How to Make a Piñata Yourself

Piñatas are made for celebrations, and not only for children’s parties, because every adult is still a child at heart. Give your friends, colleagues and loved ones genuine, unforgettable joy. For example, a heart-shaped piñata is always a great choice for a wedding, engagement party or romantic evening.

To make a piñata yourself, you will need: cardboard, such as any flattened cardboard box; corrugated paper in different colours, which can be replaced with any paper available at home, including newspapers or magazines; PVA glue, although a hot glue gun will make the process faster; scissors and a craft knife; a marker or pencil; and a ribbon or cord of any shape or texture. To fill the piñata, prepare sweets of your choice, homemade glitter and small surprises such as toys, soap bubbles, photographs or notes containing predictions.

Now, let’s begin this exciting process...

We recommend using thick cardboard on which you can draw two identical outlines of your chosen piñata shape in the required size. From the remaining cardboard — even very small pieces can be glued together — cut out a strip that will give the figure its depth. The strip should be as long as the entire outline of the figure plus an additional 10–15 cm. Its width should be selected so that the proportions of the chosen piñata shape are preserved. If you are worried that you cannot draw, put those concerns aside: you can find a template for almost any animal or shape online.

Decide in advance where the flap for filling the piñata with treats will be located. Next, cut strips measuring 5–7 cm in width from any available paper, such as advertising leaflets. Use these paper strips to attach one copy of the cardboard figure to the cardboard strip prepared to create the piñata’s depth. The paper strips may be glued to either the intended inside or outside of the piñata. To help the strips lie smoothly around curved areas without forming thick folds, make cuts along the top and bottom edges, leaving approximately 1–2 cm uncut in the centre. If you carefully followed the description of the piñata-making process, the additional 10–15 cm of cardboard left after joining one side of the figure to the cardboard strip will serve as the piñata’s flap. Depending on the chosen shape, you can give the flap the necessary form or hide it completely to preserve the mystery: “How did the sweets get inside?”

Make two symmetrical holes at the top of the figure, in the cardboard strip used to create its depth, and thread a ribbon or cord through them. Secure the ribbon firmly using reinforcing pieces on the inside and outside together with a generous amount of glue. Choose the ribbon length according to the approximate height of everyone who will take part in the game.

Next, attach the second copy of the figure. You will now have a three-dimensional piñata with a ribbon at the top and an opening where the main treasure — a variety of treats — can be hidden.

Now it is time for the most exciting part: decorating the finished piñata base. This is where you can fully express your creativity by choosing the colours and textures of paper used to cover the figure. Before attaching the fringe, we recommend covering the entire base with plain or evenly coloured paper. This will conceal the paper strips, excess glue and any other unexpected imperfections that may have appeared while assembling the parts. Cut even strips of paper measuring 5–6 cm in width, make cuts measuring 1–1.5 cm to create the fringe, and glue the fringe to the base with an overlap of approximately 1.5 cm. This stage will require the most time, patience, patience and even more patience!

We recommend choosing the filling individually according to the birthday person’s preferences or the theme of the party. For example, a piñata for a girl can be filled with sweets in pink wrappers and golden glitter cut from shiny paper. A piñata for a boy can contain sweets in pirate-themed wrappers together with matching accessories such as a pirate flag, treasure map or compass. A piñata for a hen party can be filled with sweets, prediction notes and souvenirs related to single life or weddings.

We hope we have inspired you to make your own piñata!

And if not, follow the link and choose a piñata you like, handmade by our skilled craftspeople. We offer the opportunity to buy a festive piñata with same-day delivery in Kyiv and fast delivery throughout Ukraine!

We will be happy to create any themed piñata for you. Give your loved ones bright and unforgettable emotions!

Always yours, the CAPSBOARD.COM team