Free Mardi Gras SVG | Make a Beautiful Layered Masquerade Mask

Looking for Mardi Gras craft ideas? This free layered masquerade mask cutting file makes a wonderful Cricut craft project to make for Carnival time!

Build up layers of cardstock with foam squares and glue to create a 3D effect to your paper mask.

I LOVE the colours in this mask. The bright purples, greens and yellow go together beautifully and it’s a wonderful colour explosion!

This design may be a little tricky to cut depending on the type of cardstock you are using, as it gets very narrow around some of the mandala detailing. I recommend cutting it at least 7 inches wide to give your Cricut the best chance of cutting all the lines cleanly.

Solid core cardstock will work best for this design, cut on a (still quite sticky!) light blue cutting mat.

Video tutorial for Mardi Gras mask SVG

Watch the video below to see how to make this craft project for Mardi Gras. Keep scrolling for a written tutorial.

Layered masquerade mask shadow box materials

Here is a list of the materials that I used to make this project.

Please note that some of the links included in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

• Cricut machine
• Light blue Cricut cutting mat
• Coloured Card (I use 160-240gsm weight of card)
• Collall All Purpose Glue
• Needle Tip Applicator Bottle
• 3D foam pads
• Square shadow box to frame (optional)

Layered Mardi Gras SVG assembly instructions

Here’s how to make your very own DIY Mardi Gras mask using a Cricut machine!

Step 1) Download the free file & unzip the downloaded folder

Before you upload the SVG to Design Space, you need to unzip the download folder that it comes in.

• How to unzip a folder on Windows computer
• How to unzip a folder on a Mac
• How to unzip a folder on an iPad/iPhone
• How to unzip a folder on an Android device

Step 2) Upload the SVG file into Design Space

Open up Cricut Design Space and upload the file called SVG_Mardi_Gras_Mask_CraftWithSarah.svg

Make sure you upload the file which starts SVG_ in the filename!!

This is how it should look after you have uploaded the file:

After uploading, the design will show in your “Recently Uploaded Images”. Click on it and then press “Add to Canvas” to put it onto your Project.

Click the design on your canvas and use the width/height boxes near the top of the screen to make it the size that you want to cut it.

I made mine 8 inches wide to fit inside my shadow box frame. I definitely wouldn’t recommend going much smaller than about 7 inches in width as otherwise the decorative details in the mandala section will become quite delicate and may be difficult to get off the mat without tearing.

When you’re happy with the size of the Mardi Gras mask SVG in Design Space, click “Make It” and follow the instructions on-screen to cut out all the layers.

Step 3) Stick the layered paper mask together

Use 3D foam pads and glue to stick the layers together.

Use this guide to see the order to stick the layers together in. A high quality printable version of this assembly guide is included in the folder when you download this SVG.

My favourite glue to use on papercraft projects is Collall All Purpose Glue.

It’s SO good because it doesn’t “warp” or bend the cardstock like some glues do. You can use as much of it as you want and the card stays perfect – and it dries perfectly clear too!

To make it even easier to apply glue to layered card projects, I highly recommend getting some of these needle tip applicator bottles to put the glue into.

The nozzles are REALLY tiny which makes them perfect for putting glue in the pieces of cardstock that make up this design.

The foam pads that I use are from “Dot & Dab”, but any foam squares will work. If yours are big then you may need to cut them smaller with scissors to fit inside the smaller pieces.

When adding the foam pads to the relevant layers, make sure you add some in the middle of the pieces of card so it give stability to the middles. If you don’t add any foam pads in the middles then it can “sag” under the weight of the other layers which doesn’t look as good.

After sticking all the pieces of card together, you’ll have a wonderful layered mandala Mardi Gras mask all ready to go in a frame, on a greetings card, or even stuck straight to the wall with some blu-tack or propped up on a shelf.

Step 4) Frame your layered Mardi Gras papercraft project

The final step is to frame your beautiful mandala mask!

The below video has some tips on how to frame your craft project, including my Number One hack for making sure that your design will fit perfectly every time without wasting any of your craft materials.

I hope that you enjoy this free layered Mardi Gras SVG!

Here’s a close-up view of some of those intricate details in the mandala section of the mask. Aren’t they pretty?

Love layered SVGs? Check out my other free layered SVG files

Happy crafting,
Sarah x