Make Your Own Felt Raccoon Mask

A gal I work with volunteers at the Audubon Society every week and they were having a fun activity last week where all the volunteers were supposed to dress up like their favorite animal. She asked if I could help her create a Raccoon mask for her costume and this is what I came up with. It is super easy, inexpensive, and can be whipped up in about 30 minutes!

To make your own Raccoon Mask you will need:

Felt sheets: Grey, Black and White
Scissors
pen/pencil for tracing
fabric glue or needle and thread
Elastic or string/ribbon
Raccoon Mask Pattern

Start by printing out the pattern and cutting out the pieces. Arrange them on your felt squares and trace with pen; or pin them down to the felt and cut around the pieces if you find that easier. To make a true to life looking raccoon the base piece should be grey, the middle piece should be white and the eye/nose banding should be black. You can jazz it up for the kids and make any color of raccoon for them though - I think I might make some to send my nieces and nephew for Easter!

Once you have all of your pieces cut out, sandwich them together so the eye holes match up. You may have to do a little extra trimming to get the edges of the eyes nice and neatly matching up. Pin all 3 pieces together and stitch the outline of each eye. This will hold all of the pieces together so fewer pins are needed when stitching around the outer edge of the black and/or white pieces. If sewing isn't your thing, use fabric glue to stick your pieces together. Allow plenty of time for your mask to dry before wearing.

Once you have stitched the pieces together, it is time to add some elastic or ribbon so it can be tied on and worn. You could also make an adjustable strap using more felt strips and some velcro. I opted for some bright ribbon, I just think it looks cheery and fun :)

Then you are ready to show off your new mask around town. These are easy enough to whip up as party favors for your child's next birthday, but still look nice enough to be part of a special costume. If raccoons aren't your style, don't forget to check out my pug mask here, modeled after my Cousin's pug, Tottie.

Happy crafting!

Hand Painted Glassware

These glasses were hand painted by me as a housewarming gift for a friend. I had never painted on glass before (I didn't realize special paint for just such a process was even made). However, I had a friend here in Portland make me a mug with a mustache painted on it and had to go looking for this amazing paint to try it myself. I decided to put those years of art school to good use and do some woodland creatures on my glasses.

The paint I found came in a little set of 8 colors from the company Folk Art(they make mostly acrylic paints). I was pleasantly surprised that the whole set was only about 4 dollars, so this is a project that anyone can try without having to invest a lot of money. Also, any glass will do. You could go to a yard sale or thrift store and pick up super cheap glasses, vases, old jars, etc. The important thing is that you clean the surface thoroughly with alcohol and allow it to dry before painting. If you are not sure where you can find the paint in your area, I found some online with a huge assortment of colors, including chalkboard paint, here.

Foxy Key Chain

I've had this little guy cut out and sitting by my sewing machine for about a good month now, but have been neglecting the poor little guy. Originally he was going to be a raccoon, but by using the red, I think he's definitely gotten a bit more foxy (and I'm ok with that). I also didn't really know what he was going to be when he grew up, turns out it is a key chain.