Make Your Own Costumes, Masks and Face Paint
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Fancy Dress Fun for Halloween, Mardi Gras, Playtime Costumes
It's easy and inexpensive to make your own costumes and face paint makeup. Make costumes for kids and costumes for adults using materials you probably have on hand in your cupboards and closets, or even stuff from the recycle bin.
Kids (and adults) love costume dress up, masks and face painting, especially during Halloween or Mardi Gras.
Using clean cardboard boxes, poster paints, string and fabric scraps you can make quick and easy costumes that are "green," fun to create and definitely unique.
Costume Safety Tips
Use safe costume materials for dress up and fancy dress
Costumes for outdoors in cool weather should fit around the body loosely over a jacket or sweats.
For the very young, forget the mask and apply a bit of non-toxic makeup or use face paint. (Use the home made face makeup recipes below!)
Use snaps, ties or hook and loop strips to make dressing and undressing easier.
Instant Masks Blog
Masquerade Masks for Adults and Children
The Masquerade Instant Masks blog features easy to make masks for Halloween, Mardi Gras, Carnivale or cosplay, and updates every week all year long.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byGroovy Goggles Party Masks for Kids
Fun Funky Eyeglasses Face Masks
Funny and lots of fun to make Groovy Goggles holiday party masks with eyeglasses in cool funky shapes - heart shaped glasses, star shaped eyeglasses, shamrock eyeglasses and lots more! Print, cut and assemble party paper crafts.
Star Shape Eye Glasses Mask Craft
Heart Shape Eye Glasses Mask Craft
Face Painting How-tos and Makeup Tips
- Face Painting Patterns
- Face Painting - how tos and patterns for more than a dozen characters and creatures.
- Face Painting Designs on Squidoo
- Anyone can learn face painting designs with a step by step guide, some easy examples to follow and some time to practice. You'll be amazed at how quickly you can improve your technique.
- How to Face Paint
- Learn how to face paint with our face painting designs blog. Discover face paint designs, video tutorials, face painting ideas, face paints tips, product reviews and articles!
- Caricature Express: Face Paint Pictures
- Interesting Carnival Face Paint Designs, on children and Adults. Very creative, good examples/ideas!
Cute Costumes for Kids of all Ages
From Infant to Teen Age, Costumes are Fun for Everyone
Kids Costumes
Baby and Toddler Costumes
Teen Costumes
Halloween Makeup Recipes
Monster Mash Goop and Other Cool Things-Home Made Make Up
Face makeup for children may irritate skin. You can concoct your own Halloween makeup from simple non-toxic household ingredients.Try these recipes for Halloween Makeup and Face Paint.
Aged Grey Hair, White Skin
Apply a bit of hair gel or slick conditioner where you want to make grey hair, then dust on some baby powder. To make a ghostly pale complexion, apply cold cream to skin then carefully dust on pale face powder or baby powder. Be sure to avoid inhaling powder during application - use a small amount of powder and a cotton ball to dab on gently.
Face Paint
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp water
1/2 tsp cold cream
2 drops food coloring as desired
Mix all ingredients together well and apply.
Clown Make-up Base2 tsp white shortening
5 tsp corn starch
1 tsp white all purpose flour
glycerin
Food coloring
Mix shortening, corn starch and flour until well blended. Add a few (3 or 4) drops of glycerin to make creamier texture. Apply to face and neck.
Bloody Mess Goop
16 ounces corn syrup
1 ounce red food coloring
1 or 2 drops blue food coloring
1 ounce water
Evaporated milk (optional)
Mix the water, food coloring and corn syrup together to a sticky syrup. Add the milk, a few drops at a time until you get a "blood" consistency. This makeup will stain clothing and skin, so be sure to use cold cream on skin before applying and don't get it on any clothing you don't want ruined.
Another Bloody Mess
Easy as 1-2-3
Mix chocolate syrup with red food coloring until you get the color you desire. Looks real, tastes great, stains clothing.
Home Made Body Glitter
This recipe for glitter gel is easy and fun for creating glamorous sparkle effects for drama queens, fairy princesses, Tinkerbells, stage drama or just for fun.
Quick Disguises
If you just need a quick mask, you can print and cut out an instant mask, or find one in the Mask and Costume Links.
Face Painting Tips
Step-By-Step Guide Makes Face Painting So Easy Even Non-Creative Types Can Look Like Pros. Put the finishing touches on costumes
in just a few minutes with the easy instructions in this book. Includes 5 face-paint patterns: Princess, Tiger, Dog, Bunny, Butterfly
Professional Monster Makeup Tips for Halloween
Special FX Masters Share Their Secrets
Theatrical FX Makeup
Amazon Price: $31.63 (as of 07/10/2009)
List Price: $35.95
" ...practical, hands-on guide to the art and craft of using makeup to create visual effects worthy of professional theater, film, or television productions. ... adding fifty years to an actor's age to simulating horrific diseases to disguising gender to creating ghastly visages of the undead"
Costume and Dress Up Books
Resources for Making Your Own Masks and Costumes
Making Masks (Kids Can Do It)
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 07/10/2009)
Glue & Go Costumes for Kids: Super-Duper Designs with Everyday Materials
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Girl Crush - Airbrush Tattoo Washable Body Art Designer
Amazon Price: $39.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
Make Costumes!: For Creative Play (Art and Activities for Kids)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Tattoo Designs and Body Painting
- Henna Patterns - Mehendi - Henna Tattoo Designs
- Professional henna artist designs for hands, feet - wonderful designs to copy and color!
- Pirate Captain Makeup and Accessories - How to
- Pirate Captain - Face Pack Art Craft - Pirate makeup instrucitons.
Make a Costume Without Sewing
The Halloween Handbook: 447 Costumes
Amazon Price: $11.65 (as of 07/10/2009)
How to Make a Cardboard Costume
Cardboard Panels with Shoulder Straps Make a Fast Crafty Costume
One year my older daughter was a Jack O Lantern. We made the front and back from cardboard box panels, painted them orange and added the face features. She wore a green hat, jacket and pants.
Another Halloween my younger daughter wanted to be a rainbow (she still loves rainbows). We drew and painted the rainbow front and back, then made a tie-on headband mask to frame her face with the sun's rays. She wore sky blue clothing for the rest of her costume.
Here are the basic instructions for making these simple cardboard costumes at home:
Materials
- Large, clean corrugated boxes or craft foam sheets
Use old moving or furniture shipping boxes, or buy new flat boxes from department stores or moving storage companies. - Permanent Broad Tip Marker
- Poster Paints
- Sturdy Twine, 1-inch Ribbon, or Braided Cord
Directions
- Cut boxes apart to make 2 large flat panels.
- Draw a basic design shape on the front panel and cut out using a craft knife or heavy duty scissors.
- Trace the front onto another cardboard panel to make the back and cut out the back panel. (I like to mark FRONT and BACK on the inside of each panel with pencil to avoid confusion.)
- On the outside of each panel, outline main design areas with the marker, then paint inside the lines as desired. If you cover the lines, just paint them in with black later if you need them.
- Allow paint to dry thoroughly, then make a pencil mark at the top center of each panel on the back side.
Shoulder Straps
- Using the center pencil mark and side edges as guides, mark a small hole for each shoulder strap at the top edge of the front panel. Position the marks about 1 inch down, midway between the center mark and each side edge.
- Check that the marks are roughly in the middle of wearer's shoulders. Adjust position if necessary, then punch or cut out 2 small holes on the front panel.
- Lay the back panel underneath the front panel with painted sides facing out. Make a pencil mark through the hole in the front panel to the back panel.
- Using guide marks, cut or punch the 2 holes in the back panel.
- Cut 2 pieces of twine 24 inches long. Lay the front and back together with painted sides out, unpainted sides together. Starting at the front left edge, thread 1 piece of twine through the front and back and knot ends loosely together. Repeat for the right side.
- Try costume on wearer; adjust strap lengths and fasten; conceal loose tie ends inside panels in the back.
Waist Strap Ties
Have child put on the sandwich with shoulder ties in wearing position. Repeat the shoulder strap steps to mark, cut and tie a pair of waistline ties. Trim excess lengths from ties.
More Prize Winning Costume Ideas for DIY Masquerade Costumes
Penguin Face Mask
Printable penguin mask for Halloween or play time dress up
Print and cut Penguin Mask
Masks and Costumes to Make
Masks to print, masks to color, masks to sculpt - costumes from simple to extreme!
- Family Costumes and Party Decorations
- The season's most popular costumes, decorations, masks, makeup and masquerade accessories - Halloween, Mardi Gras, mascots, performance costumes, theatricals and much more. All sizes, from babies to senior citizens - PETS, too!
- Lion Mask to Print and Cut Out
- Printable lion mask in full color.
- Halloween Baseball Costume
- Make a Baseball costume using the "sandwich board" method
- Costumes for Disabled Kids and Adults
- Great ideas for incorporating a wheelchair into a costume design.
- Masks to Color, Decorate and Cut Out
- Monsters, animals, funny eyeglasses, faces and more.
- Make Your Own Fairy Wings
- Great how-to lens on making beautiful fairy wings for costume, parade, stage or just for fun.
- Instant Clown Mask
- Print and cut circus clown mask.
- Make a Mask of Medusa
- Cleveland Museum of Art, printable with full instructions for making a Medusa paper mask.
- How to Face Paint
- Learn how to face paint - face painting designs, face painting ideas, courses, tips, articles and face painting videos
- Mask-Making Made Easy
- How-tos for mask-making plus pictures of finished masks, by Relache on Squidoo.
- Masks to Color at Phee McFaddell
- Butterfly Mask Coloring Pages
- Quick Creative Halloween Costumes - Costuming
- Quick Creative Halloween Costumes for busy families on a tight budget
- Homemade Baby Bird Costume
- Adorable feathery bird costume for a toddler. Photo and how-to included!
- Make sure Your Infant Has a Unique Baby Halloween Costume This Year!
- Make or buy a cute Baby Halloween Costume with the tips in this lens.
- Halloween Costumes: Ladybug - Kaboose.com
- Sandwich board type costume example - ladybug
- Homemade Halloween Costumes - easy and cheap!
- Nothing beats homemade when it comes to Halloween costumes.
- Halloween Mask Projects
- Halloween Craft Masks
- Application of stage makeup
- Application of stage makeup: here are basic techniques for both men and women.
- Pirate Face Mask to Color
- Free printable pirate face coloring picture, large enough to make a pirate mask.
- Print and Cut Eyeglasses Collection
Eyeglasses to print and cut out and make funny masks or scrapbook picture frames for Halloween, Harry Potter, masquerade, Mardi Gras or scrapbook fun.- Paper Masks Printable Craft Sheets (free printables to color, cut, paste)
- Free printable paper masks for play time, masquerade, Mardi Gras or Halloween costume crafts - full color masks, mustaches, eyeglasses, coloring masks!
- Pirate Hat and Eye Patch Craft Sheet
- Ready to print and cut Pirate hat and eye patch paper craft sheet printable.
- Child Pirate Activity - Making a Pirate Costume
- Pirates are popular with kids and adults. Boys and girls alike can participate in making a pirate costume - this article offers tips and how-to's for making a pirate costume.
- Pirate Costumes
- All things pirate and costume!
- Instant Masks - Printable Masks in a Flash
- Instant Masks - Printable Masks for Halloween, Mardi Gras, Carnivale, New Year or any costume event or dress up party where you might want to wear a mask.
- Pirate Costume Skirt - Free Pattern
- Free directions to draft your own pattern and sew a pirate costume skirt for a lady or girl pirate.
- Preschool Face Masks
- Printable face masks - animals, insects, clown, Santa and many more, plus felt masks to make.
- Masks for Trick-or-Treating
- Printable Halloween masks, some in color and some ready to color in.
- Cute Animal Costumes
- Easy animal costumes for small children and infants.
- Animal Masks to Print
- Animal Masks to Print - Many different face masks!
- Magical Kingdom - Paper Craft - Clown Mask Maker
- Faces, eyes, hats and all the parts to design your own clown mask.
- Free Craft WIZARD CAPE
- Free pattern and full instructions, created by Ms. Brenda
- Fun Fabric Mask Project - Creative Mask Making for Kids
- Project by Molly J. Anderson-Childers - How to make fun fabric masks for Valentine's Day and other occasions, plus a creative writing mask making activity.
- Make Your Own Paper Claws
- How to Make Origami Paper Claws for a costume.
- Kung Fu Panda wall masks
- These easy-to-make wall masks feature Po, Mantis, Tigress, Viper, and Monkey.
- StarWars.com Full Color Masks
- Revenge of the Sith printable masks created especially for starwars.com by Star Wars illustrators and artists.
- Snacky S'more Sandwich Costume
- Make a sandwich board kids snacky sandwich costume for Halloween. They'll have fun dressing as a S'more, and stay warm, too.
- SparkleBox Dragon Mask Printables
- Dragon Masks - Full color, or color your own black and white drawing.
- Parody Masks - Political Leaders and Celebrities
- Printable masks of Obama, Putin, Ahmadinejad, Britney Spears, Ron Paul ... from fake blog news parody site NewsGroper.
- Mask Making Ideas and Instructions
- Masking making directions for All Species celebrations. Paper masks, paper mache masks, and animal head piece masks you can craft for yourself or for/with children.
- Halloween Mask Projects
- Halloween Masks to make - stick masks, coloring masks, half face masks.
- Cardboard Box Costume Ideas
- Ten different costumes to make from cardboard boxes - race car, robot, box of popcorn, dice, x-ray machine costume and 5 more creative cardboard box costumes to make for children.
- That Costume Girl Mask Templates
- Mardi Gras Masks Templates and design ideas. Trace patterns onto paper plates, cardboard, construction paper, or fun foam. Decorate with fabric, feathers, ribbon, paint/markers, glitter, and ...
- Funny Knit Patterns! | ThreadBanger - D.I.Y Fashion & Style
- Wild knit and crochet costumey things: Viking hat with horns, red bears, crochet white beard, pink pig snout, monster hats (with TEETH), shark head cover - arrrgggh
- Pet Costume : Holidays and Entertaining : Home & Garden Television
- Turn a picture of your beloved pet into your Halloween costume.
Adult Costumes to Buy
No time to make your own costume? You can buy a cool costume, mask, wig or accessories!
Who do you want to be this Halloween?
You can find accessories to add some punch to your home made costume, or buy the hottest costumes of the season year round.
Halloween Costumes for Adults
Check out the huge selection at The BuyCostumes.com Party Store
Vote for this Lens at the Kingdom of Squid
Halloween Party Resources
- Print and Play Halloween Party Games
- Games to customize, print and play at your Halloween party.
- Halloween Party Decorations
- Decorations, favors, props and complete party theme kits.
- Halloween Party Invites
- Printable party invititations from HP.
- Pumpkin Carving Templates
- Print and carve patterns to make the coolest creepy gourds for your Halloween party.
- Make your own Halloween mask
- Learn how to create a photographic mask - faces, animals - your Dad, or perhaps the cat?
- SCARY Masks - Haunted Paper Toys
- 3-dimensional frightful paper masks to print and assemble.
- Monstrous Books Party Favors
- The fabled Necronomicon, a mysterious book only glimpsed in
the darkest of legends. Use for party invites or favors - eeeeek! - Make a Face Pattern
- Use this Make A Face bag pattern to create a mask instead of a treat bag. Just follow the instructions for making eyes, noses and mouths using paper scraps, then attach them to a sturdy paper plate. Fasten the plate to a wooden craft stick to use as a mask - add eye holes if you wish. You can also use these wacky faces as decorations!
- Printable Halloween Bingo Game for Party or Classroom
- A free printable Halloween bingo game for your Halloween party or classroom.
- HALLOWEEN - Large printable skeleton
- Halloween Party Decoration - large printable skeleton craft to print, cut and paste.
- Dracula and Frankenstein Halloween Shelf Sitters
- Paper Halloween Bobblehead Shelf Sitters Simple to make and only one page to print!
Face Paint and Masquerade Makeup
Face Painting Rainbow Colors Kit Is Easy, Safe And Loads Of Fun For Kids Or Grownups
Amazon Price: $12.50 (as of 07/10/2009)
12 Colors Body/face Paints-brush Included
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Face Painting Wild Face Kit Is Easy, Safe And Loads Of Fun For Kids Or Grownups
Amazon Price: $13.50 (as of 07/10/2009)
Multi Use Body Art Stencils-Set 9
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Face Painting Fiesta & Carnival Kit Is Easy, Safe And Loads Of Fun For Kids Or Grownups
Amazon Price: $13.50 (as of 07/10/2009)
Here's my favorite link:
QUICK! Instant Masks!
Need a mask in a hurry? Want to make your own mask and need a pattern or idea to get started?
Masquerade Masks
Make a Frog Face Mask
Print, cut out, add eye holes and tie straps or elastic strings.
Big Green Bull Frog Printable Full Color Frog Mask
Find It Fast-Costume and Mask Topics
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- Costume Safety Tips
- Instant Masks Blog
- Groovy Goggles Party Masks for Kids
- Face Painting How-tos and Makeup Tips
- Cute Costumes for Kids of all Ages
- Halloween Makeup Recipes
- Professional Monster Makeup Tips for Halloween
- Costume and Dress Up Books
- Tattoo Designs and Body Painting
- Make a Costume Without Sewing
- How to Make a Cardboard Costume
- Penguin Face Mask
- Masks and Costumes to Make
- Adult Costumes to Buy
- Vote for this Lens at the Kingdom of Squid
- Halloween Party Resources
- Face Paint and Masquerade Makeup
- Masquerade Costumes & Masks
- QUICK! Instant Masks!
- Make a Frog Face Mask
- Extreme Home Made Costumes and Ideas for DIY Masquerade
- I Love to Make Costumes and Masks
- Find Me Online with DandyID
- Yoo Hoo, Hey You, Behind the Mask - Say Hello!
- Make a Papier Mache Mardi Gras Mask
- DIY Adult Halloween Costume Lenses
- Costumes & Dress Up Featured Lenses
- Funny Animal Noses!
- DIY Costume Videos
Extreme Home Made Costumes and Ideas for DIY Masquerade
Pushing Masquerade Creativity to the Max
SquidBOO! Masquerade Costume and Masks - face makeup, party props, masquerade party themes, very cool DIY costumes and masksIf you like to sew, you can find patterns by all the big sewing publishers: Simplicity Costumes
Need Ideas?- Here's a List of Suggestions for Making Your Own Halloween Costume
Halloween Costume Ideas
Coolest Home Made Costumes - thousands of photos from folks just like you!
Transformers - watch the video!
DIY Halloween at MAKEzine - ***warning: some really gross but highly creative costume pix at this link***
I Love to Make Costumes and Masks
Lensmaster Pastiche, aka Lee Hansen, has been a member since August 12 2007, has rated 1,058 lenses, favorited 446, and has created 103 lenses from scratch. Lee Hansen donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund, Room to Read, and Fund for Peace. This member's top-ranked page is "Clip Art Borders & Frames". See all my lenses
Yoo Hoo, Hey You, Behind the Mask - Say Hello!
You're invited to leave a comment about Make Your Own Costumes and Masks, suggest a good link to add or just say hello (I know that 's you behind the masquerade mask).
MiaBellezza wrote...
Very Nice lens 5* and lensrolled into Kids Storybook Hats and Costumes. Thanks for dropping by!
Posted May 06, 2009
tandemonimom wrote...
5***** lens! Lensrolling to my Easter Bunny Costume lens.
Posted April 11, 2009
blakesdad wrote...
Excellent lens! So much to see and do, great content modules too!
Posted March 20, 2009
Make a Papier Mache Mardi Gras Mask
Shape, mold, paint - it's easy to make a plaster mask
How To Make a Venetian Mardi Gras Mask Paper Mache
How to create and make and original Venetian mask for a party or Mardi Gras Mask. If you have any questions ask. This can be made with strips of newspaper dipped in watered down Elmer's type glue.
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