Make it Monday: Pumpkin Piñatas

It’s only two weeks away from Halloween, which means it’s officially crunch time for me to be getting ready for a little Harvest Brunch I’m hosting that day! One of the favors my guests will take home are these adorable little pumpkin piñatas I found in a kit at Hobby Lobby (I also found them online here).

I decided yesterday would be a good time to start getting them put together, because I wasn’t sure how much time they would take. Much to my delight, one piñata came together in just about 15 minutes.

First I laid out all the materials and read through the (limited) directions. Mostly, I just followed the pictures because the steps basically said “Fill, Wrap, Celebrate.”

The packaging says everything you need to make the pumpkin is included, which is actually true because the fringe tears easily enough that you don’t even need scissors if you don’t want to use them (so it’d be a perfect kids craft!).

I unrolled the fringe to see what kind of adhesive I’d be working with, and it was simple enough – just strips of tape that you peel off and stick onto the pumpkins.

Next, I filled the piñatas with candy through a small opening at the base of the pumpkin. Then, a little flap tucks inside to seal in the candy. Each one took 11 pieces of candy (it’s important to be fair, you know ;)).

Then I was ready to start wrapping. With my first strip of fringe, I wrapped the entire pumpkin in one piece. I didn’t like how it laid on the sides of the pumpkin, so for my next row and all remaining rows, I did four strips of fringe for each of the four sides of the piñata.

Once I got to the stem of the pumpkin, I followed the pictures on the packaging and did a base of gold fringe followed by green fringe. I also did a strip of green fringe to cover up the top. I left the base of the pumpkin bare for easy access to the candy, and because I figured it would sit better if it didn’t have fringe on it. I may do a small piece of tape to secure the flap, but for now it seems pretty secure on its own.

I ran my hand along the edges of the fringe to add some texture, then propped the little guy up among some candy for his photo shoot!

All in all, I’m pleased with how quick this project was and I think they’ll be a hit. You could add jack-o-lantern faces, too, if you want – the kit comes with a set of adhesive face pieces to customize each piñata with its own personality. Since my party is more harvest and less Halloween, I opted to not include them.

Happy Monday, and party on!
JW