DIY: Miniature Mardi Gras Mask Drink Toppers

When Bill and I decided it would be fun to host a midwinter Mardi Gras gathering, my creative juices starting rolling. Party planning. My creative outlet. My slightly obsessed and so totally-irritating-to-those-that-live-with-me way of taking over the dining room with decor, serving pieces, and handwritten lists.The party planning period where my radar for the theme I have chosen is up and I can practically smell what I am looking for.

Okay, that’s totally ridiculous. I can’t smell a thing, but I do have a special knack for spotting things both damaged and new hidden on the back of shelves in stores like HomeGoods.

In addition to the shopping phase of putting a party together, I love the crafting stage. It’s relaxing to create, repurpose or build party decor, but even more so, it is an affordable way to add flair to the celebration.Usually, what I craft comes from the notion that I have a must-do idea for my party. I look for it in stores. I search for it on Amazon. If I find it, I’m usually not willing to spend the money on it or if I can’t find it, then I’m determined to re-create it.

My Cucumber Hurricane Twist, the signature cocktail for our Big Easy party, needed a little bling. It called for some glitz to hold those cucumber ribbons, so I set out to create some fun and festive miniature Mardi Gras masks to top off the drink. I grabbed my MC and we started “shopping” our art supplies in the basement to find all things sparkly and Fat Tuesday-worthy.

Knowing that it would be tedious to cut any small shapes and that I didn’t want to just print something from the computer, it dawned on me that I had the perfect paper punch to get this craft done. It’s a mustache paper punch. 

But flip those ‘staches over and I see a Mardi Gras mask waiting to be blinged out! Mags started sticking on gems and pearls to the corner of the mask.
While I grabbed the hole punch and added eye holes. 

A little clear glue in different patterns…topped with tons of sparkly glitter and these little disguises were coming together quickly.

Tip: You know how that glitter seems to stick around FOR-EV-ER, haunting us with holiday colors long after the holiday has ended? Grab a box and sprinkle all you want. The glitter is contained and it makes for an easy clean-up. 

When the glue was dry, I fired up the hot glue gun and attached a purple feather and mini-wooden dowel to each mask.

And before we knew it……we had a collection of glitzy and glamorous masks to make my signature cocktail scream Mardi Gras!

These would be perfect for adorning the top of a cake or cupcake too. A masquerade party calls for these and, like The Bean suggested, her Barbies want one for Halloween next year.Do you like to create affordable party decor?