Crafting at Home + Creative Recycling: MINIATURE PIÑATAS

Start by opening your box flat. You can use something smaller than a cereal box and may be able to get by just with leftover pieces from another recycling craft project.

Cut out the black strips and silhouettes from a printable template and glue them to the cardboard, then cut them out. OR hand-draw your own directly on the cardboard. If this is the route you take, draw one side of the figure and use it to trace an identical piece. The strips should be about 1" wide and long enough in total to follow the outline of the piñata's silhouette. 

Next, start taping the strips along the edge of one of the silhouettes at a 90° angle. It's easiest if you start in a corner (like where the neck meets the back) so there is one less corner you need to bend.

Follow along the figure's outer edge, folding in or out as necessary and curving to match as best you can. Leave the last little bit un-taped.

Follow the same process with the second strip, continuing around the other side of the silhouette. It will all stay more rigid if you tape the two strip ends together. An easy way to get the curve of the top of the ear is to wrap the strip around a pencil when you get to that point!

Again, leave the very end of the strip un-taped. It should end up pretty close to the first loose end.

Depending how much extra length you have on your strip pieces, you can layer one over the other or trim off a bit of excess. Just make sure you leave enough to connect them without a gap.

This is what your project should look like at this point: a little piñata-shaped box without a lid!

Set the other silhouette piece in to match, finagling the strip to match up to this side, too. Fold the tape over these edges to secure or add more pieces of tape if your initial ones don't reach this side of the structure.

You can add more tape along all the edges for more structural integrity (this may depend on your end use for the project).

At this point, you may choose to pre-cut some strips of crepe paper in whatever color(s) you like/have! You will need pieces ranging in length from 3"-7". The actual quantity of strips you need may vary.

To prepare each piece of crepe paper to be attached to the piñata, you will need to fold it in half lengthwise and cut it into fringe. Leave roughly a ¼" section along the fold uncut to keep it from falling apart.

Start attaching the fringe in whatever pattern you'd like. The bottom piece should reach the bottom of the piñata.

Continue upward, gluing each layer on top of the last. The legs will probably take two 3" layers of their own before you reach the belly, which will need the 7" pieces of fringe.

Let each layer dry briefly before adding another so they don't slide around.

As you go along the curves, it may be easier to do the layer in sections, attaching a small piece of fringe on the curvy bit and a longer piece around the flatter parts.

You can put some extra glue along the curves, especially where they curve in. This will hold down the fringe and preserve more of the shape of the silhouette than if everything were to hang down and cover it all.

Continue your color pattern all over the body and up the back and head.

When all that remains is the tips of the ears, cover them all over with glue for the final piece of crepe paper.

Cover the entire top of the ears with the last bit of fringe. If you can see the structure through the crepe paper, add another layer directly on top of it for greater opacity.

If you are going to put anything inside of your piñata, now is the time to do so. Simply take a box cutter or use scissors to punch through the belly (or the back or wherever would make most sense for your design) and cut along three sides of a little door. Fill with chocolate kisses, tiny trinkets, or even cash if this is part of a gift! Touch up the area with additional crepe paper if needed.

Or, if the point of your creation was simply to make a cute decoration, revel in its tiny adorability!

The following are tips gathered by completing a second mini piñata with the newer template (which, after quite a few edits, ends up looking pretty similar once covered in crepe paper). If you are making lots of these for a party or other event, you will likely gather some additional shortcuts of your own!

TIP #1: If you use packaging tape to attach the strip pieces to the silhouettes, you will get great, even coverage due to the tape's width. While this is not a necessary material, it can help to simplify the process!

TIP #2: If your tape strips are traversing corners or rounding curves, it is easier to secure the edges to the silhouette if you snip along the edges of the tape.

TIP #3: If this is for decorative purposes and not meant to be destroyed, feel free to cover the entire base structure with tape for added durability.

TIP #4a: If you don't want your figure to have "bare" feet, you can cover them before adding the layers off fringe. Start by putting glue all over the bottoms of both feet sections.

TIP #4b: Then, stick on plain (unfolded/uncut) little pieces of crepe paper.

TIP #4c: Move forward with the layering of fringe pieces.

TIP #5: You can do the same thing for the "bare" belly if you are so inclined. If you are making a hidden treat door here, you may want to do this step at the very end if at all.

TIP #6a: Another way to do the tips of the ears is to first cover them with a plain piece of crepe paper (much like the feet).

TIP #6b: Then, cover the plain crepe paper with a final layer of fringe to finish it off!