My Easter Bonnet (Spring Decor)

This craft makes a lovely Easter and spring decoration for your front door.

Items you will need:

• 1 12 inch or whatever size you choose to work with, straw hat. Some have a rippled edging, or just round.
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• choose the arrangement and color of silk flowers you want to decorate with
  Also, dried flowers are nice to work with.
• wide 2 1/2 inch ribbon for bow and decorating around the inner part of hat
  At least 3 feet.
• decoupage glue, or craft glue, one that dries clear
• package of decorated napkins, flowers or bright colors are nice
  Whatever you decide for decorating.
• a hot glue gun and refills of glue sticks

Instructions:

Start by pulling the layers of the napkins apart, usually two-ply. Cut up napkins into 4x4 inch squares. Layer your glue all over the outside rim of the hat, a good covering of glue. Place the napkins, print side up, in all different overlappings, until the entire brim is covered. Let this dry completely for a few hours.

While this is drying, you can be choosing what flowers you will decorate with. Decide what combination goes best, greens look very real. Silk baby's breath is nice to work with also. Cut the stems of each flower with only 3-4 inches of stem remaining.

When the hat is dry, go over the top of the napkins gently, using your finger tips, with another layer of glue until completely covered.

When this dries clear, the flowered napkins will show through beautifully. It leaves a lovely shine on the finish of the hat.

Now bend up one side only on the hat, bending it toward the round bump of the head of the hat, and staple it down in the center.

This gives you a pocket on each side of the hat to stuff with flowers.

Now, to decorate your hat, decide by practicing where all the flowers are to be. Then hot glue the stem of each flower individually, and stick it through the opening. Keep filling with flowers until your bonnet is filled to your desire.

The last thing I do, is measure the circumference of the head of the hat and cut a piece of ribbon and hot glue it around for the hat band.

Finally, make a bow, by just looping your ribbon over and over. When you're done, using thin wire, twist the wire around the center of the bow. Make sure you leave enough for the bow to trail. Cut each end of the trailing ribbon in a triangular fashion. Attach your bow to the middle of your bonnet. It makes a lovely Easter and spring decoration for your front door. Again, this sounds like a lot, but it takes as long for me to describe this as it does to actually make one! Enjoy!

~Happy spring to all~

Hugs,
By Jackie from Norton, MA