DIY Piñata and Candy Costume

Step 1: Make the Crepe Paper Fringes

Gather your assorted crepe papers and cut them into 5-inch-wide strips. Then, cut fringes or small notches along the bottom edge to create texture and movement.

Step 2: Mark and Gather the Crepe Paper Fringes

Use masking tape to mark where each fringe layer will go on the front of your shirt. Then, unfold the crepe paper strip and gently gather it along the top edge to prepare it for attaching.

Step 3: Attach the Crepe Paper Fringe Layers

Apply hot glue in small sections over the masking tape, then carefully press the gathered crepe paper onto the shirt. Continue this process from the bottom layer up to the top. For the next layer, use a different color of paper to create a colorful, layered effect

Here’s what it should look like when done!

Step 4: Add Fringe to the Sleeves

Follow the same process as the front of the shirt, but cut the crepe paper shorter—about half of the original 5-inch width.

Note: Mark the Sleeve Fringe Placement – Since the fringes are shorter, mark the sleeve with masking tape at closer intervals to ensure even spacing for each layer.

Step 5: Cut the Cardboard for the Headdress

For the matching headdress, cut the cardboard into two right-angled triangles.

Step 6: Form the Cone Shape

Fold each triangle so the edges meet, creating a cone shape for the headdress. Secure the edges together with hot glue.

Step 7: Attach Layered Fringes to the Cone

Add crepe paper fringes all around the cone, layering them from the bottom up for a full, textured look.

Step 8: Attach the Cones to the Headband

Apply hot glue to the base of each cone, then press them onto a plain headband, spacing them evenly for a balanced look.

Here’s What It Looks Like When Finished!

Here is why the masking tape step is not optional. Hot glue soaks straight into knit cotton and cools hard, so gluing fringe directly to the shirt means the shirt is a costume forever. Glue onto tape instead and the whole fringe layer peels off in one piece in November. Peel the tape off and the shirt goes back into the regular laundry.

Work bottom row first and go up. Each new row of fringe hangs over the glue line of the row below it, so the seams disappear on their own. If you start at the shoulders you will see every glue line, and there is no fixing that later without starting over.

Colors are the easy place to make this yours. Repeating four colors in the same order reads as a classic piñata. Two colors on repeat reads graphic and a bit more grown up. If you want it loud, use every roll in the pack and don’t repeat any order at all.

No crepe paper in the house? Tissue paper cut into strips works, though it tears more while you gather it, so cut wider strips to compensate. Cheap plastic table cover from the party aisle also fringes well and shrugs off drizzle, which crepe paper absolutely does not.

How to Make a Giant Candy Prop

Step 1: Prepare the Lollipop Stick and Strips

Measure the required length of a 12mm foam stick by rolling it around to test the size of your lollipop, then cut a few thin strips of red felt or electrical tape to use for wrapping.

Step 2: Wrap the Foam Stick

Apply hot glue to a strip, then place it diagonally on the tip of the foam stick. Continue wrapping the strip around the stick until the entire length is covered.

Step 3: Form and Secure the Foam Base

Fold down one end of the foam about 2 to 3 inches and secure it with hot glue. Continue wrapping the foam around itself, adding hot glue along the sides as you go, so it forms a swirl that resembles a lollipop by the end.

Attach a stick to the bottom of your lollipop swirl, then cover the base with a ribbon bow to hide where the stick is attached.

Here’s What It Looks Like When Finished!

The swirl is the step where patience pays. Coil two or three inches at a time, run glue along the side of the foam rather than the face of it, and hold each turn until it sets before adding the next. Rush it and the coil springs open behind you like a party horn.

If you would rather skip the wrapping entirely, red electrical tape gives you the same candy stripe faster than felt does and sticks to foam without glue. Felt looks softer in photos, tape is quicker and survives being knocked into doorframes. Both are in the tutorial for a reason.

Pro Tips 💡

• Use an oversized shirt so you have enough room for the fringe without making the costume feel tight or stiff.
• When forming the giant swirl lollipop, coil and glue the foam a little at a time. Hold each section in place until the glue sets so the swirl does not spring back open.
• Keep the finished costume away from rain, drinks, and open flames. Crepe paper looks great at a party, but it has very little patience for moisture.