Put together a birthday piñata in a pinch

A week before her sixth birthday party, my daughter informed me that she'd REALLY like a piñata. In her defence, she had asked me to make a piñata a while ago. I didn't get started on one, though, because the birthday theme kept changing with each passing week. Finally, I took charge, picked a theme and ran with it.

It's a pyjama party — a compromise between the sleepover she really wanted and the sleepover I was never going to allow. At this party, the girls will come dressed in their jammies and slippers and bring along their favourite stuffed toy. We'll have pizza, watch a movie and do slumber party things, like paint nails and do fancy hair styles. Then they'll go home in time and dressed for bed.

And yes, we will have a piñata. Only it's not going to be the time-consuming papier-mâché variety. I came up with a simplified version that can be made in a pinch. It uses a couple of paper bags, some paint, glitter, tape and paper towel roll.

Take the idea and modify it to suit your child's birthday party theme.

What you need

• Paper bags (3 - 4, heavy duty)
• Newspaper/plastic table cloth
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Glitter paint/glue
• Prizes: candy, stickers, small toys, pencils, erasers, tattoos, toothbrushes...
• Stapler
• Duct tape (black or clear)
• Paper towel roll
• Hole punch
• String
• Black permanent marker

Paper bag nail polish piñata

Step one: Use sturdy kraft paper bags for the nail polish bottle. I used lunch bags. You can find larger paper bags in the compost section of your grocery store. Choose the size according to the number of party guests. Because I used small bags, I made one piñata for every two girls at the party. This is a great "assembly line" craft, meaning it's nearly as easy to make several as it is to make one.

Step two: Spread newspaper or a plastic tablecloth on your work area. Open up the paper bag. For lunch bag-sized bags, slip the bag over your arm (make your sleeves are pulled up!). Paint by brushing the bag from your fist toward your body. This will keep the bag in place. Paint the front, back, sides and bottom. Set the open bag, upside down, onto your work area to dry. When dry, repeat with a coat of glitter paint or glitter glue. For larger bags, lay the bag on the work area. Paint the front and back, allowing the paint to dry in between. Then open the bag, prop it up on a juice bottle and paint the sides and bottom. Paint a coat of glitter paint/glue over the open bottle when the first paint is dry.

Step three: While the bag is drying, paint a paper towel tube black. Allow to dry and coat with glitter paint/glue. For larger bags, you might want a wider tube (poster tube).

Step four: Call in reinforcements. My engineer husband questioned the strength of my paper bag piñata. To make it stronger, line the bag with a couple more paper bags. Open them up and slip them inside. Fill the bags with treats. The treats can be loose or bagged for the number of party guests. I bagged special items (pen, notepad, hair clip etc.) for each guest and put wrapped candy and lollipops in loose.

Step five: When filled, fold in and staple the top corners of the bag. Squeeze together into a "stem" and wrap this area with duct tape (black or clear). Set the paper towel roll over the "stem" and tape very well with black or clear duct tape. (See the three stages in the photo.) Test the strength by swinging the nail polish bottle around. You don't want the top to separate from the bottom. Not the end of the world if it does, though. Remember, children are given permission to wield a bat and candy falls from the sky. They'll hardly complain!

Step six: Paint over the duct tape with glitter paint/glue. Decorate the "bottle" by writing the words nail and polish using a black permanent marker. Add a sticker. Punch holes on either side of the cardboard tube as far down from the top as you can. Thread strong string through the holes and tie a good strong knot.

On the big day, hang the piñata in an open space. Spread a large blanket underneath. Allow each child a couple of swings (blindfolded) with other children safely out of the way. Or, give each child (not blindfolded) a foam bat/pool noodle (cut in half) and let them swing away until treats rain down.

Oh, and there's no reason why the birthday child can't help make the piñata. Set aside some time to do this project together. Use paper bags to make other piñatas, too: pumpkins for a Halloween-theme party, a clown head (use curling ribbon for the hair), a flower (attach card stock petals around the filled bag), a space creature...