If you get invited to a Mardi Gras party that requires you to have your own masquerade mask and you don’t have one, you can easily make these DIY Mardi Gras Masks from foam, glue, and glitter in just a couple minutes.
For more ways to make this the best holiday, check out all of our Mardi Gras posts.
We were invited to a Mardi Gras party a few years ago and the requirement for entry was a Mardi Gras mask. Cool, I thought. I’ll just grab us each a plastic mask at the dollar store and we’ll be good to go.
Oh, if only it was that easy.
I checked up and down a handful of stores with no masks in sight. So I did what any normal person with time constraints would do. I made my own Mardi Gras mask and another for Pete.
I did cheat just a little bit and used a free printable Mardi Gras mask template that I found online. Don’t worry. I linked it for you below so you can print it instead of winging a mask shape.
Other than the template, you just need foam, glitter, glue, and a little bit of time to wait for the glue to try. That’s it.
I originally made these masks in 2017 and they’re still holding up, seven years later. I won’t throw them away, just in case we need them in the future.
If you’re not heading to a Mardi Gras celebration this year, but you still want an excuse to make these fun Mardi Gras masks, check out our post on how to celebrate Mardi Gras at home.
We have fun ideas for decorations, food, desserts (you need king cakes), games, and more to help you throw the best party outside of New Orleans.
DIY Mardi Gras Masks
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DIY Mardi Gras Masks Supplies:
- Mardi Gras mask template from Sasquatch Willow
- Scissors
- Foam in green, yellow, and purple
- Pencil
- White glue
- Mod Podge
- Paint brush
- Gold glitter
- Skewers
- Tape
How To Make A Mardi Gras Mask:
Print out the mask template. Cut it out from the paper, making sure you also cut out the eye holes.
Lay the template on top of a piece of foam that you want for your top embellishments. Lightly trace the template onto the foam and cut it out. Repeat this for as many masks as you’re planning to make.
Cut the embellishments off of the mask template, so you just have the eyes portion remaining. Lay that on top of a second piece of foam. Trace it and cut it out.
Glue the eye piece to the larger foam cut out.
Cut a few diamond, triangle, and circle shapes from the foam. Glue them on to the front of the mask.
Using Mod Podge, paint around the edges of the top embellishments.
Sprinkle gold glitter over the Mod Podge.
When it dries, put a coat of Mod Podge directly on top of the glitter. That will dry clear and it will seal in the glitter so it’s not falling on your face all night.
Side note: We lay our masks on top of paper plates so the plate catches the glitter. That makes for way easier clean up.
When the mask is dry, tape the skewer on to the back of the mask so you have a handle. It’s best to stick it to the side of the mask of your non-dominant hand, so you can hold the mask with that hand and eat and drink with the other.
DIY Mardi Gras Masks: Frequently Asked Questions
There’s a really fabulous rich history behind wearing masks at Carnival. The short of it is that masks hide your identity, so, back in the day when a class system mattered, people from any class were able to mingle — mostly unknowingly — with anyone from any class. It was a way to break down barriers, which is just beautiful — I mean, given the times (The first Mardi Gras in New Orleans was in 1699, BTW).
It has a little bit of a seedy reputation too, or did anyway, because what self-respecting woman would need to hide her face? What’s she doing in the shadows? Remember the time, folks.
In present day, masks are still worn with way less connotations. By law, float rides must wear masks. And everyone in New Orleans wears masks on Fat Tuesday.
You can get more details about Mardi Gras Masks from that link on the official Mardi Gras New Orleans site. You can find answers to any of your other Mardi Gras questions there as well.
We always have bamboo skewers in our kitchen because we make kabobs all summer long.
You could use a wooden dowel instead, which is a little safer if you’re making these for kids. Or you could use a straw. Whatever you have will work.
I don’t recommend using any type of elastic on these. The foam is really flexible and the elastic will pull it so tight to your face that it’s uncomfortable.
If you wanted, you could use a single hole punch to punch a hole on each side of the mask, then tie a piece of ribbon through each side. Tie those pieces together behind your head and you’ll have a hands free mask.
Purchase Mardi Gras Mask Kits Online:
If you want to make your own Mardi Gras masks, but you don’t want to run around craft stores looking for all the supplies, you can actually purchase Mardi Gras masks kits, like the one above, at the following stores online:
And, if you want an already made mask, be sure to check out Etsy for some really nice ones.
DIY Mardi Gras Masks
If you get invited to a Mardi Gras party that requires you to have your own masquerade mask and you don’t have one, you can easily make these DIY Mardi Gras Masks from foam, glue, and glitter in just a couple minutes.
Materials
- Mardi Gras mask template from Sasquatch Willow
- Foam in green, yellow, and purple
- White glue
- Mod Podge
- Gold glitter
- Skewers
- Tape
Tools
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Paint brush
Instructions
- Print out the mask template. Cut it out from the paper, making sure you also cut out the eye holes.
- Lay the template on top of a piece of foam that you want for your top embellishments. Lightly trace the template onto the foam and cut it out. Repeat this for as many masks as you’re planning to make.
- Cut the embellishments off of the mask template, so you just have the eyes portion remaining. Lay that on top of a second piece of foam. Trace it and cut it out.
- Glue the eye piece to the larger foam cut out.
- Cut a few diamond, triangle, and circle shapes from the foam. Glue them on to the front of the mask.
- Using Mod Podge, paint around the edges of the top embellishments.
- Sprinkle gold glitter over the Mod Podge.
- When it dries, put a coat of Mod Podge directly on top of the glitter. That will dry clear and it will seal in the glitter so it’s not falling on your face all night.
Have you made these DIY Mardi Gras Masks? Let us know how it went in the comments.