I am the frantic mom who posted the question about the lego head pinata. Firstly may I thank you for your guidance. I would not have come this far without it.
I have taken your advice and designed the head in 3 sections the head, the peg on top, and the peg on the bottom. In relation to the head I used thin card as suggested and I’ve put 2 layers of newspaper over the card. I have to say it does not feel very paper mache and I an unsure whether I should continue adding more layers. I am also worried the card although thin (image attached) may be too durable/pliable for a 6yr old to break. Should I put holes in it as you’ve suggested in some of your posts and will this assist in making the cardboard less durable? Having not used paper mache before i am not sure what i should be expecting. Also I have tried to download your advice on how to fluff the crepe paper but it keeps coming up with an error and I am unable to access it. Everything else works though. I have taken step by step images of my progress so if you require further images please do t hesitate to ask. I promise whether a master piece or a disaster I will post a photo of the finished product………..I will unconvincingly argue though that it was made by my little boy!!!
Once again thank you
Amanda
Answer from Piñata Boy
You want to use cardboard that’s much thinner than what you have in the picture. What you have is corrugated cardboard, and you’re right that the kids will never be able to break through it. Thin cardboard is like cereal box cardboard — like a thick piece of paper. You can get big sheets of it for free from Sam’s or Costco. See the Working with cardboard page for more details. And even then you might need to poke some holes in it.
If you don’t have time to start over with thin cardboard, then stab a lot of holes in the Lego head before you decorate. You’ll probably need at least one per square inch, so go crazy with that knife. You might also use a razor blade to put some long slashes in the cardboard. You don’t need to worry about the top of the Lego head, just the areas where you expect the kids to hit it, and where you want it to break.
You should be able to see the instructions for fluffing crepe paper page by clicking here. If the link doesn’t work for some reason, go to the Make Your Own menu at the top of the page and click on Decorating with crepe paper. I don’t have a photo of the actual fluffing process — I should probably look into adding one — but to fluff the crepe paper all you do is wait for the glue to dry, then use your fingers or a comb to comb the snipped crepe paper fringe upward. I use a comb because most of my fingers are thumbs.