I was so thrilled to be invited to collaborate with Moonpig for Valentines Day – especially as the brief was to upcycle one of my favourite materials – cardboard boxes! Cardboard is such a versatile material to craft with – and in the days of online shopping, every household seems to have have a plethora of it.

This darling little mini pinata is the perfect way to give a second life to cardboard before it goes into the recycle bin.

I like to think of Pinatas as the kamikaze of craft – they are made to be broken. But I can’t bring myself to do that after I’ve spent time and energy on a project – especially when it’s this cute. So I decided to line the inside with tissue paper, and leave a small hole at the bottom – this way, with a good yank of the ribbon everyone can access sweet treats without destroying your hard work. Yay 🙂

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Two pieces of cardboard approx 30cm square, and a few strips
• Pink tissue paper
• Double sided tape
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• Foam letters
• Sweets
• Ribbon

1.First, cut your cardboard into two identical hearts around 15 cm wide, and a few strips of cardboard measuring approx 5cm wide and 20 cm long.

2.Use masking tape to secure strips of cardboard onto the outside edge of one heart. Make sure you have left a gap at the bottom of the love heart for your sweets to fall out of.

3.Take a sheet of tissue paper and lay one half in your heart. Fill with sweets (or anything else you like!) then fold the tissue paper in half and roll the sides so they don’t fall out. Tape your tissue paper down onto the heart. Tie the bottom of your tissue paper – which should come out the bottom of the heart – with string. Cut a few holes into the tissue paper just to make sure it rips when pulled. Don’t forget to tie a loop of ribbon out of the top of the love heart so you can hang it.

4.Now secure the other heart with double sided tape. Continue to cover the whole pinata with double sided tape – this is what will hold your fringing in place.

5.Next cut a 15cm strip off the end of your tissue paper while it’s still rolled up. Cut small sections about three quarters of the way up to make the fring.

6.Working in sections, peel the back off your double sided tape and start wrapping the heart with fringed tissue paper. I found it was easier to start at the bottom and work my way up. Stick down some more double sided tape if you need to. Continue until you’ve covered your heart.

7.Take your foam letters and spell out your word of choice – conversation hearts are meant to be a bit cheeky so use your imagination. You can find felt letters at most craft stores, but you could also make your own out of sticky back felt.

 

8. Give to someone you really, really like. To release the sweets, just pull the ribbon which will rip the tissue paper lining – no smashing needed!

 

 

What shape would you make your pinata? Let me know by commenting below!