Maia'sMom
06-14-2008, 03:57 PM
I received this in an email from the perch store and thought I would share.
DIY Pinata Foraging Toy
By Shadera
I remember how fun piņatas were to make when I was a child, and wanted to adjust it so they could be safe and fun for birds. It's great for foraging, as you can stuff them with whatever you like. I hope everyone gives this a try. It's messy, but it's fun! Enjoy!
Paste recipe:
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 cups cold water
Put water and cornstarch into a pot over high heat. Stir with a whisk constantly until the water reaches the temperature where the cornstarch will turn it into a gel. Turn off the heat, and continue to stir another minute so there's no thick spots. Pour into a sturdy container, and let sit until cool enough to use. This should be refrigerated when not being used, and will last about a week.
I used newspaper with soy and veggie-based inks, but you can use any bird-safe paper for this. Tear into manageable strips.
Balloons were my base since they're pretty easy to find and simple to use for this. Just blow them up to the size you want your finished piņata to be. I made collars for the balloons to rest in while I was working on them or they were drying by stapling rings of cardboard. You could also do freeform or whatever shape you like if you don't want to use balloons.
To get started:
1. Gather your materials.
2. Dip strips of paper into your paste mix and then run them through your fingers, squeezing any excess off. Smooth them onto the balloon.
3. You can do several layers between drying time. I like to do 3 then let dry overnight before doing 3 more. I found 6 to be a good amount of total layers, but you could certainly do more or less depending on how thick or stiff you want the final piņata to be.
4. Gather items to stuff your piņatas with. I used a combo of different edible non-perishable goodies along with small foot toys and wood blocks. You'll also need some filler. I like the Eco-bedding.
5. Pop the balloon and remove it from the paper shell. Trim the hole so it's large enough for you to work. To secure for hanging, I used a block and vegetable tanned leather strip. Drill a hole in the top of the piņata, tie a knot in the block, and thread through. Chain or other items could be used.
6. Stuff the piņatas with your goodies, then add a couple layers of paper mache over the openings to seal them. Let dry overnight.
7. And they should be done! Plain is fine, or you can paint them with bird safe food coloring or vitacritter dye.
DIY Pinata Foraging Toy
By Shadera
I remember how fun piņatas were to make when I was a child, and wanted to adjust it so they could be safe and fun for birds. It's great for foraging, as you can stuff them with whatever you like. I hope everyone gives this a try. It's messy, but it's fun! Enjoy!
Paste recipe:
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 cups cold water
Put water and cornstarch into a pot over high heat. Stir with a whisk constantly until the water reaches the temperature where the cornstarch will turn it into a gel. Turn off the heat, and continue to stir another minute so there's no thick spots. Pour into a sturdy container, and let sit until cool enough to use. This should be refrigerated when not being used, and will last about a week.
I used newspaper with soy and veggie-based inks, but you can use any bird-safe paper for this. Tear into manageable strips.
Balloons were my base since they're pretty easy to find and simple to use for this. Just blow them up to the size you want your finished piņata to be. I made collars for the balloons to rest in while I was working on them or they were drying by stapling rings of cardboard. You could also do freeform or whatever shape you like if you don't want to use balloons.
To get started:
1. Gather your materials.
2. Dip strips of paper into your paste mix and then run them through your fingers, squeezing any excess off. Smooth them onto the balloon.
3. You can do several layers between drying time. I like to do 3 then let dry overnight before doing 3 more. I found 6 to be a good amount of total layers, but you could certainly do more or less depending on how thick or stiff you want the final piņata to be.
4. Gather items to stuff your piņatas with. I used a combo of different edible non-perishable goodies along with small foot toys and wood blocks. You'll also need some filler. I like the Eco-bedding.
5. Pop the balloon and remove it from the paper shell. Trim the hole so it's large enough for you to work. To secure for hanging, I used a block and vegetable tanned leather strip. Drill a hole in the top of the piņata, tie a knot in the block, and thread through. Chain or other items could be used.
6. Stuff the piņatas with your goodies, then add a couple layers of paper mache over the openings to seal them. Let dry overnight.
7. And they should be done! Plain is fine, or you can paint them with bird safe food coloring or vitacritter dye.