Quarantine Cuties: Celebrating in Quarantine with Liliane Wolf

In Full Color's skillshare and chat series, Quarantine Cuties, got wrapped up in a big way this Thursday!

The weekly IG Live show hosted by Summer Dawn Reyes features women artists, entrepreneurs and hustlers sharing knowledge and skills. Each episode gives viewers a chance to support these women through #COVID19 or raise money for causes they support.

On May 28 for our season finale, we hung out with Liliane Wolf, one of only two women to be featured in In Full Color three times! In addition to being an IFC alumna, she is also part of our touring troupe. When she's not acting or writing, she is often doing fun crafts! She shared some great ideas for celebrating your birthday, graduation or any special occasion at home.

Liliane is a co-founder of 68 Productions, the sister company of In Full Color. An alumna of the Governor's School of the Arts, she made her off-Broadway debut while attending Jersey City Arts High School. Liliane has directed/performed in various productions throughout NY/NJ/CT; she is a writer, a fight coordinator for stage/film, and has over a decade of experience with tightlacing and corsetry. Currently, she tours universities with In Full Color to share her published works. Find her on Instagram and Twitter: @LilianeWolf

Here is a shopping list for the project she shared on #qtqts, a graduation cap piñata!

MATERIALS

-Black tissue paper -One rectangular, square, or cylindrical box in whatever size you like. If you want to make it small, it can be used to decorate a table. If you want to be able to beat it or pull the strings to get to candy, make it at least 8 or more inches. This will be the body of the piñata and would be the hat part of the cap -One flat square cardboard (3-4 inches longer than the box). This will be the top of the cap -Yellow string for the tassel, about 2 ft. -You can use more yellow string to hang it or you can use white. About 1 ft. -Candy (optional). If you prefer to make it more of a decoration, you don't need this

TOOLS

- Tape (the thick kind, either clear or masking--even duct tape can work!)

- Scissors

- Glue

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Seal the box completely and reinforce all edges with tape. Keep in mind the purpose of the piñata--if it will be a permanent decoration, you should liberally use stronger tape. You can also tape the edges from the inside to make the piñata stronger. If it is meant to be broken by young children, using just enough masking tape is perfect. If you plan to fill the piñata with candy, make sure to leave an open flap or area on the box you can cut a hole into. For this project, that hole should ideally be on the top of the box. (You can put it on the bottom if you want to create a pull-string piñata or if you just want it to be easier to break.)

2. Wrap the both the box and the flat cardboard in the tissue paper, much as you would a present. Trim excess tissue paper if needed and secure edges with glue.

3. Cut tissue paper into strips at least 2" wide and at least long enough to wrap completely around one side of the box. (Pro tip: Liliane says if your piñata is small enough, you might even be able to cut strips long enough to wrap around the entire box in one go!)

4. Create frills using scissors. For a classic fringe, fold the strip in half, then unfold and make cuts to the folded line at least 0.5" inches apart along the strip. For a cleaner look, fold the strip in half and cut along the outside edge (the fold itself) and leave the strip folded. For this method, make sure to glue the uncut sides of the folded strip together.

5. Begin covering both the box and the flat cardboard with the frills. Liliane suggests starting on the side of the box where you sealed its tissue paper wrapping. Wrap the strip along the side of the box at the bottom and secure with glue. Work your way up to the top of the box, making sure fringes stack nicely, and repeat on remaining sides. Leave the top and bottom of the box uncovered. For the flat cardboard, only the top side needs to be covered with frills, unless you prefer a frill-less top.

6. If you wish to hang your piñata, pierce or cut two holes into the flat cardboard about two inches apart near the center of the cap. Thread string through these holes--you can either insert a string into each hole and knot the end to prevent it from falling through, or tie the string ends together on the underside of the cap.

7. Glue the flat cardboard to the top of the cardboard box. (Make sure to fill it with candy before doing this step!)

8. Hold one end of yellow string in your fist and loop string around your elbow. Repeat five or six times until you have a "ring" of string. Cut the string loose from its spool. Pull the string ring taut and knot one side, about two inches from the end.

9. Cut each loop in the two-inch bundle of string loops so this end resembles the fringe-end of a tassel.

10. Cut excess string on the other side, leaving one or two strands to anchor the tassel to the top of the cap.

11. Glue, tape or otherwise secure the string to the top of the cap, with the fringe-end dangling off one side. You can leave the tassel loose or tape it in place.

12. Hang up your piñata and enjoy your party!

Not much of a crafter? Liliane encourages you to give this a try--your work doesn't need to be perfect. Your loved one will appreciate the effort you put in to do something special for them! Still not convinced? She suggests using standard graphic design software--or good ol' fashioned pen and paper--to make them a personalized coupon book (offer them back rubs or movie nights!). During quarantine, she also recommends throwing a Zoom party/hangout for your loved one or driving by their house to say hello.

If you loved this episode, tip the artist by sending a donation on Venmo (infullcolorus) and put "Liliane QTQTS" in the comments!

Quarantine Cuties will return later this fall. Stay tuned to see who we'll be featuring next season. Follow us on Instagram for the latest @infullcolorus_