How to Make a Piñata

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Want to learn How to Make a Homemade Piñata? Follow this easy step-by-step tutorial to make your own DIY piñata in all shapes and sizes! 

DIY pinata in a star shape with small toys

This post may contain affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from these sales at no additional cost to you! This post is sponsored by Cricut. All opinions are my own.

The best part about a party is cracking open a full piñata and watching all of the heaps of candy scatter around you! Little kids will have an absolute blast rushing to get pieces of candy or small toys. They’re not just for a kid’s party either, piñatas can be hilarious fun for adults too! They’re perfect for celebrating bachelorette parties or even Cinco De Mayo! Fill them with adult beverages (travel shots!) and cute little party favors for a rockin’ good time.

Save yourself a trip to the party store and ‘WOW’ your party guests with your very own homemade piñata using our step-by-step tutorial. It’s SO easy! Pretty soon, you’ll be able to make your own DIY piñata in any shape or desired size. You can use an abundance of materials to make your own piñata, from a piece of cardboard to a cereal box, craft glue to hot glue, and crepe paper to newspaper strips. Chances are you have many of these materials already in your home!

We’ve made our piñata using materials from Cricut, but you can follow along using any materials of your choice. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make your own DIY piñata in tons of unique and different ways!

So, let’s get ready for your next party and get crafting!


How to Make a Piñata

Making your own pinata is quick and easy with this simple how-to tutorial! DIY piñatas are one of my favorite party DIYs, and once you have the technique down, you can make your own homemade pinata in all different shapes, sizes, and party themes (like our DIY Bacon Piñata and Christmas Tree Piñata Party Favors!). Just follow these easy steps to get started!

The other day I talked to you about My Favorite Cricut Hand Tools, and I’ll be using them again for this easy piñata project – the Cricut TrueControl KnifeRotary CutterSelf-Healing MatCutting Ruler, and Acrylic Ruler.

Cricut rotary tool and party foil

To begin, start by cutting the 48″ long roll of Party Foil (both sheets – foil and holographic foil) in half and stacking the four 24″ x 12″ pieces together. 

Hands slicing party foil using Cricut rotary tool on cutting mat

The Cricut 60mm Rotary Cutter slices through multiple layers of materials with ease, so it’s the perfect tool for quickly and easily cutting through the stacked sheets of Party Foil. 

Hands slicing party foil using Cricut rotary tool on cutting mat

The 3″ x 18″ Cricut Acrylic Ruler is made from frosted acrylic and is marked with easy-to-see 1/8″ measurements that are visible on both light and dark surfaces, so you can always see your markings. I found the Acrylic Ruler particularly helpful when working with the Party Foil since the shimmer can often make the material look both light AND dark at the same time! 

Scoring party foil with true control knife

Once the Party Foil has been cut into strips, it’s time to turn those strips into fringe! I used my TrueControl Knife and Cutting Ruler to cut 1/4″ fringe into the Party Foil. The non-slip Cutting Ruler is one of my favorite tools ever because it keeps your fingers away from sharp blades, so you can craft in safety with confidence. The markings on the Self-Healing Mat also provided an extra level of easy-to-see measurements which helped keep the hand-cut fringe uniform and even.

fringed cut party foil for DIY pinata project

Repeat with additional colors of Party Foil as desired until you have enough to wrap your piñata. 

stars cut for DIY pinata craft with ruler and true control knife pictured

For the next step, use the TrueControl Knife to cut your piñata designs out of two sheets of Kraft Board. For my star piñata form, I created a template out of cardstock and then used the template to cut multiple stars from Kraft Board. 

cutting star with true control knife and ruler
cutting side pieces with true control knife and ruler

To make the sides of your pinata, you will need to cut several 2″ wide strips of Kraft Board, long enough to wrap around the perimeter of your pinata designs. 

cutting strips of kraft board with true control knife and ruler

Note: For my 11″ wide star piñata, I needed a 36″ strip of Kraft Board, so I cut (3) 12″ x 2″ strips and pieced them together. 

cut out star shapes and sides for pinata

Now, it’s time to assemble the piñata, so grab plenty of masking tape and all of your Kraft Board pieces! 

finished cut out pieces of kraft board and stars for DIY pinata pictured with knife and tape on cutting mat, joining side strips with tape step

Use the masking tape to piece together the 2″ strips until the desired length is reached. 

assembling star shape of pinata

Bend and fold the 2″ wide paper strip to fit the perimeter of your piñata design. Note: start at the location where you would like to fill the piñata, and leave a little bit of overhang at the starting edge. 

taping top of star to sides of pinata

Use the masking tape to adhere the first face of the piñata to the sides. 

joining last side of star shape pinata with tape

When you get to the end, leave a small-ish piece of the 2″ strip un-taped (this is where you’ll fill the piñata with plenty of candy and small toys later!). 

empty star made from kraft board with top of star set aside

Repeat the process with the second face of the piñata. 

filling basic pinata star shape with small toys

When you’re finished assembling the piñata, fill up your finished product with treats, goodies, and small novelty toys. Seal the opening with additional masking tape. 

layering fringe over pinata

Use the hot glue gun to layer the strips of fringed Party Foil over the piñata until the entire surface is covered. 

Cutting fringe to fit pinata

Trim any excess overhang with the TrueControl knife. 

DIY star shaped pinata tutorial materials laid out on cutting mat with finished pinata

Repeat the process for the opposite side. 

 finished star shaped pinata being constructed

For the sides, layer 2″ wide strips of Party Foil fringe. Once finished, poke a small hole near the top of the piñata so you can string it.

Note: Depending on the shape of your pinata, you may be able to continuously wrap strips of Party Foil around the entire project instead of decorating the faces and edges separately. Please use your discretion and see which method works best for your piñata style! 

shot of finished star shaped pinata
front view shot of finished star shaped pinata with small toys in background

Once you’ve mastered the basic technique, you can make piñatas in all kinds of different shapes and sizes! It’s so easy and so much fun!

overhead shot of finished star shaped pinata with small toys in background
DIY pinata in a star shape with small toys

Now that you’ve learned how to make a piñata of your own, you can make them to match all of your different party themes and decor! Piñatas always make a party better! 

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

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