Plain old straw hat… or decorate it? Wear it to a parade… or hang it on your door in place of a wreath for something different? You might think I’m on a straw hat kick if you’ve seen the garden sign straw hats I made recently. Call it crafty tunnel vision, but I was thinking that some straw hats decorated with stars and stripes would be a cute way of getting patriotic this summer.
Not just for keeping the sun our of your eyes, consider hanging patriotic straw hats up in unexpected places like on your front door, on a porch post…
Or make a bunch and hang them along a fence.
The Red, White and Blue Blog Tour begins:
I teamed up with 15 other bloggers to bring you some RED, WHITE and BLUE craft and home decor inspiration this week. 
There are plenty more DIY patriotic craft and decor projects linked up at the bottom of this post.
Several more will be added each day, through Thursday.
Click on over and check out any ~ or ~ all!!
Your red, white and blue curiosity will surely be satisfied.
How to make patriotic straw hats
Supplies:
Straw hats (I bought some from the dollar store)
Indoor/Outdoor spray paint in colors red, white and blue
Star shaped foam stickers (I found these at Wal-Mart)
1-1/2″ Masking tape (the picture shows blue painters tape, but masking tape works much better)
Newspaper
White paint marker or craft paint (optional)
Step 1) Spray paint the straw hats with white spray paint or white primer and let dry for 1 hour.
Step 2) To make the blue with white stars portion, tape off a section of the hat by laying down a strip of masking tape to create a clean line, and then a second layer of news paper attached to masking tape, making sure to cover the portion of the hat that that will not be painted blue.
Tip: Use 5″ – 6″ pieces of masking tape at a time and smooth down onto the hat for good adhesion.
Step 3) Place the star shaped stickers on the portion of the hat that will be painted blue. I did not measure the distance of the placement of the stars. I just eyed it and tried to make the stars lay in the same direction with each other.
Step 4) Give the star portion of the hat several light coats of blue spray paint until it is fully covered. Remove the stars, the masking tape and newspaper, and then let dry for 1 hour.
Step 5) Mask off the blue portion of the straw hat with a clean line of masking tape (working with 5″ – 6″ pieces). Make sure to overlap onto the blue portion just a bit, so that there is no white showing on the very edge of where the red paint will start. The red paint will cover up the blue enough, that it won’t be a problem.
Add a second layer of masking tape attached to newspaper, and make sure to cover up the entire portion of the hat that will not be painted red.
Step 6) Leaving a 1-1/2″ (one and one-have inch) space from the edge of where the blue portion is masked off lay down a 1-1/2″ masking tape line, to create a “stripe”. Once again, working with 5-6 inch pieces works best, making sure to smooth down the tape for good adhesion as you go along.
Lay down a second line of masking tape with a 1-1/2″ space in between and continue this process to the opposite edge of the straw hat.
Note: I did not make my lines exactly straight, nor did the space remain at 1-1/2″ throughout because I had to go with the three dimensional shape of the hat, but I did keep the overall look of the stripes straight looking.
Step 7) Spray the striped portion of the hat with several light coats of red spray paint until fully covered. Pull off the tape and news paper and let dry for 1 hour.
Step 8) Allow the hat(s) to dry for 24 hours and then touch up the white portions of the hat with either a white paint marker or a small brush and white craft paint, if desired.
Whether hanging from a fence post, a porch post, an entryway, on a mantel, in the garden
or simply worn on your noggin to the Fourth of July parade;
these stars and stripes straw hats are an inexpensive and crafty way to get patriotic this season.
Patriotic Craft and Decor Blog Tour
*******
For even MORE patriotic ideas,
consider adding a DIY stars and stripes tie dyed table cloth to your decor.
Also linking up to:
Funky Junk/ Patriotic Upcycled Projects
Link Party Palooza / Tatertots and Jello
Confessions of a Plate Additct/ The Scoop
Yankee Doodle Party! Get Inspired Red, White and Blue
Christy@Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer says
This is so fun and festive, Amy! I love the idea of hanging one on the door or even in the garden!
Amy says
Thank you, Christy. Here’s to red, white and blue for summer!
Meegan says
Amy, I love your patriotic hats! I like how versatile each one is. Thanks for sharing on the tour and for the inspiration.
Amy says
Thank you, Meegan. So glad to be a part of this tour with you 😉
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
Those are adorable Amy!! So smart with the foam star stickers. I think they look great along the fence!
Nancy
Amy says
I think I’m liking them along the fence, too, Nancy. Thank you 😉
Paula@SweetPea says
What a cute idea! I can think of so many places to hang your cute hats and I know I’d have to wear one on July 4th!
Amy says
I might have to wear one of these on the fourth, too, Paula. Thank you!!
Dria says
These are adorable! I love how you have them on the fence posts so cute! Great tutorial too!
Amy says
Thank you so much, Dria !!
Christy @ Our Southern Home says
This will be such a cute craft for the neighborhood 4th of July parade at the beach this year!!! Shared, pinned and stumbled! ~Christy
Amy says
At the beach? How fun! Thank you so much, Christy, for sharing like, everywhere!!
Jen @ Girl in the Garage says
This is such a creative idea Amy! This is a great hat to wear to a 4th of July parade or cookout – it’s usually SO hot in July! They also look perfect on your fence too. Thanks for being part of the tour!
Amy says
Oh, you are so right about July being the hottest!! But it is still my favorite month. Thank you so much for putting this altogether, Jen. Red, white and blue is such a fun theme to decorate with. I’m so glad to be a part of it.
Kathy@ Petticoat Junktion says
I absolutely love your patriotic hats. It’s neat the way you did the stripes on one side and the stars on the other1
Amy says
Stars and stripes are so much fun this time of year. I want to put them on everything, LOL. Thank you, Kathy 😉
Betty819 says
Sorry but I don’t understand how the foam stars are attached to the straw hat. Can somebody clarified that part for me? This is such an adorable craft and if you made it and wore it for Memorial Day or 4th. of July events, would it be such a conversation piece? Wished we lived close enough to hold a workshop in person! I bet a lot of ladies would sign up for it.
Amy says
Hi Betty, The foam stars come with an adhesive backing, so I was able to stick them right on to the hat. I had to fuss with a few of them to get them to stick, but in the end, the stars all stayed on long enough to give it a few coats of spray paint. And because the straw hat has so many fibers, it was easy enough to pull the stickers and the masking tape right off without pulling up any of the paint.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. If we lived closer, I would most certainly love to craft with you.
Hope you are having a great night ~ Amy
laurie says
How fun is that! I love them lined up on the fence posts. I could hang my hats on fence posts,(love that fence), and choose which one i want to plop on my head. laurie
Amy says
I had to go over to my sister’s house to take these photos. She horses on her property, thus, the big ole lovely fence. Thank you, Laurie, for coming by. I’m looking forward to what patriotic fun you have in store for us this week, too ~ Amy
Feral Turtle says
This is awesome Amy! You are so creative and what a perfect wreath for your door. Maybe I’ll make a Canadian one for my door, but next year! I hope you replay this next June!
Amy says
Thanks so much, Karen. I would LOVE to see you do a Canadian version. I’ll set this up now to reschedule for next June, LOL 😉
Mel says
Amazing Amy, thats so fun happy 4th of July….a little early.
Amy says
Thank you, my Aussie friend. This is truly my favorite time of year. Although the lack of snow and sleet just might play into that a little bit, LOL.
heather f says
Awww, you and your cute straw hats. This is a winner and I love the foam stars you used.
Amy says
Thank you, Heather, thank goodness I found those foam stars at the store. I feared I might have to order some one line and play the waiting game.
Shanna Gilbert says
These are so stinkin cute Amy! You always have the most creative ideas! I love that you hung them on the fence posts!
Amy says
I only wish those were my fence posts, LOL. It’s my sister’s. She’s a horse person and I guess that’s the kind of fence you need when you are a horse person…with horses. 😉
Danni@SiloHillFarm says
Those are adorable!! I still remember your patriotic tie-dye too! You are so clever and creative!!
Amy says
Thanks so much, Danni. I hope you are enjoying gearing up for the 4th in your new home!!
Jessi @ Practically Functional says
These are so cute! They’re perfect for the Fourth if it’s sunny, but I also really love them up along the fence as decor; cute idea!
I just wanted to let you know that you were featured as a Rockstar at last week’s Creativity Unleashed party! Voting is now open for MEGA Rockstar, so stop by and vote, and good luck! http://www.practicallyfunctional.com/creativity-unleashed-178-stencil-stop-giveaway/
Amy says
Thank you so much for including my project in the Rockstar feature this week!!
T'onna | Sew Crafty Crochet says
I love your patriotic hats! They’re so pretty and perfect! I’d love for you to stop by and link these (and another other red, white, and blue projects) at the Celebrate the USA Link Party I’m cohosting with several other bloggers. I hope to see your hats there! 🙂
http://www.sewcraftycrochet.com/2017/06/celebrate-usa-link-party-2017.html
Amy says
Thank you for the invite T’onna. Heading over to share 🙂
T'onna | Sew Crafty Crochet says
Hey! I’m stopping by to let you know that I selected your pretty patriotic hats as one of my features from the Celebrate the USA Link Party!