Steps

  1. Gather tools and materials listed above.
  2. Blow up your balloon. Cover your work surface with butcher paper and set the balloon on top.
  3. Mix your wheat paste with water in a separate container, according to instructions for your specific paste.
  4. Tear newspaper into 1.5-inch wide strips.

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Tips

We found our heart shaped balloon on Amazon and then used an air pump to blow it up. When you are adding the newspaper strips, be sure that you are tearing them rather than cutting them – this will help the newspaper mold together better. Dip the strips into the wheat paste so that they are coated, but not necessarily dripping. You want the newspaper to be able to dry as quickly as possible. We made our heart with an ombre design using three shades of red, but feel free to customize your heart shaped piñata with any colors that you’d like. If you are creating an ombre, we recommend putting the darkest color on the bottom of the heart. When marking the heart into thirds, make the bottom section a bit bigger. Once you add the crepe petals, the overlapping will even the sections out.

For our specific balloon size, we used 3 rolls of each shade of red. If you are a newbie to crafting with crepe, we recommend watching our Crepe Paper 101 video, especially for guidance on stretching your petals. After you glue the crepe pieces onto the heart, the petals will stick out a bit around the curves. At the end of the project, you can go back and tack some of those petals down or fill in any blank spots to cover any newspaper that is still visible.

Run With It

Voila! A gorgeous, homemade heart shaped piñata that you can use for a Valentine’s Day event, bridal shower or wedding. For more Valentine’s Day ideas, don’t miss our collection of Valentine’s Day classroom decor projects. Browse through our wedding DIYs for inspiration. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the latest and greatest, or head over to our membership page to start crafting with us. Always feel free to give us your project requests and suggestions in the comments below, or share your project photos using #DIYDreamingWithLia. Enjoy! ~ Lia & Team

 Tools

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 Materials

  • Heart Shaped Balloon
  • Newspaper
  • Lia Griffith Heavy Crepe Paper – Peppermint, Holly Berry, Bordeaux  (three rolls of each color)
  • 18 Gauge Wire (to hang the piñata)