How to Make Homemade Piggy Banks from Paper Mache
Piggy banks don't have to be bought from a store; they can be homemade, too! Simply follow these instructions to make paper mache piggy banks whenever you are in the mood for a fun project at home:
You will need the following materials for each piggy bank you want to make:
- One balloon
- Newspaper cut or torn into 1 inch wide strips
- Paint – tempera or acrylic works best. Pink is always great, but consider an assortment of colors for especially fun piggy banks!
- Masking tape
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 1/2 cup of water
- 4 cups of boiling water
- Paintbrush and a small cup or dish of water to rinse your paintbrush in.
- Pipe cleaner – pink, or another color to match your piggy bank.
- A craft knife or an Exacto knife.
- A paper egg carton (you will need 5 sections of the carton for each of the piggy banks that you want to make)
- Black paint or markers
- One cork for the piggy banks' snout.
- Plastic “googly” eyes (optional)
First, you will need to make the paper mache glue:
Mix the flour with 1-1/2 cups of water and stir it well, until the mixture is thin. Then, stir in 4 cups of boiling water. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes, then stir it again and let it cool down. This will be your paper mache glue.
Next, you’ll make the paper mache body and head for each of your piggy banks:
Blow up one balloon for each of the piggy banks you want to make. Blow the balloon up a little bit smaller than you want the piggy bank to be. Take your newspaper strips and dip them one at a time into the flour glue, wrapping them around the balloon. You’ll want to cover the balloon with 2 or 3 layers of newspaper, but let each layer dry well before you add the next layer. After you’ve finished the layers, let the balloon dry completely (at least overnight).
Time to finish your piggy banks!
First, decide which end of your paper-mached balloon is going to be the top, bottom, head, and tail of the piggy bank. Take your craft or exacto knife and make a small puncture where your piggy bank snout is going to be, popping the balloon inside. You will be plugging the snout with the cork, so be careful not to make the hole too big, as you want the cork to fit as snug as possible. You can pull the balloon out of this opening.
Next, separate 5 sections of the paper egg carton. Take four of the sections and tape them to the bottom of the piggy bank, one for each leg, with the masking tape. Take the fifth section and cut it in half lengthwise, taping each side to the top of your piggy bank’s head for the ears. Be sure that they are secure! You can reinforce the legs and ears to the piggy bank by adding a few pieces of newspaper and paper mache glue over the tape and around the base of the legs and the ears. If you do this, you’ll want to let it dry completely again before you start painting.
Now paint your piggy bank! You can paint the whole bank pink, or another solid color, or you can paint fun designs like big flowers, animals, or other designs. You can even personalize your piggy bank by painting your name on it. Be creative! Be sure to paint your piggy banks' legs, ears, and snout, too! You can glue googly eyes to your bank, or paint your own eyes if you wish. Take the craft or exacto knife and cut a tiny opening at the tail end of the bank. Take your pipe cleaner and twist it into a curly-q and fit it into the tail hole. Last, cut an opening on the top of the bank that is large enough to fit the size of coins you wish to save. Ta-da! You’ve made your very own piggy bank!
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