Skip to main content

DIY Mask

I don't remember doing fun projects like this in High School. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if we did. K1 is reading Romeo and Juliet in English and they are going to have a big party at the end with food and homemade masks. She's been really excited about this assignment and I have to admit that it's been one of my favorites.


There are lots of "ready to decorate" masks at the local craft store, but K1 wanted to make a fitted one.  I was hesitant at first, but it turned out to be a great idea. The plastic ones we could have bought just aren't that comfortable and don't fit well on every face. Making your own can be a bit messy, so be prepared.


All you need is newspaper, flour, water, and Vaseline.  It's like paper maché for your face. 


  • Cut newspaper into little pieces - we used 1-inch squares.
  • Mix 2 parts water to 1 part flour to make paste - we used 2 cups water and 1 cup flour and more than enough.  
  • Pull hair back and secure.  wrap a towel around shoulders to keep clothes from getting messy.
  • Cover face in Vaseline to keep the mask from sticking.
  • Dip newspaper in paste and slide between two fingers to remove excess paste.  You may need to mix the paste throughout the process as it tends to separate.
  • Place newspaper around face in the desires shape until you have the thickness and shape you want. We made our pretty thick because we wanted it to be really sturdy to hold the decorations.
  • She wasn't as unhappy as she looks.
  • Let dry on face.  If you remove and the mask folds at all, put it back on.  We used a hair dryer on the cool setting to speed it up.
  • Trim the edges - you can also smooth out the edges with sand paper.
  • Paint and decorate!
I love how it turned out. K1 chose to paint it silver and then applied black shoe polish to give it an antique look. With the slight texture of the newspaper, it ended up looking like pounded metal - awesome!
You can go overboard with the decor, so be warned.
Feathers are fun and there are tons of things you can add. We glued black elastic lace to the sides to tie on, but you could also punch a hole in the mask to tie ribbons or elastic. Or you can attach a stick if you would like a mask that you hold up to your face.
She's really happy with it and proud that she did it herself. This is one project I think we will probably do again. There are so many ways to wear masks and my girls just love to dress up.  Hope your weekend was as fun as mine!

Comments

Tash said…
Wow looks fantastic!!!! I am a sucker for masquerade masks...I made one years ago with ostrich feathers; it's very elaborate!

Popular posts from this blog

Easy Baby Sweater and Hat

After searching and attempting to create the perfect - and quick/easy - baby sweater to give as a gift, I finally just combined a few to make the one I wanted. This particular one is more what I would envision for a girl (regardless of color) because of the lacy pattern created with the shells. My next step to find/create one for a boy. This one is simple enough to work up quickly. I only have a few hours of crochet time at night and I completed the set within 3 days. I imagine if you had half a day you could easily finish it in one setting, depending on your skill level. Sweater Materials: 3-4 ounces 3 ply baby yarn  Hook - size F for newborn  size G for 3 to 6 months size H (and 4 ply soft yarn) for 6 to 9 months 2-3 button for closure Pattern: (Shell = 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) Starting at neckline, loosely ch 38. Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook & in each ch to end. (37 stitches) Row 2: ch 2, turn (counts as 1st dc throughout) 1 dc in each of t

Crocheted Adventure Time Fiona Hat

Well, my cosplaying kid asked for another crocheted creation, but I don't watch Adventure Time.  I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but this was easy enough and I get to share a free pattern with you.  It straps around the chin with a crocheted button and I had the yarn stashed away.  I love projects that use up leftover yarn, don't you?  I started out with  Lilana Wofsey Dohnert's   Finn hat pattern on Ravelry. She's brilliant.  Then I made adjustments to make it Fiona and fit a bit more snugly.   Materials : Crochet Hook (Size US G-6 (4.0mm)) Yarn Worsted Weight Size 4 Medium ('Soft' recommended) Yarn Sewing Needle Fiberfil Batting Abbreviations : st: stitch ch: chain sl st: slip stitch sc: single crochet hdc: half-double crochet dc: double crochet tr: triple crochet inc: increase (crochet 2 st in single st; preceeded by type of st to use, i.e. 'sc inc') dec: decrease (make 2 st become 1; preceeded by type of st to use, i.e. 'sc de

Organize It - Shoe Rack Grips

Do we really need all these shoes?  You can only wear one pair at a time.  I guess it's a necessary evil.  Shoes aren't my thing.  I have more flip-flops and athletic shoes than anything else.  I'm happy with that.  My favorite shoes are actually my slippers.  I could wear them all day and would wear them out if I thought I could get away with it. My hubby, on the other hand, can't have enough shoes.  Our youngest K takes after him.  We have a fairly large rack for our shoes in the closet to accommodate all those shoes.  It's nothing fancy and fulfills my two requirements.  It's functional and doesn't take up a lot of space.  But there is one huge flaw.  Our shoes don't stay put! It ok for shoes that have heels on them because they hang on the back bar. Shoes like this: But if they are flat, like tennis shoes or flip flops (like most my shoes) then they slip right off and I trip over them trying to get to my clothes.   What's a girl to do?  I