Find out how to make your own masquerade mask from an egg carton. This egg carton craft is perfect for kids of all ages. And there’s no end to the different types of birds, animals and creatures that you can create.
My daughter and I were looking out our top story window just the other day and were very surprised and excited to see a little Kākāriki bird feeding on the tree next door.
It’s not often we spot these beautiful birds sitting still and feeding. We were both transfixed watching and trying not to make a movement in case we scared it off.
The Kākāriki is native to New Zealand and are now mainly confined to predator-free islands due to hunting, habitat loss and predators. I think we were lucky enough to have them visit because we live close to the amazing eco-sanctuary Kapiti Island.
After seeing this cool bird, it gave me the idea to try and create a craft inspired by the bird. And with Halloween just around the corner what better craft than a masquerade mask made from egg cartons!
Creating a Kākāriki mask out of an egg carton is super easy and cheap to make. I just used craft supplies that we had lying around at home. We always have Resene test pots left over at home from past craft ideas (like our painted stone crafts) and our household is never short of feathers!
Egg Carton Crafts – Masquerade Mask
What you need
Egg Carton
Glue gun and glue (you can use PVA glue too)
Acrylic paint – We used Resene testpots in Tree Frog, Get Ready and Surrender
Feathers in red and green
Paintbrush
Scissors
What to do
1. If you are using a half a dozen egg carton just cut it in half and you will be able to make two masks.
2. To Create a Kākāriki like beak I bent the cone part of the egg carton downwards.
3. To create the holes for the eyes, just poke the scissors through the back of the egg carton where the little circle indents are. Then cut out a small circle. Younger children will need help with this part.
4. Once you have the holes cut out, you are ready to paint. I used Resene Tree Frog green to paint both sides of the mask (this green was the perfect colour for out little native Kākāriki parrots it turned out!). Leave the end of the beak to be painted in Surrender (which is a very light grey). I used Get Ready (a bright red/orange colour) for the bottom of the beak, a little on the forehead and a little line beside the eyes.
5. Once the paint is dry you can glue some feathers on. I used green and red feathers just along the top the the mask. But you could put them around the whole mask if you like, which would look fantastic.
6. And finally, glue on an icecream stick to the back side of your Masquerade Mask. This can just be a small stick you find outside, an ice-block stick or a piece of dowel.
If you enjoyed making these mask be sure to check out our Egg Carton Fire Truck craft and our Eggshell Caterpillar Microgreens Garden
