Sunshine Piñata to Make you Smile!

Ever since having Jasper, my eyes have been opened to the magical world of children’s clothing. Everything is cuter when it’s pint-sized! I’m sure many of you with kids are familiar with Gymboree, so you’ll be thrilled to know they are giving their brand a revamp! The clothing styles are modern and fresh while still maintaining the comfort and sensibility kids need. The clothing is so sweet and is sure to make you and your littles smile! We were so inspired by the colorful, fun pieces that we designed a party scene around the new line, complete with an Alexander Girard-inspired Sunshine Piñata!

Take a peek at the collection and download the templates to make your own sunshine piñata!

Waking up to Jasper’s sweet smiling face makes my heart (sun)burst. He radiates a smile that leaves me on a complete high all day long. Every morning when I’m changing him on his basket, it’s just me and him looking at each other, and I sing him a song (or two or three–I could go on for hours if I didn’t have a job!). Somehow he keeps close attention and lately, he tries to sing back. One of our favorites is “You are my sunshine”. There’s no better imagery for happiness than a bright sun, so hence, a sunshine pinata was a must!

I’m a long-time fan of Alexander Girard and his sun motif is one of my favorites. He had so many great color combinations and details that I thought it’d be fun to do one on each side. Take a look at some more variations here.

Sunshine Piñata

Materials:

Cardboard, cut into 2, 30-inch diameter circles, and a 4-inch strip make sure the strips are cut perpendicular to the grain on the cardboard so it’s easy to bend
Tissue paper in pink and white
Scissors
Duct tape or packing tape
Glue stick
Spray adhesive
Butcher paper in orange and light blue
1 piece of hot pink paper, 12×12”
2 pieces each of black and pink paper, 8.5×11”

Instructions:

Draw a circle 30” wide on the cardboard. Cut out the circle with some multi-media scissors or an Exacto knife. Repeat to make two circles total.
Cut out a 4” wide strip of the corrugated cardboard, long enough to fit the outer edge of the circle. Attach the strip of cardboard onto the edge of one circle with tape. Then, attach the other circle on the other side. Leave a small trap door for the treats.
Make a small hole at the top of the edge of the circle. Thread one end of the twine inside the piñata, and leave the other end exposed to hang the piñata. Tie the inside end of twine around a small wooden dowel or roll a 4-inch piece of cardboard into a tube and tie it around that. This will keep the twine from breaking through the piñata.
Cut your tissue paper into 2.5-inch wide strips and cut 1 cm fringe into the strips.
Glue the tissue paper fringe onto the piñata in a circular motion, starting from the outside and moving inwards. Make one side pink and the other white.
For the edge of the circle, cut 4-inch long strips of fringe, in either white or pink, and line the whole edge, securing with glue.
Cut out a 3-inch wide ring of blue butcher paper for the white side and a 12×12” wide circle from the hot pink paper. Secure those with spray adhesive to the white side of the piñata
Cut out a 25-inch wide sunburst shape from the orange butcher paper and secure to the center of the pink side with spray adhesive.
Using the templates, but out the facial features in black paper, and the cheeks in pink, and glue to the corresponding sides of the piñata.