One of my most favorite things at my birthday parties growing up besides the gifts of course was always the piñata. A cute decorated figurine filled with toys and candy that we get to smash open. What’s not to love 😅?!
And even though I still partake in the occasional piñata smashing I wanted to create a mini version to use as decorations or even treat bags for your next party. I’ve seen the mini piñatas everywhere and I am excited to jump on this bandwagon and share my version with you all.
So without further ado let’s get into this fun Mini Candy Skull Piñatas DIY.
Supplies
Old cereal boxes
Scotch tape
Paint
Hot Glue
Glue stick or similar adhesive
Tissue Paper
Black cardstock/ or marker and white cardstock
String or yarn
Glitter and Mod Podge (optional)
You will need to start by creating the shape of your piñata in our case it was a skull. I hand drew it straight onto the cardboard box. If you are not comfortable hand drawing feel free to print out a skull template from online and trace on your cardboard.
You will need 2 shapes for the piñata for the front and the back. You can use the first cutout as a template for your second cut out, so they are the same size.
Next cut out strips about an inch wide I used 2 strips roughly 12 inches tall (the same size as the cereal box)
Once you have your half inch strips cut out start by taping one side of your piñata with scotch tape leaving half exposed for your strips. See the picture below, sorry for the light glare.
Make sure you bend the strips to the design of your shape and use the tape to secure it in place.
After you have your strips taped to your base go ahead and the second shape or the front of the piñata to the strips using scotch tape.
If you want to add some treats this is the time to do it!
Pro Tip: Add one piece of scotch tape at a time so you are able to stick your hand inside the piñata if necessary, as you tape it to secure it
Once you are done you should have something that looks like this.
Paint your piñatas with acrylic paint of your choice.
Tissue paper time… cut strips of your tissue paper 1 inch wide.
Fold them together and cut small slits into your strips about ¾ of the way in (not all the all the way though) to create a fringed strip.
Make multiple colors of the tissue paper fringe for variety.
Start by gluing the fringe at the bottom of the piñata and continue to wrap around until you get to the top.
For the very top of the mini piñata cut small strips of your fringe and cover up as much as possible.
The face can be as intricate or simple as you want. Use your cardstock and either draw out a skull face or do what I did and just draw out some shapes for the face. I drew some hearts or stars for the eyes, a small upside heart for the nose and a simple skull mouth.
I used white cardstock cut out the shapes and went back over them with a thick black marker. For the mouth I drew it out with the black marker and just cut out. If you have black cardstock you can use that instead I did not so I just colored it black with a marker I already had.
Next it’s time for some mini tissue paper flowers. I cut 4 mini squares about 1 ½” – 2” each side and folded diagonally 3 times. I then scallop cut the ends to create a small circle.
Disclaimer: Working with tissue paper does require some patience, especially when cutting. Tissue paper is very thin and you can easily cut through or to much if you aren’t careful. Take your time and if you mess up its okay. The good thing about tissue paper is that the packet usually comes with a lot of sheets so you can just start over.
I added the scallop edges for depth but you just need mini circles to create these flowers.
Also try to make the circles different sizes than the original, as we will be layering these.
Once you have all your 4 mini scalloped circles cut out, place them over a pencil to help shape them into a flower.
After they are shaped grab one of your mini circles and place on top of one another with a bit of glue. Continue until you have all your circles glued together.
Once glued together (remember this is tissue paper a little glue goes a long way) you can reshape with the pencil or your fingers until you have the look you are going for.
For the mini leaves you will also start with mini squares about 1 ½” – 2” each side. Fold diagonal and cut into a shape of a leave. Fold accordion style and in half to give the leave some texture and depth.
Next hot glue your mini flowers and face onto your piñata.
This part is completely optional but I wanted to give my mini skulls piñatas more character with some glitter!
Using Mod Podge I painted only the part I wanted glitter on, in this case the eyes. Poured the glitter over and shook off the excess. I also added a second layer of mod podge to hold the glitter in place.
Once your Mod Podge is completely dry, add your string or yarn to the back with tape or glue. And that’s it you are done!
I hope you all enjoyed this easy and fun DIY. Have any questions about this project? Leave them in the comments below and I will get back to you. Also don’t forget to share this tutorial with anyone that you think would enjoy it.
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