Instructions:
Make sure you cover you work surface well. I usually set down newspaper first and then wax paper on top of the newspaper. This is a very messy project!
Tear several newspaper pages into strips. You will want them 1 inch wide and about 6 - 8 inches long. Set them aside.
Use a large bowl to prepare your paper mache paste (Pick a recipe here). The paste will be sticky! I would suggest using a bowl that is easy to soak and clean (glass perhaps) or even a disposable bowl.
Blow up the balloon and tie it closed. Now you are ready to start with the paper mache! (To hold your ballon while you are working on it, you might want to try to set it in a cup or bowl that is covered with plastic wrap.)
Dip the newspaper strips into the glue and spread them onto the balloon. Completely cover the balloon, leaving a small hole at the top to remove the balloon and fill the pinata. Let the first layer dry.
Add two more layers of paper mache to your balloon. Allow each layer to dry completely before putting on the next layer. Once it is dry, pop the balloon and remove it through the opening you left at the top (If you cannot get the balloon out, don't worry about it too much - No one will see it).
You can now decorate your pinata. The fastest way is to paint it with bright designs. After the paint is dry, you can hang some crepe paper streamers from the bottom. To hang your pinata, poke 4 small holes evenly spaced around the larger hole in the top. Thread a piece of string, yarn, or even fishing line through each hole and tie the together at the top. Tie a longer piece of string onto the these.
You can also decorate your pinata using 3 inch squares of tissue paper. Spread some glue on your pinata. Hold the 4 corners of your tissue paper square together and then stick the center of the tissue paper square onto the glue. The 4 corners hould not touch the glue, they should remain sticking up.
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