Here at Fancy That we’re lovers, not fighters. With that in mind we designed this DIY Heart Pinata so you can tug on its heart strings (because smashing hearts to pieces on Valentine’s Day just seems wrong). If you pull the correct ribbon the heart will open up and the candy will flow out.

This pinata is so easy to make and so adorable – if I do say so myself!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Supplies

• Cardboard Box
• Scissors
• Tape
• Glue Gun
• Stapler
• Twine
• Ribbon
• Fringe or Crepe Paper

Here’s how we did it:

Break down your cardboard box. You’ll want two big pieces for the front and back and several smaller pieces for the sides.

Next get some paper and cut out a heart. I took two pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper and taped them together. Then I folded them in half and drew half a heart. I cut out the heart and taped it in place on top of a big cardboard piece and cut it out. Do this again to the second big piece of cardboard.

The box I used  had skinny sides – if your box is a equal on all sides, you’ll want to cut a few thin pieces for the sides of your pinata. The width of your strips will depend on how wide you want your pinata to be.

Before attaching the side pieces you can bend them all over so they curve easily around the heart pieces.

Now you can start taping the side pieces to the heart pieces. I used regular tape, but you can use any tape you want. The guts of the pinata do not have to look pretty

When you get to the bottom tip of the heart leave a little extra cardboard, this will act as the trap to keep the candy in the pinata. Staple the winning ribbon to the inside of this piece.

To hang the pinata I used a long piece of twine and knotted the two ends together. Place the twine in between the two sides and center it. Take the stapler and staple the twine inside the cardboard a couple of times (or a lot of times like I did) You’ll want the knotted end of the twine to be inside the pinata.

Now you can attach the top of the pinata.

Look how cute that is already!

Ok, time to attach the rest of the ribbons. I did mine in a few different colors and cut them all different lengths.

I taped the ribbons on to all sides with tape. Try not to tape over ribbon that has already been taped because it will pull both ribbons off at the same time. These do not have to be taped on well – you want them to come off easily.

Once you have your ribbons attached heat up that glue gun!

You can use crepe paper or fringe to cover your pinata.  I used 3 colors of fringe – red, fuchsia and white. Side note: don’t put the glue on the tape holding down the ribbons – glue around it.

Fill the pinata with candy and tuck the trap door into the the pinata.

You did it! Now take a few seconds to admire your work and give yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

Happy crafting!

Katie