There is a steady stream of boxes that arrives at my door each week and I always love finding things I can make with them. Sometimes we make cars. Or forts. Or airplanes. Or little swim goggles for our animal friends.
Last week I decided that my parents needed a giant pull-string pinata for their 60th.
Before you read farther, know that you can buy floral sheeting at places that sell parade supplies and that kind of thing would probably cover a pinata in seconds. In Seattle I’ve seen it at the Party @Display and Costume Shop. You can also buy it online here.
But I was determined to make my fringe on my own. (I did not think this through) So I used a gold table cloth like this one and you can just imagine how something like this would go.
When a giant Rue la la box arrived I was over-joyed. I cut out a giant number 6 with an exacto-knife and traced an identical one and cut it out too. If you don’t have enough cardboard it is okay to tape pieces together to make the shape as long as you reinforce them and I’d put those reinforced pieces on the inside. The side piece you will cut out next will definitely give the pinata more sturdiness. I punched a hole in the top of the 6s because that’s where I wanted to put the string.
I then made strips of cardboard the thickness that I wanted my pinata to be, taping the two 6 parts together with moving box tape. I was very liberal with the tape.
When I got to where I wanted the pull string to come out, I didn’t tape down the sides. I punched a hole and put two long pieces of twine through.
I then wrapped the whole thing in blank newsprint and taped as many strings as I wanted people to pull to the outside of the paper.
Then I started cutting little gold pieces out and glued them to the giant shape. This is where the gold sheeting will save you days. I don’t know what I was thinking. The hubby found me under a pile of gold shavings one night. I think it was at that point he sort of wondered why he married me in the first place. (Don’t worry love-one day when you turn 60 I’ll make you a giant gold pinata too!) Make sure your gold pieces cover the tops of all the ugly strings. (When we decided that actually pulling a pull-string pinata was unnecessary at a 60th birthday we hid the strings and banished the whole thing to an outside tent.)
At least I can add pinata making to my growing list of skills I’m acquiring.
(PS When I finally finished the 6 I called my sister and asked if we could just have a 6 at the party-she thought I was joking. So I waited for another box. Next time I’ll use the floral sheeting and I hope that you do too.)
I loved the 60! I think it was worth all the work that went into it!