Anyone order any *Fun* masks?

I've been indulging my love of Hawai'i by wearing tropical print masks that a friend of mine is making from her dresser full of Hawaiian prints. A fun way to spruce up the wardrobe each day - my favorite one has swimming turtles on it. There are so many fun ones out there online - might as well have a little bit of individuality with our mask choices - and they are washable so you're not adding to the landfill.

Oh, that's fun!

I went back to the Lainiere Sante website and they now have a summer edition with Flamingos! Whee! I love those birds, lol!!

Pam, your masks sound great. It's good to match patterns to memories or personalities. The only masks I ordered are the free ones AZ state is offering. Haven't received them yet, but I'm sure they're boring plain white or black, made by Hanes.

I made several masks and need to make a few more to match other clothes. Motorcycle material for hubby. Kokopelli and Navajo design for me. I also knit a couple for me, lined with cotton. I'd rather knit than sew. I need to use lighter interfacing between the cotton layers. Outside in 100+* AZ heat they are too hot. I passed out helping the vet with my horse. Usually I'm by myself so a mask is not an issue. Only when I leave home for a weekly grocery fill-up do I wear a mask.

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I quit my parttime job when I was told that masks would not be allowed at work. Really? That's crazy. That hasn't changed even though Scottsdale now requires masks in public places and the store owner was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Oh well, I was going to quit at the end of the year anyway.

I sew my own for my husband and myself. So far I have Bernina logo fabric (my sewing machine), rubber duckies, hot air balloons (Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta sadly canx this year), r/w/b watermelons for the 4th, etc. I assume I'll need some Halloween and Christmas ones as well. For my husband I had some leftover fabric from an old Hawaiian shirt he no longer could wear that has made it his favorite mask. Hoping we won't need them next year for our now resked Switzerland tour but if we do they'll be stylish and thematic.

Just make sure you wash them regularly....as in every day you wear it or every 4 hours of sustained wearing. Particularly with the heat and humidity they just become unclean germ pits of a different kind....as well as just damp messes of vapor, sweat and humidity. Hospital lab worker here, and how I see people treating their masks makes me wonder how they treat their hands.
Cute works only if they are clean.

I was typing a long reply the phone rang and I lost it. Horse Wolfie do be careful. The site Redbubble has lots of cute ones and it is possible to load your own art to them.

I've become addicted to buying masks. In addition to non-travel-related masks, I've got one with images of the Pacific Northwest (my home), one with icons of London on it, a British flag one, a Parisian pink one with little Eiffel Towers, and one that has blue and white Portuguese tiles. They're all cute, but the PNW, Eiffel Towers, and tiles are the nicest to wear. I've bought from Etsy, Red Bubble, Threadless, and Society6 ... and probably a couple of other places that I can't recall!

I'm surprised RSE doesn't have a "Keep on Travelin'" mask.

“Hospital lab worker here, and how I see people treating their masks makes me wonder how they treat their hands. Cute works only if they are clean.”

Thank you Maria, an excellent reminder!

Horsewoofie, yes do be careful in the heat. Can you knit with cotton thread like for socks? (Not a knitter but the guy in Monica Ferris’ needlecraft mysteries was always knitting socks with a light cotton thread...I get all my good information from mysteries and romances, hahaha).

Cj-traveler, fun idea. Nice way to repurpose a loved shirt. I don’t want to think about it but I’m guessing masks will be on our packing lists for the foreseeable future.

Doric8, I’m not familiar with that site but I’ll look it up. I think there is a way to upload your own art to zazzle but I’ve been unimpressed with their time frame right now so didn’t look too hard!

Thanks, Pam, for this thread.

Woofie, please be careful. My sister collapsed in AJ's parking lot - seizures, CPR when the ambulance got there, weeks of rehab.

I ordered a cute one from Etsy with Italian landmarks! I also have a few fun teacher masks.

Pam, I just pulled up Etsy and got sidetracked with the masks that make a person’s face look like a golden retriever, etc.! Hard to take a person serious who looks like they’re begging for a dog treat! LOL

Teresa...sorry I missed your post earlier!! I’m off to look for pink Eiffel Towers!! Lol

Kristen and Jean...I just got overwhelmed with Etsy, lol!! Too many to choose from!

Jean I cracked up with your remark about the doggie noses, lol. Some of the masks I saw in Yellowstone were Bear and Wolf muzzles and I thought the same thing!

Redbubble has some that are land Mark's, classic art, stained glass, I have not explored uploading yr own photos, etc, there, but I have accidentally found objects related to class anniversaries or family reunions, so its possible, and they have 80+ items available for imprint, now masks, but I have several of their shirts, bags, stationery, etc

I made ours reversible so we can change the look after laundering. Mine has ladybugs on one side and blue flowers on the other. Hubby’s has wood grain and a dignified side for work - black, with a subtle pattern. Despite enjoying sewing, I am definitely tempted to purchase one of the animal faces.

Thanks for posting, Pam. I checked out Lainière Santé masks on their website, but couldn't figure out what they are made out of?

I found some nice masks online that are not too expensive and the ones I got seem well made with several layers of tightly woven cloth and are easy enough to breath through. They remind me of the quality of the hospital masks given out by the local government. They have the Umbrella Corp logo on them. (If you don't know who that is, I will leave it to you to discover for yourself. ;-)

Pam, FYI the knit masks use cotton yarn. I knit them really tight then lined with cotton cloth for comfort. I need to make the pattern smaller since I have a small face. They’re actually more comfortable than the cotton sewn masks I made.
If any knitters want the pattern I found it on Yarnspirations website. There’s a crochet pattern too.

If you’re making masks and need metal to form the nose bridge, speaker wire works good. Just cut it long enough, over the nose and onto both cheeks, so it won’t poke you.

Thanks for the words of caution everyone. It was just a fluke. I mentioned the incident to my doctor.

I have a collection of scarves picked up as travel souvenirs, so I thread the ends through a baseball cap to hold the bandana over my nose and mouth. More fun than the plain black knit ones that I bought in bulk.

I recently ordered my first fun masks from a local company in Tucson. They have a pocket for a filter.

They were delivered to my mail box about a half mile away from our house late yesterday afternoon, but a mega-monsoon thunderstorm kept me from getting them today, so I don't know how well they will work, yet.

One is saguaros with sunglasses and white masks. The saguaros on the mask are small, but this is what they look like big.

The other one is Sonoran hotdogs.

I do think masks could become fashion accessories for me, just like my glasses.

I have been sewing them for donation, family, and friends since March. Have made about 200 now and started a fund raiser for our local food pantry where half the price of a mask purchase goes to the charity.

I like working with the whimsical fabrics instead of more classic options I might pick for decorating or clothing. I have made pink Vespa print masks, manly plaids, forest critters, whales, and many many more. My favorite is red roses on a black background.

It is important to have multiples so you can change them often and have extras for when some are in the wash.

I am afraid we will be doing this a long time, putting a whole new meaning to “masks” for Halloween!

"I checked out Lainière Santé masks on their website, but couldn't figure out what they are made out of?"

Christine, I had trouble figuring that out too with my abysmal French language skills (even when I loaded it on to Chrome for the translation!). After I ordered I thought they might be wool and was thinking "My Word....wool??" but no, the tag inside says 90% Polyester/10%polyamide. Early on I had been discussing cleaning rags and which composition of fabrics worked best and a tile expert told me he'd read in his professional literature that polyester/polyamide was the best combo for both rags and masks. I did a teeny amount of research and it looked like this was the recommendation for mask content as well.

Uh, OK Mark, I assume that logo is satire?

Horsewoofie, good to know about the speaker wire. The French masks I ordered have a nose piece, the others do not. I prefer the nose piece as my nose is big and masks work better if I can mold around it!

LauraB, do you mean you thread the ends of the bandana around to the hole in the back of the cap? Not much of a cap wearer but I have a ton of scarves, lol!! Too hot now but definitely a consideration for winter.

Lo! Oh my, those are SO cute! I love the cactus ones. I've got family who (previously) escape Seattle in January for Tucson and these would make wonderful Christmas gifts!

Laurel, I admire sewing skills! Fun that you've been so creative. I'm sure the vespa one is cute and reminds you of Rome.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful ideas.

Another great source for a wire nose piece if you need to do some retrofitting is the piece from a 10 oz coffee bag fold it in shape like a w then compress it so the ends are on the outside and the long piece is against your nose, sewn inside the mask. Holds up very well to hand-washing.

I make my own masks, so I can pick from my stash of quilting fabric or order whatever I want. As my usual uniform at home (and travel) consists of plain tops and pants, I can have any print for my mask, as this is not scarf season. Initially, it was spring so I was into garden related prints...well, ask to produce some for a non-profit gardening organization, so I kept some, obvs. Then I got into other rather loud prints. I do feel slightly sorry for my husband, as he cheerily dons any of these prints. I guess it is time for some plain ones for him. I will say I have a hockey puck fabric, which was for a Bruins baby quilt backing, but he declined as he's not that kind of guy either. Now that you have me thinking about it, I think he might like a musical theme...

I assume that logo is satire?

Pam, For me the logo is. However, when grocery shopping the other day someone noticed the logo and tried to get into a deep and meaningful conversation with me about how brave I was to be making such a statement given the current administration seems to have no sense of humor about anything. I just agreed and moved on.

Doric, good suggestion as well for those who are handy!

Wray, I cracked up at this not being scarf season. So what is your plan then? Back to plain fabric or ??

Mark...sometimes nodding and moving on is the better part of valor...

Doric, I've used the coffee closures as well. They work much better than the twist ties I resorted to at the beginning of this. Now I want to order some fun masks. Thanks for starting this thread, Pam.

Oh, I just remembered a website I looked at early on but have NOT ordered from so no idea about the quality. It's the "fine art america" site. Here is the link to the masks and then you can search for England, France, Monet, etc.

https://fineartamerica.com/shop/face+masks

Andrea, I hope you find some you like!

Oh jeepers Pam, thanks for sharing that rabbit hole. I put in rosie the riveter and got a lot if wonderful choices, also some based on vintage photos of the era and ones with current art thanking first responders. I think you should order a couple and road test the quality for us.

Probably a good thing I do not sew. ( or have anything to do with mask making)

When I saw the topic, my thought for a 'fun' mask would be one that has "Not Covid- This is a holdup" printed on it.

My hubby wears one with the Croatian flag. Amazing how many people stop to say I’m from......in Croatia. A great conversation piece.

Doric...THAT is exactly the problem. WAY too many to choose from and I just got overwhelmed. I love the ones with famous paintings on them.

Joe...I was at the bank this week and noted a sign saying "We might ask you to pull your mask down to verify your identity", so probably not a good idea to wear it if you have to do an in person transaction.

Barbara, that's such fun!

Supposedly the one from Zazzle is being shipped (ordered July 1).

Sorry Pam, but it's better to wear a mask to the bank but flash your face. Certainly the teller prefers to be safe.
We finally have a mandate where I live.

Sorry, wasn’t clear!! I meant wear an alternate mask!!

what about a mask with your lower face including nose and mouth and chin printed on it? Then you wouldn't need to lower it?

I'm surprised you need to show your face for ID in the bank. Don't you just tap your debit card on the reader?

The sign said "may" and not sure what transactions it might refer to. We've moved so the branch bank that is closest to us is on a tribal reservation. That tribe has issued Covid relief checks to members (and I suspect they were actual paper checks and not electronic transfers) and I am guessing the sign was in regard to cashing these checks.

And in fact this is actually a small Credit Union that does not have the "tap" card ability yet.

And yes, some of the companies making masks will apparently do them with your own picture so you certainly could use a picture of the bottom half of your face, lol!

Nigel and joe, a good friend of mine was the "receiving teller " when an armed bank robber walked into her bank a yr ago. One town over, the drug addicted grand daughter of a church member hatched a scam w her best friend ( a teller at that bank ) to stage a robbery and divide the proceeds. In both cases the robber was eventually arrested and did time, based on the recorded footage .

I'm sure banks are making it seem casual, but probably plenty of folks are being asked to lower their mask and smile for the camera. Me? I am staying with the walk up / drive thru option.

"Me? I am staying with the walk up / drive thru option"

Definitely preferred! As an off-topic item, I highly recommend NOT buying a house, moving and then selling a house during a pandemic. There are too many things that need in person stuff done. This particular branch doesn't have a drive thru teller so had to go in to get the Certified check from the sale of the old house to pay down on the new mortgage. Ugh. But it is finally all done.

And a shocking bank robbery story! Holy cow.

Yes, in the second case the young robber drew a mustache and goatee on w eye liner, but she was still eventually caught, in case anyone wants to add "faux facial hair " to their list of things that are not really masks and therefore will not stop disease.
Pam, glad you are getting the big things dealt w from the house sale.

Doric, it sounds like they should be featured on a show on Dumb Robberies....good grief.

I like Joe32F's mask idea. ;) Or perhaps my husband and I could have Bonnie and Clyde printed on our masks? I have bought several masks at theleisurelab.com. $5-12. They are well made, good fit and wash up well. No shipping charge. Last month a friend recommended johnnywas.com. Five for $25, and they match whatever you buy with donations to healthcare workers. I may purchase from them. I do like the masks that the Speaker of the House wears, but they are pricey! $22. donnalewisusa.com. One for one donation. For every mask sold, a mask will be donated to Johns Hopkins Hospitals.

Thanks Pam for this fun thread!

I’ve ordered 6 masks (including a couple for my mother) from Melissamasks on Etsy. This store has lots of creative designs and the masks are well-constructed (including a filter pocket) and comfortable. They also include a wire in the nose section to make that part of the fit much better - particularly for those like me who wear glasses.

I’ve ordered two Alice in Wonderland designs, one butterflies one, and just ordered a “foxes with fall leaves“ one. There are many other types of designs. It’s nice that buying and using a necessity can be fun.

Great thread, Pam! Lots for me to check out. I did order 5 flowery masks from johnnywas website. I liked 4 of them. Not meant to be reversible, but striped fabric on the other side, so maybe husband would wear them.

Target is advertising masks in their specials for this week. $2 each. Multitudes of patterns as well as sizes for children, women and men.

Janis...yes, Nancy's masks are always good looking. Another woman leader - European, maybe Hungary? had a beautifully matched mask in a photo shot last week.

Valerie, that looks like a good website!

Hille! Good to see you posting!

Mark, off to look at Target! Thanks!

I got the Zazzle mask yesterday (ordered July 1). The quality is good, nice pocket for a filter but the print on the fabric (Van Gogh Starry Night) is not very clear. I'll wear it but I guess I wanted the original canvas, lol!

Pam, perhaps its starry night as seen thru Monet's cataracts? At least you won't have to worry that it's the laundry that will make it less than perfect.

This interlude played by yr neighborhood pollyanna

Hahaha...Polly/Doric!! You made me laugh out loud!!

Great thread! Thanks Pam!
I'm really enjoying shopping for the pretty masks I could be wearing instead of this plain white one I have!
I have ordered this mask:
https://store.anglotopia.net/shop/splashmaps-union-jack-face-mask-made-in-england-ships-in-2-3-weeks/
And this mask:
https://store.anglotopia.net/shop/splashmaps-wales-flag-face-mask-shipping-in-2-3-weeks/

I'm thinking that I want the Lainiere Sante Flamingos one, too.
Pam, thanks for the Fine Art America website link!
I see one or two on there I must have.
One of these Astronaut masks:
https://fineartamerica.com/collections/astronaut+paintings/face+masks
and one of these hummingbird masks:
https://fineartamerica.com/shop/face+masks/hummingbirds

Okay, ordered 3 of the hummingbird masks......this has to stop.
These masks are so cute, they are addictive!

Rebecca!! I love them all!! The flags are excellent and I love the link to the map of London mask from one of the pages, lol!! The hummers are so cute.

Found some Halloween fabric in my stash and I will make a candy corn print one.

Well thanks a lot Susan. Now I’ll be craving that dreadful candy corn, lol!!

Pam, glad you liked the flags and the London map!
OK, adding 1 or 2 more to my cart.......
From this Halloween page:
https://fineartamerica.com/shop/face+masks/halloween

Vintage art Halloween:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/vintage-halloween-k-jean-plout.html?product=face-mask
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/chat-noir-paris-mindy-sommers.html?product=face-mask

Keep Calm and Become a Pirate:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/keep-calm-and-become-a-pirate-tee-edward-fielding.html?product=face-mask
This seems like a good starting point for a costume for Halloween.

I’m not a cat fan (allergic) but those 2 kitty masks are very cute!

When is Talk like a Pirate Day? 😁

Thanks Valerie, thanks to your posting, I just ordered a beautiful mask from melissamasks on Etsy. I figured this pandemic Is proving to be quite a trip, and every trip deserves at least one nice, lightweight, hand-crafted souvenir, this one made in the USA.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is Saturday 19th of September 2020.

Aaaaarrrrgggghhh

NIgel, me matey!

We all need to order masks now for Sept 19, lol! Lots of pirate-y themes on Etsy, hahaha!

I'll remember to wear my Aaaaarrrrgggyle socks.
Best not to aaarrrgggue with anyone on that day.

Oh my word Rebecca!....laughed out loud and possibly snorted iced tea out my nose....

Larry, I’m glad that you found a mask you liked on the melissamasks site on Etsy. That’s a great idea to think of your mask as a beautiful lightweight souvenir of this strange trip which we’ve been on since this pandemic began.

I’m a quilter so my stash of fabric has been put to great use making masks...mine all feature my favorite birds—crows, ravens or storks—& since I manage a fleet of long haul truck drivers I have earned Brownie points by making them assorted masks that feature Route 66, license plates, maps & also our company colors. My Deadhead friend got tie-dye masks and I made a bunch to suit various hobbies & interests of other friends.

I had to go thru my hair ACCESSORIes looking for barrettes to subdue my crazy bangs, listed some of my beautiful pony tail barrettes on eBay, where they are being snatched up, it's been years since my hair was that long.

I have one scrunchie here made from beautiful ethnic fabric (and long dead elastic inside) that I'm going to take apart and see if it's not enough for a mask front

Order on line? No need to do that if you live in NYC. Corner street vendors in midtown & the UES of Manhattan for example are selling all kinds of masks with a whole slew of fun & interesting design options. Perhaps they are doing the same in other cities.

I just cheered myself up today by ordering a Brown Bear mask from the Katmai Conservancy. I am an avid fan, and while I would love to visit, I am wondering if it is better for the bears this year with fewer crowds? I still get my fix on the Explore cams.

I got two from Vistaprint - one with planets, and one with dinosaurs. They are fairly comfortable, but too breezy around the nose, so I’m planning to add some stick-on nose clips before I venture around people in them. I’m expecting a couple from Electric Styles, one with the lower half of a tiger face and one with a galaxy. The best I’ve tried so far, though, are solid-color ones from Stark’s Vacuums in Portland, OR. They’re really well made, three layers, including a filter.

lnbsig, I've not seen "stick-on nose clips" before! That is good to know and I'll have to search for them. I had some old N95 masks from a bad fire season a few years ago which have foam covered nose pieces. They do deteriorate after a while as these are kind of sticky feeling but the masks are still fine and I can put up with sticky.

It is funny you mentioned the Stark's Vacuum one. That ad has been popping up on my FB feed so good to know they are worthwhile.

Debbie....that sounds like supporting a worthwhile cause as well as providing protection!

Continental...no one sells anything on streets here in N. Idaho. Or, well, nothing I would buy, lol.

Doric8, were you able to convert your scrunchie to a mask?

Christa, that is so cool you did that for your truckers! I hope they are staying well.

Valerie, I agree....a rather bizarre souvenir of a strange time yet useful and hopefully will keep us all disease-free. The website you mentioned does have some very nice looking masks.

Hi, Pam,
The company from which I ordered the nose bridges is ‘Electric Styles’. The masks I want to put them on have built-in nose wires, but they’re not very effective, so I’m hoping that some reinforcement will help.

Also, I ran across a site: kirikomade.com that has absolutely gorgeous masks made from traditional Japanese fabrics. Bit pricey for me, and they don’t appear to take filters, but still - wow. [Edit: some of them do have filter pockets.]

I’ll take a look at that company, thanks!

I received an email this am from my favorite Italian Import store. Biordi.com has several colorful Italian style masks to remind us of Italy! Another example of "fun masks."

I have not yet taken the scrunchie apart, I have ordered too much cute fabric from an online store. I've mentioned before, but the wire from a 13 oz package of coffee makes a good nose clip, make it into a W shape and then gradually flatten. I like the tom bihn idea of a little slip pocket for nose piece so it can be replaced

I just discovered this: https://www.pinsenttailoring.co.uk/ - so if you want a gorgeous Regency-era mask, that’s also an option.

Pam,

Here’s a fun set of disposable masks I ordered from Amazon. Thought they’d give me a bit of fun “local Idaho” - Pink camouflage! I wore one yesterday and received some compliments from women.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0897V3GD5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff masks came in today! Fun!

Thanks for the continued posts! I'm glad everyone is finding fun and interesting masks.

The one ordered long ago from Zazzle (Van Gogh print) is WAY too hot right now but should be fine about January, lol. The ones I've been wearing the most are the lightweight but closely woven ones I ordered from France.

Love everyone's different designs!

I always get a kick out of wearing my French masks too. Thanks, Pam for letting me join in your order. Of course I do get rather puzzled looks and questions but that makes for some great conversations.

Oh yes...have been getting lots of compliments on our Flamingo masks. Yes, and when they ask I DO say "I ordered it from Paris"....can NOT help myself.

FYI, theleisurelab.com is offering 30% off masks if you spend $30 during Labor Day weekend. We have ordered several times and are pleased with their product. They offer some colorful prints as well as solids. They come in 4 sizes. No shipping cost. (I mentioned Leisure Lab last month on this thread).