How to Make Your Own Venetian Mask

The masks worn during the Venetian festival are iconic. However, you don't have to go all the way to Venice to have your own Venetian hand-held mask. If you're "crafty" and enjoy decorating, with only a little bit of time and effort, you can make your own mask and be ready for Carnevale.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard or cardstock
• Craft scissors
• Chopstick
• Craft glue
• Tweezers
• Fabric
• Glitter
• Rhinestones
• Feathers

Instructions

1. On a piece of paper, draw the shape of the mask you want to create. Then cut it out and hold it up to your face to make sure it looks OK. Don't forget to draw and cut out eyeholes. Refine the shape if you need to. Once the shape is exactly the way you want it, copy the pattern onto cardboard or cardstock.

2. Decorate your Venetian mask with fabric. You will be decorating your mask in layers, so the first layer will be obscured by the other layers. Use decorative fabric like silk or satin for the first layer, to completely cover the entire surface of the mask.

3. Apply other layers of decorations. Using a glitter that matches your mask, outline the eyes and also the edges of the mask. You can do this by applying glue wherever you want the glitter to go, then sprinkling glitter over the glue and shaking off the excess glitter. Add ostrich feathers to the sides of the mask, or even have a few feathers at the center of the forehead. Remember to glue feathers on the underside of the mask where the glue won't be noticed. Use rhinestones for more sparkle. Hold the rhinestone with tweezers and apply glue to the bottom using a toothpick; place the rhinestone on the mask in the pattern of your choice. Continue to add layers of decoration to your mask until it looks just right.

4. Build the handle for your hand-held Venetian mask. The handle will be made from a plain chopstick glued to the mask. First, decorate the chopstick. You can either paint it black, gold or another color, or you can wrap it with ribbon. Daub glue on one end of the ribbon and attach it to one end of the chopstick. Wind the ribbon around the chopstick, occasionally daubing glue so that there's glue holding it in the middle, and finish with a dab of glue at the end. To attach, glue the skinny end of the chopstick to one side of the mask, again making sure that the handle is attached on the underside of the mask and not on the decorative side. You can either glue the handle to the left or right side of the mask; it is your choice.

5. Set the mask aside to dry. It will need to dry for at least 24 hours. Once the mask is completely dry, it will be ready to wear.