Mexican themed wedding card box

Here are a few pics of a recent piñata for a Mexican themed wedding.It's actually technically a wedding card box rather than a piñata but we were impressed all the same!

The label on the front was a last minute idea that we hung loosely around it's neck in case the bride and groom decided they'd rather not keep it and wanted to remove it.

Lion pinatas

We thought it was about time we updated the blog. We've been pretty busy recently so here's a couple of pictures of our lion piñatas. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.792343394129978.1073741832.234857009878622&type=1 there are more pictures here on our fb page and here's a link to the advert the final product was used for https://vimeo.com/113056742

We've been having a clear out and working on other projects and we can't wait to catch up with posts so that we can update you!

Donkey pinatas

I couldn't resist taking this picture of these piñata donkeys with some of the real donkeys on the farm where we live. After 4 years of making piñatas and never being asked to make a donkey I was surprised to find out they're made from a complicated cardboard puzzle of many pieces!  

Love bug

My spec for this was colourful and unusual. This is my first 30th birthday party love bug and it went down a treat. The legs and antennas are wired so that it can be even more customised. I used zebra print ribon to bring out the colour of it's eyes and miss seeing it around!

Stripper pinata

I noticed that there weren't many 'upmarket' [can't think of a less ironic word] stripper piñatas available a while back and having made a couple for the pinatafest I thought I'd build a mould for something really special. I'd also like to use him for a few non piñata projects [not how it sounds] but I'll leave mentioning that for another day.

I built this of the mould for a friends hen do and she liked it so much she's refused to smash it up and is now reputed to hang coats on him in her hallway.

I have so much more to say about this but it's out busiest time of the year so I'll leave it at that. For now...

Wedding cake pinata

This was a recent order for a 'non traditional, colourful wedding cake with a heart on the top'

Sorry about the messy pictures - I didn't have time to tidy up and arrange it so there was at least an attempt to look professional and it kept flipping well raining so I couldn't just bung it outside for a few snaps - especially as it's covered in crepe paper.

lotions, potions and eczema

My eldest daughter gets eczema, especially on her hands. It's horrible watching your child get skin so dry and cracked it bleeds... We've tried all sorts, our bathroom is full of e45/simple etc. products and the best thing we've found so far which is aqueous cream. 

It seems unfair that the rest of us get to use fancy stuff, nice scented soaps, lotions and potions, bath bombs and the like. The list is endless! So we've started making our own. I thought I'd share a few of the recopies I've found and information on different oils.

Any information/comments/feedback you can add to this would be most welcome!

Essential oils for treating eczema
http://www.herbhedgerow.co.uk/20-best-oils-for-treating-eczema/ I also read somewhere that Manoi oil is good but that seems to basically be coconut oil with posh gardenia's mixed in and I can't remember my source! Apparently Meadowfoam seed oil is a good substitute for Jojoba containing higher levels of most fatty acids and nutrients whilst also being cheaper and a better lubricant.

handmade liquid soap
http://www.thankyourbody.com/homemade-liquid-hand-soap-2-easy-ways/ -  This seems the simplest recipe online. Castile soap doesn't seem readily available in the UK They certainly didn't sell it in our supermarket! But any soap seems to work. In theory - we haven't actually tried this recipient yet! The plan is to use suitable soap and add a 5ml spoon full of glycerine to any batches that aren't soapy enough. We'll add pretty things such as dried fruit/flowers to the bottle to make it pretty.There are lots of soap bar recipes out there, my daughter has already made a few but I find liquid soap less messy!

Massage bars
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/bathbody/ss/cocoabuttermass_2.htm - all the recipies I read basically used one part wax (either soya or beeswax) mixed with one part 'butter' (there's a list of different kinds of body butters and their properties bellow) and one part essential oils. I asked a friend of mine who's an expert in these things and she said we 'should' be okay to mix random quantities of different oils to use. Since then I've read lots of different information online, everyone seems to have a different opinion! We've been making and testing different batches and trying to work out what information is based on scientific information and what isn't!

Body butter
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/spa-health/10-types-of-body-butter.htm#page=0 - here's a list of different kinds of body butter. Apparently it's the top ten! We used Shea butter as it's readily available, less likely to clog pores than coco butter (very important when you're about to hit your teens!), and reported to be good for eczema. We also got mango butter because we thought it would smell of mangos. For some reason ours doesn't!

Bath bombs
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2014/03/homemade-oatmeal-bath-bombs/. I've been told repeatedly that oatmeal is good for skin conditions and to put some in a Hessian bag (or the end of an old pair of tights) and tie it around the bath taps whilst the bath is running. Bath bombs sound like more fun, and something my child can add glitter to. Which is important. And a joy to clean up afterwards - possibly especially when mixed with oats...

Massage candles
http://candles.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Make_Massage_Candles - thought I'd stick this more grown up idea on the end of the list! A friend of mine gets eczema too and I thought it might be a nice idea to make some of these for her and her bloke for Christmas (fragrance free of course). I read a few recipes and they all seem pretty similar.


I like to try things until we get them 'right' or at least my perfectionist streak is satisfied! If I've time I'll add my pictures and notes to separate posts as we make a product we're happy with!

Wedding cake pinata

Another wedding cake piñata. I was asked for a brightly coloured non traditional wedding cake with a heart and the bride and grooms initials. I didn't have time to take final pictures after it had been strung and the hatch cut. You can see the state of my house in the  background, including the pieces of the new rabbit hutch. But as I'm always so behind with blog etc updates I thought I'd just slap these up here and at least have some pictures to show for my work!

The cake designs can also be used as card boxes with the simple addition of a slit in the top.

Hen night pinata - for adults only,

I've been invited to an old friends wedding. We actually went to infant school together. I've made the usual wedding piñata as a present for her. But I thought the hen night deserved something really special

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P27au5OicbI

To give you a little clue as to what I'm making. It's still a work in progress and there's been bits of it all over the house until recently. I don't think the guy who came to repair the boiler will ever quite look at me the same again. Although I guess if there ever was a good time to invite campaigning party members or people selling religion door to door now would probably be a good time. I'm also going to reupholster my sofa. Sorry, will try to stay on track.

For some reason I have this in mind too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYoa0Xi8qo4

I can't find any images on-line, just the clip. Once it's finished it will be fun to make other things from the mould, not just piñatas, although I should probably finish one project first, learn to walk before I can run! And of course people keep placing orders which is most inconvenient when I have my own baby to work on. I miss the days before I got talked into working for other people!

So many projects, so little time. 

Last minute wedding nerves?

http://www.iamstaggered.com/lastminutepanic/how-to-stop-a-wedding-freak-out/ - didn't realise this had been published!

Rainbow zebra pinata

 This piñata was made for a wedding that's taking place in Ibiza this summer. It's based on piñata boys design http://pinataboy.com/makeazebra.html although it was made so that the whole of the head and body are hollow. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.719090788121906.1073741830.234857009878622&type=1 - this link takes you to more pictures on our facebook page. We're still pretty behind with updating the blog - there's pictures from as far back as Halloween 2013 still to add but we're getting to it slowly!The mould could easily be adapted to make a unicorn, which we're likely to be doing at some point in the near future as unicorns are very popular at our house!