Make a Mardi Gras mask.
Stop your search for a cheap and creative do-it-yourself mask to complete a costume. Buy a package of paper plates and pluck a plate from the stack, then poke a couple of holes in either side. Cut, paint and glue-on embellishments as you construct a mask to wear or hang on the wall as a room decoration. Choose heavy, more expensive paper plates for durability--or use thin basic plates to cut costs.
Mardi Gras Mask
Make a feathered and sequined Mardi Gras mask to wear or display. Mardi Gras is a celebration that is observed before the Christian season of Lent. Cut a mask from a paper plate in the shape of a number "eight" on it's side--curving the rounded ends up and out. DTLK website (see Resources) has a printable template for a Mardi Gras mask that will fit a platter size paper plate. To use the printable mask as a pattern for an everyday paper plate, minimize the template to fit. Cut oval eye holes from the mask and glue a craft stick or drinking straw to the left side of the mask so it can be held up to cover your eyes. Staple 10-inch lengths of ribbon to either side of the mask if you plan to tie the mask instead of carrying it. Glue craft feathers and sequins, available at hobby stores, to the mask and allow the glue to dry completely.
Animal Mask
Gather a zoo's worth of children and pass around 9-inch paper plates so each child can create a different animal mask. Hold each child's plate to his face and determine where the eye holes should be cut. Make a small mark on the plate where the holes will be cut, then move the plate away from the child's face. Cut two holes for the mask's eyes. Provide paints with brushes and various pom-poms, wiggle eyes and lightweight foam shapes--found at craft stores--to glue onto the masks. Let the kids cut ear shapes from construction paper to glue to each side of their masks. When the paint and glue are dry, punch one hole in both sides of the paper plate animal mask and tie a 10-inch length of yarn to each side of the plate.
Robot Mask
Choose square or rectangular-shaped paper plates to create a robot mask. Paint the mask silver, let the paint dry, then determine where the eye holes should go and cut them from the mask. Glue silver, gray or black items to the mask to resemble a robot face. Use sparkly silver foam shapes and gray and black pom-poms from the craft store or recycle small lightweight robot-appropriate things--paper clips or buttons-- from around the house. Punch one hole on each side of the mask and tie a 10-inch length of silver yarn or ribbon to each side.
