DIY Network

Fiesta Olé! Turn your next party into a fiesta! From "Creative Juice" episode DCRJ-701

Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza are crafting up some fiesta-style projects. They come out swinging with a homemade piñata project, design party throw pillows that are sure to be a hit, and cook up tantalizing mole sauce with a creative kick.

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Milk Jug Piñata

Milk Jug Piñata

Take a swing at making your own piñata. These colorful creations are a hit every time.

Materials:

1 gallon plastic milk jug
craft knife
candy
masking tape
scissors
tissue paper in various colors
découpage medium
foam paintbrush
orange craft foam
feathers
glue gun
colored tape
pipe cleaners – pink and brown
round-nose pliers
two 2" foam balls
two googly eyes

1. Working with a clean, dry milk jug and a craft knife, cut a U-shaped flap in the bottom of the jug. The jug will hang from the handle, so cut the flap to have the opening pointing downward when the piñata is hanging (figure A).

2. Fill the jug with candy and tape the flap closed with a small piece of masking tape. The tape will hold the flap down as tissue paper is layered over the jug.

3. Cut tissue paper into small (roughly 2") squares and paste them to the jug with decoupage medium (figure B). Cover the jug with as many layers of tissue paper as you want, just be sure to cover the opening on the bottom with only two or three layers – this will hold the flap closed until the piñata has been hit to the point of bursting open. Set the jug aside until the decoupage medium has thoroughly dried (figure C).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

4. Add embellishments to the piñata. Use hot glue to attach feathers along the sides and back of the jug (figure D). Colored tape can be used to attach feathers to the handle of the jug.

5. Using the palm of your hand, flatten one side of the styrofoam balls by pressing the ball against a flat surface (figure E). Next, hot glue the flattened balls to either side of the jug’s handle and hot glue a googly eye to each of the styrofoam balls (figure F).

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

PDF Beak template: click to download.

6. To make the piñata into a bird, cut two triangular pieces of craft foam (see template, at right) and hot-glue them around the spout of the jug, forming a beak (figure G).

7. Shape pink pipe cleaners into legs for the bird; use a brown pipe cleaner to make a worm to put in the bird’s beak. Before attaching pipe cleaners to the bird, use round-nose pliers to curl the sharp pipe cleaner ends under to prevent possible injury if the beak or worm fall off of the piñata while it is being hit (figure I).

8. Place the worm in the bird’s beak and secure the worm with hot glue, if necessary (figure J). Hot-glue the legs to the underside of the jug. Use your imagination when embellishing a piñata; just remember to use soft, light items that won’t hurt anyone if they fall off when the piñata is hit.

Figure G

Figure H

Figure I

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