Make Mardi Gras masks yourself.

Masks are the mainstays of the Mardi Gras gala. From fancy dress balls to street parades, and nightly parties - masks of all sizes, shapes, colors, and variety adorn the celebration.
And there's nothing better if you can surprise your friends with some smashing variety of masks right out of here. Well, you have the options. You can procure them free by clicking on the samples. Or, you can create some enthralling variety with the following do-it-easy tips.

Venetian Masks

venetian mask You need:
colored card
pencil
glittery pipe cleaners
Crêpe paper
adhesive stars
wooden skewer or garden stick
PVA glue & brush
Glue stick
scissors
pair of glasses, preferably eye-shaped ones
Paper doily

Place a pair of glasses on to the card and draw around them with a pencil. Add on to your outline the fancy curves on both sides of the mask. Cut out the card with scissors.

Apply glue to the front of the card with the brush and place a large piece of
crêpe paper on top. Smooth out the crêpe paper. When the glue is dry, trim around the edges with scissors.

Fold the paper doily in half and cut out the semi-circle in the middle. Unfold the doily and cut in half following the fold line. Pleat one half of the doily so that it looks like a fan.

Glue the other half o the doily to the front of the mask with paper glue. The cut out semi-circle should be at the top of the mask. Draw eye holds on to the front of the mask, then cut them out.

Stick colored paper or foil stars around the upper and outer edge of the masks.

Ask an adult to trim any sharp ends from the wooden skewer or garden stick. Tightly wind pipe-cleaners around the skewer to cover it completely. Fix the skewer to the back of the mask with PVA glue and leave to dry thoroughly.

Cut a rectangle of crêpe paper and wind a pipe-cleaner around the middle to make a bow. Glue the bow on to the mask, as shown. Allow to dry.

You could add sequins and glitter, or even paint the doily gold to match the Carnival colors.

You can really let your imagination run wild when decorating your Venetian Mask. The Venetians certainly do when designing their masks for the Carnival.

Coco the Clown

coco the clown You need:
Two paper plates
pencil
scissors
PVA glue and brush
Acrylic paint and brush
Raffia
6 paper fasteners
Electrical tape
Colored sticky tape
(any shade of purple or green)
Elastic
1 small plastic lid

Hold one of the paper plates up to your face and ask an adult to mark eye holes. Cut out the eye holes. On the back of the plate, paint your clown face. Allow the paint to dry.

Draw a triangular hat and bow tie one the remaining paper plate. Cut them out. Paint and decorate the hat and bow tie with paint and colored electrical tape or, you can use colored foils and ribbons instead. Finish the hat with a tassel of raffia. Attach the raffia with electrical tape.

To make the clown's nose, use the plastic lid from a tube of sweets or plastic juice container. Mix a little PVA glue into some red paint and paint the nose. When dry, glue the nose on to the clown's face. Use PVA glue to stick on the hat and bow tie. Allow glue to dry.

Push a paper fastener through a pan scrubber and position it near the top edge of the plate. Push the paper fastener through the plate and flatten the fasteners. Attach the remaining pan scrubbers in the same way.

Make a small hole in each side of the mask. Tie the elastic to one hole, then fit the mask before tying the elastic to the other hole.
And the Coco is ready to don your face.

Spanish Jumbo

spanish jumbo

You need:
Nylon netting
1 balloon
scissors
masking tape
PVA glue & brush
Acrylic paint & brush
fake fur
1 tennis ball white
old newspaper
1 bowl
petroleum jelly
elastic string

Inflate the balloon and tie a knot in the end. Cover the balloon with petroleum jelly. Make papier-mâché glue by mixing equal amounts of PVA glue and water. Glue strips of newspaper over the balloon to cover it. Do three layers.

Leave the papier-mâché somewhere warm to dry. When it is hard and thoroughly dry, deflate the balloon by snipping off the top of the balloon. Pull the balloon out of the papier-mâché shell and discard the balloon.

Ask an adult to help you cut an old tennis ball in half. Glue the halves on to the papier-mâché shell for the eyes. Use plenty of glue and hold the halved balls in place with masking tape while the glue dries.

Paint the mask in the colors you like. Use a thick brush to paint large areas and a thin brush to paint details. Some areas may need two coats. Allow to dry.

Trim the base of the mask so that it sits on your head. Make holes near the base of the mask.

Attach elastic to one hole. Get a friend to hold the mask on your head while you fit the elastic strap under your chin. Pull on the elastic to get a snug fit, then tie the elastic to the hole.

Tape layers of nylon netting inside the base of the mask. Glue on a strip of fake fur to make a collar.

Fish face focals

fish face focals

You need:
swimming goggles
pencil
glue stick
masking tape
colored card
scissors
ruler
black felt-tip pen

Draw a fish shape 25cm X 10cm (10" X 4") from card. Cut it out. Place the swimming goggles on to the fish and draw around the outline. To make this easy, hold the goggles in position with masking tape.

Also cut from different colored card, a small circle for the eye and fronds of seaweed.

Remove the goggles and cut out the eye holes following the lines you have drawn. Cut four small vertical slits, two on the outside edge of each eye hole. Make sure the slits are large enough to fit the strap on the goggles. Remove the strap from your goggles.

Push the swimming goggles into the holes of the fish mask. If they do not fit, make the eye holes on the mask a little larger.

Reattach the strap to the goggles by threading the strap through the slits in both goggles and the mask.

To finish, glue the eye on to the fish and use a felt-tip pen to draw scales and fins. Glue fronds of seaweed to the mask.



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