Have you ever wanted a pinata for a party but couldn't justify the price? or perhaps you want something for a certain theme but can't find anything that works? Perhaps you considered making one, but it just seems too hard? Well, you've come to the right place. Before you is a simple, flexible guide to help you design and make your own pinata using a combination of leftover cardboard, a few basic tools and a couple of supplies that shouldn't cost more than three or four bucks at the post office.

First off, you'll need a few things...

Step 1: Materials

For this project you will need:

Scissors (sharp!)
A marker, such as a sharpie.
Loads of tape. I used packing tape, but almost anything will work.
Plenty of old cardboard. Any boxes will need to be flattened.
A good selection of card stock.
Glue of some sort. I used hot glue, which I strongly recommend.
Tissue paper in whatever colour is appropriate to your design.
Do I even need to say it? Filling!

Step 2: Marking Out the Shape

You should start by marking out the shape you want on a large piece of cardboard. I went for a slice of watermelon, but you can choose whatever fits your theme. Be creative!

Step 3: Cut, Copy, Cut Again

Carefully cut along the lines. once you have your first shape, trace it onto another large piece of cardboard. cut it out.

Step 4: Using Excess Cardboard...

Cut strips from the rest of the cardboard and attach them end to end, taping both sides, until you run out of usable material.

Step 5: Building the Base

Okay, time to start actually building the pinata. Take one of your shapes and, starting a one end, tape the long strip of cardboard to it, wrapping it around the edge and taping where necessary until you reach a corner. Bend the strip around the corner so that it sit at right angles with the shape. tape it in place. Now take the other shape and attach it to the other side of the strip. continue bending and taping the strip, until you are about five inches from where you started. Now is the time to add any filling. once that's done, close it off and trim any excess.

Step 6: The Fun Part...

Now for some fun! Cut the tissue paper into strips and cut frills along each one. now glue and wrap the strips in layers around the pinata, starting at the bottom. when you finish the first layer, start a new one a little higher up the overlaps the first. repeat this process until all of the pinata is covered except the top and bottom, unless the shape of the pinata comes to a point. cover any bare cardboard with tissue paper.

Step 7: Details

Finish up by cutting out detail from the card stock and gluing them into place. Now your pinata is complete! thank you for reading. be sure to leave a vote if you found this guide helpful, and a comment if you have anything to add.