Mardi Gras Parade Mask Craft
Celebrate Fat Tuesday and through your own Mardi Gras parade – at home! If you can’t get to New Orleans for the festivities, you can have your own carnival with handmade costumes and crafty masks. Use the official Mardi Gras colors (gold, green and purple) as the focus of this easy-to-make art activity.
Materials:
- Craft felt (in yellow, green or purple)
- A hole punch
- Ribbon (in metallic gold, green or purple)
- Glitter and craft feathers (again, in gold, green or purple)
- Clear-drying school glue
- Scissors
- A marker
Instructions:
- Draw the mask design onto the felt. Create a football shape, an oval or your own imaginative look.
- Cut the mask shape out. Next, cut out two eye holes.
- Punch a hole on each end of the mask.
- Create a design with the glue. Draw lines, outline the mask or use a paintbrush to spread it over the felt.
- Sprinkle the glitter on the glue. Shake off the excess. Add a few craft feathers as accents. Let the mask dry completely.
- Thread two pieces of ribbon through the holes on the ends to make a tie.
If you want to make a more structured mask, start with a cardboard base. Draw the outline of the mask onto the cardboard, and then cover it with the craft felt (glue the felt to the cardboard). When the mask is ready, have your parade. Drape the kids in dress-up clothes and beaded necklaces, turn the couch cushions into a pretend parade float or make your own instruments (use a plastic coffee can as a drum or craft a cardboard play trumpet).
