a Baphomet Piñata & a story
Before this, I’d only made a piñata once. It was a Minecraft Ghast for one of my kids’ birthday. So naturally, I looked at this project and thought, Yeah… how hard could it be?
“Me figuring shit out” has always been one of my favorite crafting supplies.
I grabbed some cardboard, tissue paper, and my handy dandy printer. Armed with nothing but a glue gun and an unreasonable amount of stubbornness, I got to werk.
I don’t usually start projects because I know exactly what I’m doing. I start them because my brain has already decided I’m capable, and apparently that’s enough. Somewhere between “this should be easy” and “what fresh hell have I created?” things usually work themselves out.
Eventually.
And if they don’t… well, that’s tomorrow Erin’s problem.
A coworker had asked me to make this one for her fiancé’s birthday. At the time, I happily said yes. Part of it was professional diplomacy, the strange little theater we all perform under fluorescent lights and the relentless hum of the copy machine. But part of it was genuine. We liked the same weird stuff. I thought she was a kindred spirit. Creative. Brooding. Goth-adjacent. I rooted for her.
Turns out… people will surprise you.
She invited me to her fiancé’s gig at a local restaurant. I genuinely wanted to go. But at the time I was broke, my kids were still little, and life happened. My kids came first.
Apparently, that was an unforgivable offense.
She stopped talking to me.
Eventually she quit, and we never saw each other again.
Years later, a couple coworkers and I were walking to grab tacos when we saw her coming toward us. There were three of us. She smiled, greeted one person, and acted like the other two of us didn’t exist. Not a nod. Not a “hey.” Nothing.
It was such a bizarre level of performative pettiness that it almost deserved applause.
Honestly, after the initial “…did that really just happen?” wore off, it became hilarious.
Did it sting a little? Sure. I’m still a human underneath the Death Cab shirts, the walking meat suit, bracelets, and Bath & Body Works spray. I believe in acknowledgment. In community. In kindness as a quiet act of rebellion. I also believe in tact, decency and the 25th amendment.
But I also believe people eventually tell you exactly who they are if you give them enough time.
I’ve spent most of my life being everyone’s “best friend.” I’m a person who notices the shift in a room before anyone says a word. Eventually you realize not every connection is supposed to survive. Some people are carrying so much unresolved hurt that they fling it at whoever happens to be standing nearby.
I know because I used to be one of them.
The difference is that you don’t have to stay that person.
Brains change. Habits change. People change. Neuroplasticity is a hell of a thing if you’re willing to do the work.
but anyways…
The piñata, though? The piñata ruled.
And unlike fragile people with fragile egos, art survives; well kind of, this was indeed a piñata, I am assuming it was beat to shit. MY POINT BEING, THE PHOTOS OF THE ART SURVIVES.
Gathering of the supplies: glue sticks, cardboard, creepy paper-iykyk aka crepe paper, tissue paper, scissors, round template, hot glue gun and masking tape.
printed out some good ole Baphomet pictures to put on the front AND BACK. I used a wooden wreath as a circle template to cut this out. you can pretty much do anything you want with this.
Using my template, I cut out SEVEN round pieces of cardboard total, plus one long strip that would eventually wrap around the two main circles and hold everything together later on.
I left two of the circles completely whole, and for the other FIVe, I cut out a quarter section from each one. Once everything was trimmed down, I gently bent and worked the cardboard to break down the fibers and make the pieces more flexible.
At this stage, you can lightly mist the cardboard with water if it feels too stiff. Nothing dramatic — we’re crafting, not summoning demons. The moisture softens the fibers just enough to help shape each piece into a cone or horn-like form without the cardboard acting personally victimized by the process.
After a little bending, coaxing, tape wrestling, and probably some mild swearing into the void, the shapes finally started coming together exactly how I imagined.
Once I finally wrestled the cardboard into a shape I liked, I secured everything with masking tape to help define the curves and hold the structure in place. The tape not only cleaned up the shape, but also added a surprising amount of sturdiness to each piece, like emotional support, but for cardboard.
Once I had the horns fully taped and structurally sound, I used a generous amount of glue stick and wrapped each one in creepy paper to give them a more finished look. The paper instantly made them feel less like recycled cardboard and more like something pulled from a strange little haunted carnival.
After everything was covered, I set the horns aside and let them dry completely before moving on to the next step.AT THIS STAGE YOU SHOULD HAVE FIVE HORNS PREPPED AND READY.
CREATING THE STRUCTURAL BASE OF THE PINATA.
To help the cardboard curve around the circles without buckling or collapsing into chaos, I lightly misted it with water again to soften the fibers and make it easier to shape. Once everything was taped into place, the structure finally started resembling an actual piñata instead of a destroyed Amazon box my cat had declared war on in the middle of my floor.
After the base felt sturdy enough, I covered the entire thing with glue and started wrapping it in creepy paper. BUT before you do that, please take note of something important because past-Erin apparently chose chaos over documentation.
You’ll want to pull the creepy paper apart into long strips or layers first. Then, using scissors, make small half-inch cuts all along the edge to create a fringe effect. Think flapper dress meets haunted craft store. The fringe gives the piñata movement, texture, and that perfectly messy layered look that makes everything feel more alive.
What I ended up doing was stacking several layers of the creepy paper together and cutting the fringe into all of them at once to save time and preserve my remaining sanity. Essentially every strip became a little fringed layer ready to be glued down.
Sadly, I did not take photos of this stage because apparently 2018 me believed in mystery. Alas. I will do better.
For the front of the piñata, I remember layering the fringe strips in circular rows to create a fuller, more dimensional look. It gave the whole thing a dramatic texture that looked especially good once all the layers started overlapping.
HERE IS THE NAKED DRUM! ONCE THIS WAS COVERED IN BLACK CREEPY PAPER, I USED HOT GLUE TO ADD TWO HORNS TO THE TOP AND THREE TO THE BOTTOM. At this point, honestly, study the final photos like cryptic evidence because this tutorial is carrying heavy 2018 crafting energy. I’ve learned a lot since then, but somehow the chaotic methods still got the job done.
FINISHED PRODUCT!
SUPER PROUD OF MYSELF FOR accomplishING THIS TASK. I FEEL PRETTY confident AFTER MAKING THIS ONE!