DIY Minnie Mouse Pinata

See this?

Well, it was created to form the base for my first ever DIY pinata!

I can't believe it but our special girl will be turning 4 in just a few weeks...sigh....

...and she recently became interested in pinatas after watching a Curious George episode...

...so after some pinterest searching, I came across this tutorial from a fellow DIY loving Mom

 and tweaked it a bit.

Here's my version:

Supplies:

White foam board (Dollar Tree)

Black Crepe Paper (Dollar Tree)

Mailing Tape

Craft Glue

Red Polka Dot Ribbon

Hot Glue Gun

I started with white foam board from Dollar $ vs the Huggies diaper box in the linked tutorial- I wanted my Minnie head to be larger than my diaper box would allow.

I used some pot lids to form the circles and cut with scissors, twice for 2 bases- 

a craft knife would have been much easier with the foam but I couldn't find ours:/

Next I unearthed a box that had just the right width to form the sides (thank you previous house owner)-

 it even came with the perfect window for stashing the loot!

I opted to use a flange of cardboard to secure the side piece of the pinata to one of the bases- 

it may have taken a bit longer vs the linked tutorial as I snipped along the flange to ensure proper curving 

but it worked well and seemed appropriately secure.

Here is the side, completely attached at intervals with strips of mailing tape-

 I did roll the box piece along the edge of my dining room table to loosen it up:)

And here is the second base attached on the outside at intervals with mailing tape.  

At this point, the kids & I were quite excited:)

TIP: This is the time to make the holes for the wire to suspend your pinata!

 Next I ran lines of craft glue along the top & sides and pressed in black crepe paper to seal the edges...

...which worked like a charm- this also hid the wire holes.

FYI, I opted to skip the black tissue paper step from the linked tutorial.

Then I tackled the ears, covering the center with a crepe "rosette", all adhered with craft glue.

TIP: By pinching the crepe as its placed on the lines of glue, it forms a ruffled appearance.

 

  After both ears were filled in, I tackled the "face" and then repeated on the opposite side.

 Lastly, I pressed the crepe paper along the sides

 and then created a ruffle down the center to hide the seam (photo of ruffle not shown).

And now the pinata is ready for loot!

I bought everything at Dollar Tree & Big Lots.

The birthday girl has a special affinity for lollipops

 so I included 2 bags of Dum-Dums & 1 bag of heart lollipops, sure to please:) 

I left a smidgeon of room at the top of the pinata...

...and then hot glued a bow on "Minnie"!

I'm really chuffed about this project and only regret procrastinating about it so long:/

Even with poorly little Ms, I was able to get this done in one day 

with Jonah handing me strips of tape & Olivia sorting the loot:)

Cost:

White Foam Board: $1 (Dollar Tree)

Black Crepe Paper: $1 (Dollar Tree)

Box: free

Adhesives & ribbon: free (my stash)

Loot: $13 (Dollar Tree/Big Lots)

Total Cost: $15

Another successful pinterest party DIY project in the bag!  

And speaking of bags, next I'll share the favor bags in progress:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany