DIY Centerpieces With Masks

The masquerade ball dates back to Medieval times, attended only by the upper class.

October is marked by a social calendar filled with Halloween parties and masquerade balls. If you're hosting an event, you want to make your party space as festive as possible to keep the conversation going and the mood high. Centerpieces are great decorative touches. Even simple centerpieces add a large dose of festivity. Masks are a versatile material to use for centerpieces; they can be beautifully decorative or spookily scary. Embellishments around the centerpieces can serve as party favors or an edible treat for guests.

Things You'll Need

• Plain white plastic masks
• Wooden skewers
• Epoxy or other heavy-duty adhesive
• Vases
• Paper or fabric
• Colored marbles
• Flowers
• Wrapped candy
• Scary masks
• Large Styrofoam balls or heads
• Various accessories and embellishments
• Decorative masks
• Dowels
• Fake gems or cabochons
• Hot glue gun
• Flowers or feathers
• Assorted wrapped candies, confetti or feathers

Instructions

Simple Centerpiece

1. Attach wooden skewers to the inside of plain white plastic masks with epoxy or other heavy-duty glue.

2. Arrange the masks like flowers in vases; use one mask per vase or several. Wrap the vases in fabric or paper to decorate them, or fill clear vases with colored marbles.

3. Arrange real or artificial flowers in the vases around the masks. Use flowers dyed to match your color scheme or choose white and/or black flowers for a stark look.

4. Scatter wrapped candy around the base of the vases in coordinating colors.

Spooky Centerpiece

1. Cover large Styrofoam balls or Styrofoam heads with scary masks. If you are making several centerpieces, use a different mask for each one and create themed tables.

2. Add accessories to the mask, such as a witch's hat for a witch mask, plastic spiders climbing on a mummy mask or fake flies on a gory mask.

3. Arrange embellishments around the base of the mask, continuing the scary theme. Embellishments can include fake blood with fake flies, fake spider webs with spiders, rubber bats, rats or body parts, or wrapped candy eyeballs, ghosts or bones.

Decorative Centerpiece

1. Glue a sturdy dowel to the inside of decorative masks using epoxy or other heavy-duty adhesive. Alternatively, choose masks that have long handles attached to the sides.

2. Arrange the masks in colorful, decorative vases. Decorate your own clear glass vases by hot-gluing fake gems or cabochons to the outer surface or filling the vases with colored marbles.

3. Place a variety of flowers or feathers in the vases around the masks.

4. Scatter colorful wrapped candies, confetti or small feathers around the base of each vase.

Tips & Warnings

• Find plain masks or decorative masks at a craft or costume store.

• A variety of decorative masks are available. Find hand-painted masks in a wide variety of styles, designs and colors. Mardi Gras masks are embellished with beads, jewels and feathers. Masquerade masks come in many shapes, such as butterflies and birds, and often have jewel or feather embellishments.

References

• Samantha Peach Masquerade Maska: Masquerade Ball History