7) Layer on strips of newspaper dipped in flour/water mix. Add one layer at a time, and let it dry completely between layers. Add three or four layers for younger kids, or more for older kids.
These long, thin balloons will often pop if the pinata is left in direct sun to dry, so be careful about that.
8) Once the shell is firm enough, you can pop the ballons and remove them.
Don't pop the balloons too soon, though, or when you add another layer of wet newspaper, the pinata will sag. When you're done, it will look something like the picture to the upper left. I painted mine before decorating it, but you don't have to.
There are lots of different ways to make a heart piñata. These are two that I made when I was just starting out. You can use the same approach to make any similar piñata; it doesn't have to be a heart.
1) Blow up two long, thin balloons to equal lengths.
Blowing up this kind of balloon gives me headaches, so I use a plastic balloon pump. Make sure you stretch them out a lot before you start blowing.
2) Twist them in the middle as if you were going to make a balloon animal.
The twist will form the bottom point of the heart. Without it, your heart will have a round bottom instead of a point.
3) Bend one of the balloons into a heart shape.
Just bend the ends around so that they are side-by-side and aimed toward the point, and tape then together that way.
4) Match up the twist in the second balloon with the point of the heart and tape the second balloon to the first one.
It should look something like the balloons in the picture to the right.
5) Wrap the balloons with newspaper. Tape the newspaper down with masking tape so that it stays in place.
6) Attach the hook for hanging.
For this kind of pinata, I would attach the hook to a like this:
1) Get a wire shirt hanger and cut it off at the shoulders using wire cutters.
2) Get a rectangular piece of cardboard.
3) Fold the cardboard into a V-shape that fits over the top of the heart.
4) Bend the cardboard so that when you lay it on top of the heart, it fits into the groove and also lays flat over the curve of the heart.
5) Poke the shirt hanger piece through each side of the cardboard, and bend the wire "arms" to match the curve of the heart. If the arms stick out past the ends of cardboard piece, bend the wire arms around on top. If the wire arms don't stick out past the ends of the cardboard, then duct tape the arms to the underside of the cardboard.
6) Lay the bend cardboard with the wire hook over the top of the newspaper heart, make sure it fits properly, and tape it in place using masking tape. Then start applying papier mache over the whole thing.
If you're having trouble attaching the cardboard hook to the newspaper heart, then go ahead and put on a layer or two of papier mache first, and then attach the cardboard to the top. If you put on some papier mache first, the heart will hold its shape better and will be easier to work with. For more information about attaching hooks to pinatas, see the Tips and Tricks page.
If you think the piñata ended up being too thick for the kids who will be whacking it, take a knife or pair of scissors and stabs lots of holes in the pinata to weaken it, or use a razor knife to score it and create weak points. Remember that if you decorate the piñata with crepe paper, that will help pad the piñata and make it harder to break.
9) Decorate the piñata however you want to.
The piñata to the right was decorated using snipped crepe paper, with a number 3 cut out of felt and glued on. The Barbie Heart at the top of the page looks like a much more elaborate piñata, but the difference is all in the decorating.
