Lately, I’ve been on a fresh strawberries binge. Ever since Tomatero Organic Farm started selling their strawberries at the farmer’s markets. They usually have a few different varieties available, you can sample them all to see which one you like the best.
So with all of this strawberry eating, a collection of green baskets and paper boxes started piling up in the kitchen. That’s how I got the idea to turn the lovely 3-pack of strawberries above into the below Minecraft Creeper piñata.
Minecraft is a video game that builds up and breaks down blocks in various 3-D worlds. And in it are creatures called Creeper and Enderman. I don’t really get it but my niece and nephew are obsess with the game and those are their favorite characters. I made the piñatas for their birthdays.
First, eat the strawberries. Recycle the green baskets with one of your local farmer’s market vendor. Save the white paper carton. Repeat. Now you have two paper cartons, this will become the body of the piñata.
I also found a 4-inch square box for the head and a couple of small rectangular boxes for the feet lying around that just happens to be the right proportions for the Creeper.
Fit the two strawberry cartons together. Since the ends flare out, just cut and tape to get the whole thing to fit together well. The square head will go over one end. Glue and/or tape the two feet boxes to the other end so that the body rests a little bit on each for support. As I didn’t intend for the piñata to be smashed, I made it sturdier so it would last longer as a decoration/centerpiece.
Instead of painting an undercoat, I wrapped the whole thing in a layer of green streamer paper (crepe paper) using a glue stick. A glue stick was easier and less messy than white glue which caused wet spots in heavy-handed areas which never really went away (it dried darker in those areas).
I was able to plan ahead and only worked on it a little bit each day as free time permitted, so there was plenty of time for drying in between.
Measure out a length of streamer paper long enough to wrap around a foot with a little extra for overlap. Fold the length in half and cut fringes in it. Without unfolding, glue the fringed streamer paper around the foot starting at the bottom. Glue the next row of fringed strips slightly overlapping the first row. Keep adding rows until you get to the top edge, then cover the flat portion. Do the same for the other foot, then the body and lastly the head.
I did the head and body separately and attached the head at the very end with velcro. On the head, glue black construction paper cut out in the shape of Creeper’s face onto one side. Drill two small holes in the top of the head and put through a plastic loop before attaching to the body. I like to fluff up the fringes a bit to give it that “devil may care” look.
I also made an Enderman piñata using the same method but with streamer arms and legs. That’s it, all done. I already had everything except the streamer paper making it a fun, cheap, and green project for the summer.
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How cute are these! I don’t really know these games but they seem like fun. I am also a lover of recycling things into crafty stuffs. I always keep my carton boxes, I’ve got a storage room filled with boxes.
haha i love this post, so creative. My boyfriend loved these, he loves minecraft!
The Enderman is cool beyond cool! I love a bit of Minecraft. Nice way to turn the packaging into something creative.
I imagine your niece and nephew were more than thrilled with your craftiness. Very clever, though I have no idea who any of the characters are!
I love that you created these Minecraft Creeper pinatas using the strawberry packs! That looks amazing! You are one amazing crafter!