Mardi Gras Masks: DIY Craft Ideas

There is no set way to make Mardi Gras masks. The only limitation is in your imagination. One thing that is traditional is the use of feathers, which is understandable when you realize that Mardi Gras goes back to the courts of France in the time of Napoleon. And one of the most popular costumes is that of a member of the court and these Mardi Gras masks are the easiest of all to make.

Just start with one of the cowboy style Halloween masks, that kind the Lone Ranger made famous. You will need feathers from the craft store, but make sure they are light weight and no more than about 4 inches long. Also, get glitter in the same color of your costume and gold lace trim about 1 inch wide.

The first thing is to spread a thin layer of craft glue on the outside of the soon to be one of the best Mardi Gras masks. Too much and the mask will look lumpy and you will see the glue through the glitter. Sprinkle on the glitter and shake off the excess. You may need to do this a couple of times till the whole surface is covered. The next step in turning it into a Mardi Gras mask is the feathers. Put a strip of double-sided tape around the edge of the mask. This is better than using more glue which can make the mask a bit soggy. Arrange your feathers on the tape, but leave a bit of the tape exposed between the feathers. Your Mardi Gras mask is almost done.

Putting the gold trim on can be a bit tricky. What I do is pinch it so it looks like Christmas Ribbon Candy. This makes it easy to go around the curves of the Mardi Gras mask. Start at the side, where the elastic strap is put the end on the exposed tape. Pinch, press on the tape all the way around. If one of the pleats does not stick to the tape, put just a drop of glue or take a stitch to hold it in place.

Now you have a Mardi Gras mask, but you can embellish it a bit if you wish. Instead of using the elastic to hold the Mardi Gras Mask on, do what they did in the courts of old and put it on a stick, a very thin dowel. You can get these is any hardware store. Put two small slits on either the right or left of the mask, depending on which hand you are going to hold it in. Staple the mask to the dowel using a strong staple, the kind that needs a staple gun. You can paint and then glitter the dowel, but better yet, get some long feathers and hand them from the top of the dowel. Just tape them on tightly and then put a piece of the gold trim around the top. You can hold the dowel under the feathers. Bingo, you have the Mardi Gras mask of all the Mardi Gras Masks.