Mardi Gras 18th  For my Best Friend's 18th Birthday I planned a surprise party for her. She   felt really bummed about not being able to go New Orleans for Mardi Gras on  her birthday so I surprised her with a party. My friends and I made  glittery masks for all the guest and a special one for the guest of honor.   We made booths for the guest like a carnival. We had booths with games  and food. The prizes were of course Beads. We had a dance floor, tables  and a non-alcohol beverage open bar complete with homemade fruit   jucies and soda(not homemade). The cups were suveniour items made with   glitter and a little creativity. We had a cake specially made shaped like a   Mardi Gras Mask. Before the cake we gave out a special trophy for her  turning 18 and the guest who collected the largest number of beads.After she  blew out her candles we had gift parade where we put all her gifts on   decorated wagons and pulled it across the room. She loved it and so did the  guest. I still get calls asking for help planning Mardi Gras Birthday  Party!!! FOR CHEAP BEADS VISIT: MARDIGRASCOSTUMES.COM or ORIENTALTRADING.COM  HOW TO MAKE A MASK:  MATERIALS: Mardi Gras mask face template  Bottled acrylic craft paint Colored ribbon (1/2 inch thick)  Glue Gun  Glue sticks Glitter paint  Beads Feathers Fabric (thin-accent pieces)  Acrylic Dots Stick (dowel)  ESTIMATED COST: $7.00 per mask  INSTRUCTIONS: Start out with a blank white facemask, which you can buy at any costume shop or Mardi Gras surplus store. Sometimes making a sketch of your finished mask can help with your vision, if not, just wing it and see what it becomes. Set out all your painting supplies onto a table covered in newspaper and plug in your glue gun. Outline the mask eye openings with acrylic or glitter paint to accent the eyes.  Before the paint is dry, decorate the paint with small beads, feathers or acrylic dots.  Place a small drop of glue with your glue gun around edge of the mask and arrange an outline of fabric with your accent stripping (this will border your mask and give it a more solid look).  Decorate the remaining available space on the mask as you wish (try adding different colored glitter paint with small beads and feathers). Allow the paint to dry.  Take a small thin dowel about 6 inches long and slowly wrap colored ribbon from top to bottom of dowel (place small dots of glue on dowel as you wrap the ribbon to hold the ribbon in place).  Place large drop of glue on top left back corner of mask and attach wrapped dowel to mask (allow to dry).  Hold dowel at base and place mask on face and enjoy your Mardi Gras celebration!   MARDI GRAS CUPS:  MATERIALS: PLASIC CUPS(AMOUNT VARIES) GLITTER GLUE (SOMETIMES CALLED GLITTER PENS) INSTRUCTIONS:  1. DESIGN YOUR CUPS WITH WACKY DESIGNS 2. LET DRY COMPLETELY ( DO CUPS ABOUT 1-2 DAYS BEFORE PARTY)