Make Your Own Masks

Masquerade masks are beautiful, ornate and elegant. Don't spend a fortune buying authentic masks from a party store for your guests. Instead, make your own masks with materials you already have in your home.

Supplies

Gather up the following materials:

• Sturdy, heavy-duty disposable plates (think cardboard so that you can cut them)
• Popsicle sticks for the handle of the mask
• Sharp scisscors
• Hot glue gun
• Black marker

Directions

To make the base of your mask:

1. Draw the shape of the mask, including the eyes, on the back of the plate with a black magic marker. You can either trace the same shape for each guest's mask or make all different shapes and sizes.
2. Cut out the mask using your scissors, using care when cutting out the eyes.
3. Hot glue the popsicle stick to the back of your mask, set off on the left or right side. Test it on yourself and make sure the eyes on the mask line up to your own eyes.

Now for the fun part " decorating! Use the following unlikely materials to make the most outrageous and original masquerade masks:

• Lace/Ribbon
• Buttons/hooks
• Foil/wrapping paper/magazine cut-outs
• Old jewelry/gems/rocks
• Glitter/nail polish/puffy paint
• Feathers
• Fake/dried flowers