Tutorial Time: Strawberry Party Piñata & Surprise Ball Favors

Making your own custom-themed party accents can be easy, cheap and fun.  Today I'm going to show how I made my own custom Strawberry Piñata and Strawberry Surprise Balls for the Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party, I shared earlier this week.  By putting together with some basic supplies, a little DIY and a set of strawberry-themed printables, I was able to style up a pretty party within a "real" mom's budget and time:

Now let's get to the how-to info.  For the Strawberry Piñata...



Materials Needed:
- Red crepe paper (1-2 rolls)
- Green duct tape
- Hot glue gun
- Newspaper
- Liquid Starch (find in the laundry aisle)
- Masking tape
- Scissors
- A Balloon 

How To Do It:
Start making the piñata by covering an inflated balloon with strips of newspaper dipped in liquid starch.  Cover with 2-3 full layers.  Using the starch gives a nice, smooth finish, which is also pretty hard. Leave several inches at the knot of the balloon uncovered, as this will be where the piñata gets filled.  Allow several hours to fully dry.

Pop and remove the balloon from the gap in the base.  Fill with treats/toys and then close by covering with several large pieces of newspaper.  Using masking tape and a strip of packing tape will keep it firmly closed, but not so much that the kids won't be able to break it.

Take a strip of green duct tape about 6-8 inches long and fold in half:

Use strip to make a handle and then tape down ends with more duct tape:

Take some strips of red crepe paper and begin to layer in a criss-cross fashion along the bottom end.  Tack down each end with a dab of hot glue. 

Now take longer strips of crepe paper and starting at the top, near the stem, wrap in a "U" shape around the base of the strawberry and up to the other side near the top:

Fix ends into place with more hot glue:

Continue wrapping until newspaper is completely covered.  By keeping the crepe taut as you wrap, it will keep a nice curved shape against the piñata.

Take a strip of green duct tape, about 4-5 inches long and fold in one short end to make a point.  Repeat with 7 other pieces.

Apply stem pieces along top near handle, in a fanned out shape:

Now the piñata is ready to display or hang and use:



The Strawberry Surprise Balls do double duty as both decorations and favors.  Nestled within their many layers are little treats and toys.  As they are unwrapped, each surprise item is revealed.  

Materials Needed:
- Red crepe paper (1-2 rolls)
- Some scraps of green crepe or construction paper
- Small treats, toys or trinkets (I used a super ball, sweet tarts, tootsie rolls, tattoos, silicone rings)
- Hot glue gun
- Clear tape
- Scissors
- Black marker

How To Do It:
To make my stems I went the super easy route and used this floral die cut shape & my Cuttlebug. This could be cut by hand, but since I already had them, I just saved a little time and used what I had.

Grab a roll of red crepe paper and the items to include in the surprise ball.  It's best to start with something like a ball for the center to give a "base" to wind around and then used items that are thin or can easily be bent to include in the subsequent layers:

Fold crepe paper in half and begin winding around the ball, covering completely from all angles:

Next add another item like a candy and begin winding paper around widthwise and lengthwise:

Continuing adding and winding crepe around the remaining items.  To give the ball a strawberry-like shape, add a tootsie roll or similar shaped item sideways to one end and continuing wrapping. 

As the ball becomes larger, the crepe no longer will need to be folded and can simply be wound around.  Hold the crepe firmly with a little bit of pull to keep it nice and taut so it will not gape. And then secure with tape near upper end:

Hot glue the stem on and use a marker to draw on the seeds.

Nestle the surprise balls into a strawberry basket for a pretty effect:



These custom party items are a hit with young and old alike and very easy on the wallet too.  To check out the entire party, click HERE.

I'm also sharing this project with my FAVE LINK PARTIES.

Click HERE to check them out!