Monday, January 27, 2014

Easy Masquerade Mask Display Stand

I've had my White Rabbit mask haphazardly stashed on a back bookcase, but I really wanted a proper display for it. I'm actually quite proud of all the geeky creations John and I come up with, so I figured, why not use them as decorations around the house?

I hit the web looking for mask display options, but all I found were plastic mannequin faces. Meh. Not to mention a bit creepy when you're strolling past in the middle of the night for a glass of water. o.0

After some brainstorming and balancing the mask in my hand, I came upon a forehead-smackingly simple solution.

All you need (besides your mask) is a metal clothes hanger and a large candlestick, like this:


The only stipulation is that your candlestick needs to have a groove somewhere near the top. Why? Because you'll be cutting your hanger and wrapping the metal around that groove, like so:


See how the groove helps support the wire?

Here's a side angle:


Test the fit by placing your mask's eye holes over the two wire ends. The forehead of the mask should rest against the top platform of the candlestick, which may make the bottom want to slip forward. To prevent this, trim the wires to size and use pliers to bend up the tips of the wire just a teensy bit.

Because my mask is heavy leather and I worried the wire might dent it over time, I had John hammer the two metal ends flat before bending up the tips:


That's not necessary if your mask is plastic or resin, though. (For porcelain masks you might want a bit of felt or rubber for padding.)

And that's it!

Well, unless your candlestick requires a makeover, like mine did: a quick layer of brown spray paint, followed by a brushed on mahogany stain:


And then...

 
 Ta-da!


If you look closely, you can just see the metal tip supporting the right eye hole. (Click the pic to enbiggen.) I was going to paint the hanger wire gold, but since it barely shows I decided to take the lazy route.

Considering the whole mask is only supported at three points (the eye holes and the forehead) it's surprisingly sturdy; I can carry my new stand around by the base with no worry of the mask tumbling off or slipping.

The new finish matches my Vadore helmet stand pretty well, too:


Here's a look at the side and back angles:
 



My mask's leather straps aren't removable, so I used two small velcro strips (the kind used for bundling computer wires) to tie the straps together in the back, so they wouldn't dangle.

And now that I've decided to go ahead and let my geek flag fly in the main areas of the house, the front buffet cabinet has a whole new look!


YAY GEEKY STUFF!

John just pointed out we should add his Cheshire Cat top hat up there.  Maybe we'll squeeze that in next to the Mickey ears. ;)

Well, I hope this helps some of my cosplaying and/or mask-collecting friends out there! Happy crafting, everyone!

*****

PS: And now, the randomly-selected winner of this month's art give-away IS... ZeaBunny/Michelle! Congrats, Michelle, and please e-mail me your mailing address and choice of prize from my Pinterest art give-away board! (Although from your comment, I think I know which one you want. ;))

12 comments:

  1. Love this idea.....also I love that hall way picture

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  2. Love the stand and absolutely adore the James Christensen image!! It's so much fun seeing other people share my taste in artists. :)

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  3. John's Top Hat definitely needs to be added to the buffet (with pix posted too please)

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  4. That is such a great idea - I love it! And I wish I had somewhere in the house to pay homage to my geekiness!!

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  5. Yay! Congratulations Michelle!!

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  6. I LOVE that picture above the masks. Where did you find/get it?

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    1. That's a limited edition print of "Isabella" by James Christensen. Even his prints are pricy (I think about $200), so that was an anniversary gift from John years ago. If you haven't see Christensen's stuff, definitely check it out! He's a got a great style.

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  7. Wahoo! My grandparents recently brought me a Venetian carnival mask from Venice, and I've been trying to puzzle out how to display it! I might try to do something like this, though I think mine is pretty top-heavy (it's a white cat mask, which makes my own white cat puff up like a marshmallow when I put it on!), so it will have to be by trial and error! Thanks!

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    1. My Rabbit mask is also pretty top-heavy, so it's just a matter of getting the angle right; I had to tip it just slightly so the ears were directly over the supports. It might help to slide yours out a little and lean it back more, to center the weight. Good luck!

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  8. Elegant and practical, a beautiful solution! I'm also absolutely smitten with the bronzy patina of the Vadore helmet stand next to it; is that another one of your makeovers? Might you distress up the mask stand a bit to match it at some point? I have to admit that the solid mahogany color to me makes it look just an eensy bit like the White Rabbit is drinking a Coke from an old-fashioned glass bottle. ;)

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  9. Perfect! I've found suitable displays for my collection (yes, multiples at this point) of steampunk/Victorian hats, but I have two leather masks that have been strapped around canning jars for lack of a better idea for displaying. Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!

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  10. I love them! They look almost like lamps! I am now wondering how hard it would be to wire them and make something like that into a lamp. Of course I don't have any masks like that or time or electrical expertise...

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