long, thin strips of tissue paper to the points and let them hang down. Fill the piñata with candy and small toys through the hole at the top. Cover the hole with tissue paper. Hang the piñata by the leftover ribbon at the top of the piñata.
Extra Mexican Decorations for Cinco de Mayo
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Cut strips of red, green and yellow construction paper 1-inch thick and 4 inches long. Make circles from the strip by gluing the edges of each strip together. As you make a new circle, link it through a previous circle to make a paper chain of Mexican colors.
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Fold pieces of tissue paper or construction paper in half several times. Use scissors to cut small circles, hearts and diamonds along the different creases and folds. Unfold the paper to reveal the cut-out designs. These cut paper decorations are similar to the American tradition of making paper snowflakes. Traditional Mexican cut paper decorations use brightly colored paper.
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Layer sheets of tissue paper in different colors. Fold the edges of the tissue paper in about an inch. Then fold the edge back the opposite way an inch. Continue folding like an accordion until the entire sheet of tissue paper is folded to about an inch wide. Cut the ends of the strip to a curve. Fold a pipe cleaner around the center of the bunch of tissue paper. Pull each layer of tissue paper out and fluff out the tissue paper flowers.
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Place a large piece of brown construction paper of the workspace. Draw horizontal lines across the brown construction paper 1-inch apart and leaving 2 inches at either end. Cut along each line. Cut red, green and yellow strips of construction paper to match the width of the paper and about 1-inch wide. Weave the strips into the brown construction paper. Trim the edges. Place the Mexican themed place mat on a table.
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Paint the Styrofoam balls green and let them dry. Place one in each mini craft pot. Stick toothpicks all around the green ball to make a decorative Mexican cactus to decorate tables.
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Tips & Warnings
Cutting strips of newspaper instead of tearing will cause the hard edges to shape through the mache. If you do not let the paper mache dry completely, the candy may get wet inside it.
