Friday Funnies ~ Homemade Pinata...

Today I'm joining my bestest girlfriend, Kim, for her Friday Funnies meme...because we all need a good laugh now and again. :)  If you need one, go HERE.

The title of my Friday Funny is:  Store bought Pinatas are WORTH the money! LOLOL

SOOOO, IF you know Kim, then you definitely know that her house is full of boxes right now.  Her son's 8th birthday is this Sunday and we decided to have his party at my house since we weren't highly interested in playing "who can empty the box in 10 seconds" as a party game.

I don't personally remember the details of this conversation, but we were sitting there chatting and asking the birthday boy what he would like me to make for dinner and discussing general party fun.  When somehow I mentioned a pinata, that conversation lasted about 10 seconds and we moved on.

The next day Kim mentioned that Jeffrey was pretty much expecting a pinata.  Oh.  Hmmmmm.  So, on my next trip to Wally World I perused their selection of $15 pinatas....sponge bob, some strange character with metal nails, tinkerbell....none of these were gonna work for me.  When I was growing up (in a border town), pinatas were a dime a dozen, and they didn't follow "themes" for the most part.  You could easily find a bright colorful party pinata for cheap.  Being the ever frugal gal that I am, I decided "I can JUST make one!!!"....OK????

So, 3 days before the party, (late in the day I might add), I begin researching online about how to make a pinata.  It seems they require 3 layers of paper mache over a balloon.  Each layer must dry completely before the next layer is applied...it takes 24 hrs for a layer to dry. 

I whip out the brain and do some math...

At this rate, the pinata will be ready TO DECORATE by Sunday NIGHT....the party is Sunday evening.  For some reason I GO AHEAD with my plan?????  I am certain that in Florida heat the 24 hr drying period does not apply.

The idea is to blow up a balloon, make some flour and water paste, tear strips of newspaper and layer over the balloon.  I can't find a large balloon, so I decide to make it a funky shape and use 5 (yes FIVE) little water balloons all tied together.  Don't ask, just read.

So, I blow up my 5 little tiny balloons and secure them all together at the tips, thinking somehow that wet, soggy newspaper will make them stop moving around????  I begin layering.  The balloons refuse to cooperate, and continue to squish around.  I decide perhaps FIVE is too many and I will choose the 3 largest ones to keep and get rid of the other 3.  How do you get rid of balloons that have already been covered in goopy flour and water mixture?

You pop them with a pin of course.

You just don't do it while standing in your dining room.  Near your antique hutch.  In front of your cloth covered dining chairs.  6 feet away from your freshly cleaned sliding glass doors (you would THINK 6 feet would be ok), and pretty curtains, 3 feet away from your large dining room mirror...just don't do that.

But I did. 

I couldn't take a photo, because my hands were literally COVERED in goop.  But when I pierced the balloons (oh so carefully, so as not to cause a splatter)...the goop flew in ALL directions around my dining room.  I found it on my Berkey water filter, my curtains, my hutch, my glass doors, my mirror, an extremely LARGE glop landed on my dining chair (and refuses to leave), the floor was spattered, the dining table was spattered....let's just say "It weren't purty folks".

Did I give up?  NO!  Determined to beat that Sunday night time line, I quickly cleaned up goop and proceeded to cover my two med/large balloons in paper mache.  Let me stop right here for a moment.

I don't mean to be rude, but two balloons hanging side by side just don't look "nice".  I began to fear that this pinata would be inappropriate...then I decided when it was all said and done and covered in fluffy bits of tissue paper and pointy cones (Because I have a picture in my head)...it would be fine...

So, here I sit 55 hrs before the party....the 1st layer has not completely dried yet.  My goop bowl from yesterday is in the garage sink, still "soaking", I won't be able to begin a second layer until after I come home from grocery shopping several hours from now....  Chances are I will spend the money and purchase a pinata....I can always rip off sponge bobs face and add a picture of a tractor...right?

I'll keep you posted. :)