How You Can Make the Coolest Halloween Masks Out of Cheap Paper Plates

Updated on 10/28/2017 at 1:45 PM

Love the idea of arts and crafts, but feel intimidated by the overcomplicated Pinterest projects that have miles-long instructions and ridiculously hard-to-find supplies? Then you're going to love Paper Goods Projects ($11), a book of 60 DIY ideas all made using the simplest of materials — all of which can be found at the supermarket, if not in your pantry or recycling bin.

Although the book features balloons, doilies, coffee filters, and cupcake papers for most of its assignments, we found those involving the ever-popular paper plate to be most appealing.

The book's author, Jodi Levine, showed us two paper plate animal mask projects to try at home. Read on for the complete how-to guide for making each one, and get ready to have your kids' Halloween costume come straight out of your kitchen cupboard.

Paper Goods Projects' Plate Masks

Among Paper Goods Projects' many craft ideas, the paper plate masks — which use the ribbed edges of inexpensive paper plates to create a furry lion’s mane, ruffled feathers, or bushy mustaches and beards — were our favorites.

The plates are sold in two forms: a slightly shiny coated option and an uncoated matte option. For these projects, the coated ones are preferred for their sturdiness, but either will work.

Bird

Supplies:

4 9" paper plates
Scissors
Pencil
Craft knife
Hot glue
Yellow craft paint
Paintbrushes
½" dowel, cut to about 15" long

Instructions:

Cut the mask base: Trim 3" off the bottom of one plate so you are left with a piece of plate that’s slightly larger than half. The cut bottom will be the bottom of the mask. Fold the sides in about 3/4" and glue them behind the mask. Measure the eye width of the wearer, pencil eyes on the mask, and cut out the eye holes with a craft knife.
Cut out 16 feather-shaped pieces from the ribbed edge of two of the plates, ranging in size from 2 ½" to 3" long and about ¾" to 1 ¼” wide. Fold them in half perpendicular to the ribbing (press them against a table edge to help get a sharp crease).
Cut two skinny semicircle pieces along the ribbed edge of a plate for the beak, about 7" long and 2 ¼" at its widest. Fold down ½" of the plate along the long cut edge on both pieces. Apply glue to these flaps and adhere them together to create the beak. Snip off about 1" from one pointy end of the beak. Glue that cut end to the bottom of the mask base.
Paint the feathers and the mask base and beak; let dry.
Glue the feathers to the mask base.
Glue the dowel onto the back of one side of the mask.

Bunny

Supplies:

2 9" paper plates
Scissors
Pencil
Craft knife
Pink and black craft paint
Paintbrushes
Hot glue
½" dowel, cut to 15" long

Instructions:

Cut a slit in one of the plates along the radius to the center. Measure the width of the wearer’s eyes. Overlap the slits about 2" and hold in place while you pencil in the eye holes to your desired width, positioning them so that they are centered above the seam that will be at the bottom. Let go of the overlapping seam so the plate is flat again and cut out the eyes with the craft knife. Overlap the slits again and glue closed.
Cut out two ears from the ribbed edge of the second plate, about 6" long and 1 ¾" at the widest point. Fold each ear in half (press them against a table edge to help get a sharp crease).
Cut out an oval, about ¾" x ½", from a scrap of the ribbed edge for a nose. Cut six skinny strips, about 3" long, for whiskers.
Paint the ears and the face mask pink and the nose and whiskers black; let dry.
Glue the ears behind the top of the mask, the whiskers to the center point, and the nose on top of them.
Glue the dowel onto the back of one side of the mask.