How to Make a Donut Piñata for Your Next Party
If you donut know already, today is National Donut Day! Time to hightail it to the nearest bakery and get yourself — err, we mean yourself and your coworkers (no we don’t) — a dozen. Better yet, head to your kitchen and make some delectable wheels of dough. Speaking of making… along with eating donuts today, go buck wild and fully embrace the pastry. Make some donut sunglasses and how about this DIY piñata donut to deck your house or next party in high hole-y fashion. Check it.
Materials:
Tools:
– school glue
– hot glue gun + glue
– pen
– tape
– X-Acto knife
– scissors
– cutting mat
Instructions:
- tissue paper
- crepe paper
- large pearl sprinkles
- cardboard
- craft paper
- string
We’re nuts about this donut!
- Find a large circular object from around your house. We used a lamp shade. Find a second smaller circular object that will serve as an item to trace for the donut hole. We used a bowl.
- Trace your large circular object on a piece of cardboard. Make a second one to create the front and back of the piñata. Cut them out with an X-Acto knife.
- Trace the smaller object in the center of one of the large cardboard circles. Cut it out.
- Place the piece you just cut on top of the other large cardboard circle and trace the inner circle. This way your circles will be in the exact same spot. Cut out this circle. You should have two identical cardboard donuts.
- Measure your craft paper in the donut hole. Cut the craft paper to size and tape it into a column that fits the donut hole.
- Snip 1-inch sections around the top edge of the craft paper, leaving about two inches between cuts. Place the craft paper column through the hole and then fold over the cut edges. Tape them down.
- Follow the same process to create the outer edge of the donut. This time, before you tape the craft paper into a column, cut your 1-inch sections. Then wrap it around the cardboard donut and tape it in place. Fold over and tape the sections to secure the craft paper.
- Trim the top edge of the outer column of craft paper so that it is the same height as the middle column.
- Cut a trap door in the side of the donut. Make sure it’s big enough for your candy to fit inside :)
- Cut a long piece of string or rope. Poke a hole in the outer craft paper column as well as the inner column. Thread the string through these holes and tie a few knots at the bottom.
- Cut 1-inch sections in the top edge of the craft paper, then add the back side of the donut. Fold over the sections and tape them in place.
- Cut fringe out of your tissue paper. This part will serve as the base of the donut, so keep that in mind when choosing a color.
- Using school glue, adhere the tissue paper to the donut, layering the sections to cover the craft paper. Completely cover the outer edge of your donut first.
- Glue longer pieces of tissue paper on the back side of the donut and wrap them into the hole. Note: The front does not need to be covered in fringe.
- For the frosting, cut a large piece of crepe paper, measuring it against the front of the donut to get the right size. To make it more realistic, don’t cut out a perfect circle. Adhere it to the donut with hot glue.
- Add sprinkles to your donut with hot glue.
Start your piñata by tracing an everyday circular object on a piece of cardboard. We used a large lampshade. Trace a second one so that your donut has a front and back side. Grab a smaller circular object (a bowl, for example) and trace it in the middle of your larger circle. Cut it out with an X-Acto knife and then place the larger circle (now donut shaped) on top of the other circle. Trace the inner circle and cut it out. This will ensure that your donut holes match up.
Next we’ll create the sides using craft paper. You can also do this with cardboard, but the craft paper is easier to work with when creating rounded sides. Measure your donut hole by placing the craft paper inside. Cut it to size and then tape it into a column. Stick this column into the hole and then cut 1-inch sections about two inches apart all the way around the top edge of the column. Fold the sections down onto the cardboard and tape them in place.
For the outer edge of the donut, we’ll repeat the process with the craft paper. We found that for this piece it was easier to cut the 1-inch sections before we taped the paper into a column. Once you’ve made your snips, fold them over and tape them to the cardboard. Flip it over and then even out the craft paper so that it is level with the center column.
Before we add the other side of the donut, we need to cut a trap door. This is where you will add treats! Make three slices and fold the door back to open it. Next we need to add the string. Poke a hole in the outer column of craft paper and then in the inner column as well. Thread your string through both holes and then tie a few knots to secure it. Cut sections on the other edge of the outer and inner columns of craft paper. Now add the back side of the piñata, filing the center column through the hole and making sure the sections on the outer column are not folded under the cardboard. Tape down all of your sections.
You’re halfway there! Time for some color, wouldn’t you say?
First choose a color. This is going to be the base of your donut (the dough in donut), so keep that in mind when picking a hue. Layer your tissue paper and cut long strips. Then make small snips in one edge to create fringe. You’re going to need a ton, so make yourself a nice big pile. To adhere your fringe, squeeze a thin line of school glue along the top edge.
Start by adding fringe to the outer edge of the donut. Layer each section on top of the next, allowing for the bottom edge of fringe to show. Once you’ve worked your way around the donut, cut larger strips that cover the back and middle section. No need to cover the front; you’ll be adding frosting and sprinkles, so it doesn’t need fringe. Don’t forget to keep the trap door open! Add your fringe around the door so you can actually stuff this little guy.
Last part! Place your crepe paper on top of the donut and cut out a circle. It doesn’t have to be perfect — it’s frosting, after all :) Hot glue your frosting in place and then add sprinkles to the top. If you don’t want to add real sprinkles, cut some jimmies out of paper.
There you have it!
Filling this donut with real donuts might make a giant mess, but we think it would be adorable to put donut holes in clear goody bags and stuff those inside.
