How to Make an Elvis Piñata
Breaking a pinata is something that most children anticipate during a birthday party. Hitting something with a bat while blindfolded and watching small prizes pour out is exciting. Children aren't the only ones to enjoy this special birthday tradition though, as a pinata can be enjoyed by adults at fun get-togethers, such as Elvis-themed parties. You can create an Elvis pinata at home that is colorful and full of small gifts for everyone, of all ages, to enjoy!
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Things You'll Need
- Legal-size paper
- Computer
- Scissors
- Cardboard
- Black marker
- Cereal box
- Stapler
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- 4 cups water
- Cooking pot
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
- Newspaper
- 12 inches of cotton string
- Masking tape
- Colored tissue paper
- Craft glue
- Construction paper
- Candy
- Small toys
Instructions
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1
Decide on a simple shape of Elvis that is easy to trace, such as his body or face. You can print the image on a large sheet of legal-size paper. Cut the shape out with scissors, and use it as a guide to trace onto the cardboard pieces.
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2
Create homemade paste by mixing 1/2 cup of flour and 3 tbsp. of sugar in a mixing bowl. Set the mixture aside. Pour 4 cups of water into a pot and bring it to a boil under medium heat. Once the water is boiling, slowly pour in the flour and sugar mixture, and constantly stir until a paste is made. Once it is created, turn off the stove, and set the pot aside, allowing the paste to cool.
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3
Trace the shape of the Elvis image onto to two separate pieces of cardboard, using a pencil first and then retracing it with a black marker. After tracing the shapes, cut them out and mark "F" for front on one piece and "B" for back on the other. Create a hole 2 inches in diameter on the top of the back shape to allow candy and small toys to be place inside the pinata.
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4
Cut out a long strip of thin cardboard from a cereal box that is long enough to reach the entire length around the Elvis shape. Place the long strip between the two Elvis shapes. Mold the strip to the shapes while stapling the outer edges together, on each side, all around. This connects the two shapes together and closes up the pinata.
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5
Tape the 12 inches of cotton string to the top of the pinata with masking tape. You will use this to hang it later. Tear 20 strips of newspaper that are 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. Set the strips aside and begin brushing the homemade paste onto the pinata, as if you were painting it. Place the strips of newspaper over the pinata until it is completely covered. Allow the pinata to dry for 6 to 8 hours. Place the remaining glue in a container, and store it in the refrigerator to use later.
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6
After the pinata has dried, brush a new layer of paste on the newspaper-covered pinata, and cover it with a layer of tissue paper. It is best to use a neutral color because this will be the base and will be visible from the sides of the pinata. Allow it to fully dry.
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7
Select the tissue that will be used to decorate the Elvis pinata. Cut 15 strips that are 2 inches thick and the length across the Elvis shapes. Create a fringe at the bottom of each strip by cutting 1 inch vertically into the tissue, 2 inches apart, along the bottom. Leave 1 inch of uncut thickness along the top of the strip to glue to the pinata later. Cut other shapes out of construction paper to create facial features and other embellishments.
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8
Paste the fringe strips onto the Elvis pinata, on each side, with regular craft glue. Next, paste on the construction paper to create facial features or clothes. Allow the tissue and construction paper to dry. When it is dry, poke through the tissue, into the hole that was created on the back shape of the Elvis pinata, and pour in the candies and toys. Cover the hole back up with a small square of tissue paper.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit tissue paper image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
