From Merry Christmas to Mardi Gras

This is the Mardi Gras mask I made for my mom for Christmas. She has always liked pink flamingos and she now lives in Biloxi MS and attends Mardi Gras each year. I wanted to make her something very special because she is a very special person who deserves much more that a simple store bought gift. I hope I did her justice today.

Below is the process that got me to this point.

First I started with a piece of an old Halloween mask, something that was very hideous in orange with ugly black feathers which I promptly tore off and discarded. I also had an old wire splint from a vintage first aid kit that I bent and formed into a beak. I just love finding new uses for old things.

Next I wired the beak to the plastic mask frame and started applying layers of Plaster cloth.

In all I put on three layers of the plaster cloth plus an extra layer of thick plaster of paris which I sanded after it dried. This whole process took me about a week allowing for drying time in between layers. During the process of applying the plaster cloth I changed the shape of the eyes of the mask into more circular birdlike shapes instead of the more feline slant they were before.

Finally it was time for the paint and the trimmings

This is the point at which I realized I hadn't decided how it would be worn ( held by a stick or tied on with string) This was something I should have decided from the beginning but this being my very first mask it didn't occur to me. I had to call my mom and ask her which she prefered and then tried to decide on how to attach a stick, LOL. I went to Lowe's and browsed around trying to find something that would spark an idea and found a copper pipe tie down that I cut up and bent to my will. I had to sand the paint off the bottom of the beak so I could add the stick attachment with plaster cloth and after it dried I repainted it and added ribbon to the stick, a vintage rhinestone button that mom had collected years ago as well as lots of Swarovski Crystal rhinestones to the outside edge. The feathers went on and a soft lining for the inside of the mask as well.

From the call I got this morning I think she likes it very much.

Merry Christmas MOM! I love you!