Pinyata, Amerikan filmlerinde sıkça gördüğümüz, ülkemizde de doğum günlerinde, çocuk yuvalarında yapılan eğlencelerde karşılaştığımız basit ancak oldukça zaman alan, el oyalayan figürlerdir. Peki, pinyata nasıl yapılır? Çocukların ilgisini çektiği kadar yetişkinlerin de beğenisini kazanan pinyatalar, basit ve pratik malzemelerle hazırlandığı için gün geçtikçe yaygınlaşmaktadır. Bir balonu ilgi çekici bir görsele çevirmek, farklı figürleroluşturmak çocuklar kadar sizin de hoşunuza gidecek bir hobiye dönüşebilir.
Doğum günü ve benzeri kutlamalarda süsleme olarak kullanılabilen pinyatalar, ev dekorasyonunda aksesuar olarak da kullanılabilmektedir. Pinyata yapmak için gereken malzemeler ise plastik bir balon, 1 su bardağı un, kullanılmış gazete, fon kağıdı. İçine doldurmak amacıyla ambalajlı şeker yapımı; Önce balonu şişirin, pinyatanızı kolayca yapabilmek için geniş ve derince bir kap kullanın. Şişirilen balonu kabın içine yerleştirin, ayrı bir yerde de unla suyu karıştırın.
Hazırlanan un ve su bir bulamaç niteliğinde hazırlanmalıdır. Hazırladığınız bulamacı şişirilen balonu kaplayacak şekilde uygulayın. Bu doğal bir yapıştırıcı görevi görecektir. Balonun çevresini gazete kağıtlarıyla kaplayın ve kuruması için yaklaşık 1 saat bekletin. Balonda avuç içi kadar bir kısmı açıkta bırakmalısınız. Boş bıraktığınız alan dışındaki kısımları 3-4 kat gazete kağıtları ile kaplayın. Her uygulamada kuruması için bekleyip yeni yapacağınız katı uygulamalısınız. Bu işlemler tamamlandıktan sonra, içindeki balonu bir iğne yardımı ile patlatıp içinden çıkarın. Pinyatanızın gövdesi artık hazır. Dilediğiniz şekilde fon veya renkli kağıtlarla kaplayabilir, istediğiniz şekilde süsleyebilirsiniz.
Hazırladığınız pinyatanın tepe kısmından bir ip geçirin ve içeriden düğümleyin. Pinyatayı kırmak için asmanıza yardımcı olacaktır. Kaplama yaparken açık bıraktığınız yerden içine şekerleri doldurun ve renkli fon kağıdıyla kapatın. Hazırlanan pinyatanızı artık asabilir, çocukların bunları neşe içinde kırmalarını ve eğlenmelerini seyredebilirsiniz.
Having a pinata at your party is a great
way to provide decoration and entertainment all in one. There's no need to go
out and buy a pinata for your next party, though. With these simple steps you
can build your own, and you might find that making pinatas can be just as fun
as breaking them!
Part 1 of 4: Starting Your Piñata
1
Choose a shape for your pinata. Make
your pinata whatever you like! The easiest shape to make is an oblong sphere
based on a balloon form, but you can make anything you want.
To create a more elaborate shape, tape or
glue cardstock and cardboard onto your balloon form.
Traditional pinatas are made with a ceramic
pot as the form, but these can be messy and dangerous. Stick with a pliable
form made from paper products.
2
Protect your work area. Making your
pinata has the potential to get a little messy, so make sure you give yourself
plenty of room to work. Cover your work area with layers of newspaper or a
disposable plastic tablecloth. This will keep your tabletop clean, and make
cleanup afterwards a breeze. Keep yourself clean too by wearing an old shirt or
apron as well as latex gloves.
3
Make the paper mache paste. In a bowl,
mix 2 cups (473 g) of flour, 2 cups (473 ml) of water, and a tablespoon of
salt. Stir the mixture until it starts to thicken like a batter. Don't worry
about breaking down all the lumps; you want the batter to be relatively smooth
but it will likely still have chunks of flour in it.
4
Prepare your paper mache strips. Tear
some newspaper into strips that are about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm)
wide and 6 to 8 inch (15.2 to 20.3 cm) long. This will make the newspaper
lay nice and flat on the balloon. You will need to prepare many of these strips
of paper, so that you have enough to cover your balloon in several layers.
Part 2 of 4: Forming the Piñata Base
1
Inflate your balloon. This will form
the body of your pinata, so make sure you make it nice and big. Round balloons
are preferable because they will create a larger space for all of the candy.
You may also use a box if you prefer a square shape for your pinata. Add any
additional shapes to make legs, arms, tails, snouts, hats etc, using cardboard,
newspaper or construction paper. Tape these shapes on with masking tape or
clear tape.
2
Apply the paper mache paste to your paper
strips. Dip the strips into your paste and remove any excess paste by
running the strips through your pinched fingers or dragging them along the edge
of the bowl.
3
Apply the paper mache to the balloon. Lay
the strips down all over the balloon in a crisscross pattern until the entire
balloon is covered. Leave the knot of the balloon uncovered to make removal of
the balloon easier. Complete this step 3 to 4 times, allowing each layer to dry
before adding another.
4
Let the pinata dry. Once you have
finished adding layers of paper mache, let the pinata sit until it is
completely dry and has hardened. How long this will be will depend on many factors,
including how thick the paper mache is, and the humidity and temperature of the
air. In general, plan on several days.
Part 3 of 4: Decorating the Pinata
1
Paint the piñata. Use a single color
to smooth out the paper and to create an even surface. It does not need to be
especially well-painted, just enough to cover the paper. Choose a color that
matches the decorations you'll be adding on or to match the animal or character
that you're turning your piñata into, as it'll probably show through.
2
Glue crepe paper to the pinata. This
will give your pinata a more traditional look. It is also a festive and
inexpensive touch. Cut or tear strips of crepe paper and glue it onto the
pinata. Leave the paper in strips, or bunch it up into small tassle-like balls
and glue on.
3
Add finishing touches. Once you've
gotten the base of crepe paper on, add other neat details to your pinata.
Colorful cupcake liners and brightly colored tissue squares can be added as
fringe. If you made an animal, add googly eyes for a fun look.
Part 4 of 4: Filling the Piñata
1
Cut a hole for the candy. If the
balloon has not yet popped, go ahead and pop it and remove it. Since you did
not cover the knot of the balloon with your paper mache, you should have a
small hole already.
2
Make the hole bigger if needed. If the
candy doesn't fit, cut away at the edge of the hole until it is large enough to
pass the candy through.
3
Punch two small holes around the main hole. Tie
a string or ribbon to the holes to create a loop. This will come in handy later
when it comes time to hang the pinata.
4
Put the goodies in. Start adding in
candy, streamers, stickers, confetti, small toys or anything else you like.
Avoid adding any candy that is not wrapped,
Toys that might break easily or is also a
poor choice.
5
Cover the hole. Glue down some crepe
paper on top of the hole, or use masking tape. The goal is to prevent the
filling of the pinata from falling out before you've actually hit it.
6
Hang the pinata. Tie another piece of
string, ribbon, or rope to the loop you've already made and use this to attach
the pinata to whatever you'd like to hang it from.
