Let's Make Paper Hats!

Hi everyone!  It is so good to visit with you again after the madness of the holidays.  I have been a busy bee, with lots of things on my list that I want to do.  One of those being, making paper hats for New Year's festivities.  My Granny turns 80 on New Year's day, so I thought, she might enjoy a paper hat herself...

Now, the goal here is to make your paper hat as wacky as possible, using as much throw away holiday scrap as possible...

    

My base for my wacky hats are brown paper grocery bags.  I love those Trader Joe's paper bags that have all the clip art on them because you can use them just as they are, without having to cover them up...

  

I start off by making a heap of paper junk, that will quickly transform itself into endless supplies...

  

Then I take a paper bag and cut the ends off.  Cut the bottom amounts off depending on how tall you want your hat.  Then cut the bag open to make one long piece.

  

Take a tape measure and measure your head.  Or take a ribbon (to use as a measuring tape) and tie it around your head adding two inches or so, so that you have some room to overlap your paper bag ends when you tape them together.  Then cut the ribbon, and voila, it becomes your measuring tape.

At this point, your bag will be open like a sheet of butcher paper.  Now, take your tape measure or your ribbon (with the extra two inches) and cut your bag at that length.  Then test the bag around your head to determine where you are going to tape it shut.

    

Then join those ends, and tape them together inside and outside.  (I use heavy duty, clear packing tape)

    

Now the fun begins.  Cut into the top and make crown points, or anything you wish.  Get creative, go crazy.  It can't be ugly, because no matter how wacky it is, putting something on your head elevates it to a whole other level ;)

  

    

See, you can make more than one at once, fun fun!

  

At this point, you can do anything your heart desires.  Glitter, birds, moss, anything!!  Embellish to your hearts content.

  

  

Paint glue on anything, like leaves, and then dip them into sparkles...

  

  

Test your hat as you glue things on it (I used hot glue for the non-glitter embellishments.  Please be careful & also, don't test it on your head until the glue cools)...

  

Make sure you like how all your little bits and baubs look.

    

I am in the process of making several more hats.  I might even try a top hat and a few man hats, so the boys don't feel left out on New Year's.

I have a bunch of wooden utensils, so I silver leafed one and put it on the pointy hat...

  

Then Miss Mannequin thought she should get to wear it for the day...

  

But then, she got greedy and couldn't make up her mind...

    

Don't you think you should look for some scraps and get your hats started?  I think you should.  I want to see how wacky of a hat you can make ;)

I am off to finish up my others... 

  
  

♥  ,V

 

ps:  I will be collecting wishes from you this weekend after I write a proper "wish" post in a day or so.  Then we will set them free next week.  Like in 2008 and 2009 .  Remember? 

     

Let's start thinking about what sort of magic we want to wish for, for 2010.  No wish is too grand.  You can share them in the next post if you'd like, and I will find a fun way to insure that they get to the wishmaker...

Comments

[Richele Drummond]

Darling talented woman, these hats are pure fabulousness!!!

[Saleenadavid]

Gorgeous work, thank you for sharing this method.

[Angie@ artificial silk flowers]

What a fantastic project! It takes a lot of creativity to produce such gorgeous hats from junk papers, I just love what you did. Thanks for having this on your blog. :)

[Florist Sydney]

'Love the hat! This is a fun project to make with the kids around, they'll gonna love this. Thanks for giving us such wonderful idea.

[Jem]

Love your hats! Thanks for showing off your gifts to the world! A+