The carnival season officially starts after the Twelfth Night, on Epiphany (January 6), although the majority of the Mardi Gras parades do not roll until closer to Fat Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday). What better way to get into the Mardi Gras spirit than to make a Mardi Gras mask.
S’s first Mardi Gras parade and one of the parades from last year
Why do people wear masks during Mardi Gras?
In the beginning, masks worn during Mardi Gras allowed the wearers to escape society and class constraints. With the mask everyone was free to be whomever they wanted to be. Today it is common for almost everyone to wear masks and it is actually a requirement by law that float riders in New Orleans wear masks.
How We Made Our Mask
We gathered our supplies: scrapbook paper (construction paper would also work), glitter, Elmer’s Glue, washi tape, stickers, gem stones, twine, scissors and hole punch.
I drew the shape I wanted the mask to be on the paper and then cut it out. I held it up to S’s face to get an idea on where the eye holes should go. Once I got the one eye hole how I wanted it I lightly folded the mask in half and used the first hole as a guide to cutting out the second. S punched the two holes for the string on the sides of the mask.
To add the glitter, S worked on top of a scrap piece of paper and drew out her design in Elmer’s glue and then dumped glitter all over the glue. We picked up the mask and lightly tapped the backside to get all the loose glitter off. S then decorated the rest of the mask using the embellishments. We added string to the mask and S was so excited to try it on.
She cannot wait to wear it to the first Mardi Gras parade of the season.
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What a fun craft, and the mask turned out so good! I am also obsessed with your sweet girls Minnie bow! š Have a great week!
Thank you Lauren! The bow was a gift from her aunt – we love it too! Especially since S is trying to grow out her bangs.
I’ve never been to Mardi Gras, but that mask is adorable! Your little one is mighty creative. I know she looks forward to wearing it to the parade. I want to go! š
We tend to stick to the local parades and do not venture to New Orleans. And they are a blast! Our favorite though is the Mutt parade, all doggies and you can bring your dog and the throws are mostly dog treats š
I love Mardis Gras! Your project is so cute and would be fun for a preschool class craft project. Your little girl is so cute and she did a great job with her mask!
Thank you so much Trish!
S looks cute in her new Mardi Gras mask. Looks like she had fun making it too. Anything with glitter and a little girl is fun! I was surprised to read that the law require masks worn by riders on the floats at Mardi Gras! Would love for you to share this at the Spring Crafts Blog Hop. #SCBH2015 We are seeking Mardi Gras crafts ideas to share.
Thank you Shirley! I’ve hopped over to your Spring Crafts Blog Hop and linked up!
What a fun project to do with children! It’s adorable! Thanks for sharing on the Spring Craft Blog Hop.
Thank you Beverly!
Super cute, and so easy for kids to do themselves. There’s no wrong way to decorate!
Absolutely! I love her glitter design!
This is so adorable! I live in Louisiana as well, and Mardi Gras is my favorite holiday! Hope y’all have fun this year!
Thank you Erica! She had so much fun making the mask.
Hello cute lady! Iām loving it. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you so much for partying with us. I hope to see you tonight at 7 pm. We love to party with you! Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Thanks so much Kimberly! I always love your party!
too cute! We love Mardi Gras but haven’t been back in years to celebrate big sigh š Love the mask, I hope you will link it up to our creative craft challenge party – cardboard or similar this month – http://2crochethooks.com/january-craft-challenge-features/. Thanks for linking to Snickerdoodle!!
Thank you for the invite! I hope you are able to visit for Mardi Gras soon š
Your daughter is adorable and so is the mask she made! Thanks for sharing with Creative Spark Link Party.
Glenna @ My Paper Craze
Thank you!