Mardi Gras Masks
Kathy Cano-Murrllo at the Arizona Republic wrote this great article for us about making Halloween and Mardi Gras masks. Kathy is also known as the CraftyChica at CraftyChica.com.
Hot glue art is one of those things that make you go, "Hmm, how in the world do they do that?" - and the answer is easier than you think. It all comes down to a non-stick hot glue pad.
The primary purpose of the pad is to serve as a tidy place to rest your glue gun during crafting sessions. When it's time to clean up, you simply peel off the glue guck.
I recently bought one and had an "aha" moment. The pad is clear, which means you can slip any kind of pattern underneath and trace out the design with the hot glue. Let it cool, peel it off and you have one very cool result. This application can be used for everything from wrist cuffs and chokers to ornaments and art embellishments. But seeing that it's the Halloween season, I went with spider webs and eye masks. And just like M&Ms, glue sticks come in assorted colors and solid or glittered textures. You can pick up the non-stick pad and multicolored packages of glue sticks at a craft store or visit www.glu-stix-online.com
Mardi Gras or Halloween Eye Mask Supplies:
2 Hot Glue Sticks, contrasting colors
1 eye mask pattern
Gems, plastic spiders, bats (optional)
Ribbon
DIRECTIONS: Heat up the glue gun and insert both glue sticks. To create a two-tone effect, put the base color in the gun first, followed by the top color. Cut out the pattern and place it under the pad so the design shows through. Using the glue gun on the pad, trace over the outer lines and eye holes of the pattern by squeezing the glue in thick even lines. Now fill in the mask by squeezing the glue in swirls and squiggles throughout the mask. Make sure not to cover the eye holes. The second color will eventually come through; at that point add gems or plastic spiders if desired. Squeeze out two "rings" at each side of the mask so you can tie ribbon on later. Let cool for 15 minutes. Carefully peel the mask off the pad. Remove any hanging glue strings. Cut off two 10-inch pieces of ribbon and tie to each end of the mask.
TIPS AND VARIATIONS: Don't try to remove the mask before it is fully cooled, otherwise it will pull apart. Heat up a second glue gun if you want to make several masks with different colors at the same time. Use a mini gun for thinner lines. Instead of masks, you can make personalized spider webs with short words or names of family members. A spider web choker would be fun.