Mardi Gras Masks

My kids asked if we were going to make mardi gras masks again this year. Um... why didn't you ask mommy that last week? I had no supplies to make masks! Or so I thought. A quick Google search led me to this place where you can print three different templates on card stock and decorate them. I highly recommend glueing two layers of card stock together before cutting them out. Makes them sturdier! They are a little on the small size if you have big kids. I couldn't figure out how to make them bigger on my printer, so I just printed them at their regular size and cut bigger following the shape of the mask. Does that make sense?

Of course, decorating supplies were courtesy of the craft closets we keep in the garage. Glitter glue, sticky gems, non-sticky gems, sequins, markers and ribbon... oh my! I even had some bamboo skewers to use. This craft cost us nothing but some printer ink. The children are still working on theirs so I will post later with an update.

It might seem frivolous to some to work on a paper craft project for today when we are only going to throw it away tomorrow. I don't plan to. While we worked, we talked about the mask of sin that we all wear. Sin can be beautiful and enticing on the outside. It can look like fun and make you feel like the life of the party, but it is just a mask, smothering the true beauty of virtue. That's not to say that these masks represent sinfulness because we certainly enjoyed making them and that might send a mixed message, but rather they remind us of what true beauty is and that we should be striving for it.

Off to go make cookie masks!