Make A Paper Cone Tree - Make A Memory

Greetings friends.  It is supposed to be a gloomy, rainy weekend so I thought I would leave you with a fun project that is really beautiful and inexpensive.  Back when I decided to make a wreath from old book pages, we made a trip to a huge used book store here in Nashville called McKay's.  If you know me,  you know how I love book stores.  I mean LOVE them.  McKay's is huge and has every kind of book imaginable,  games, DVD's and CD's.  It is housed in a two story warehouse that would blow your mind.  Not only did I load up on lovely old books that cost very little (I'm not reading them, just using the pages this time), they also have a huge section of music books, sheet music and hymnals.  I could not pass those by either, so I purchased a large piano book that had tons of music pages for $5.00 and an old hymnal for $.75.  That was a real coup.

My original idea was for a wreath made of book pages that you can find on my blog dated Tuesday, August 21, 2012.  Although I will be making more of the wreaths for Christmas gifts, I have a LOT of books and music available.  I had an idea to make a Christmas tree from some of the music pages - somehow.  You know me, on a wing and a prayer.   So through a little trial and error, I came up with this method.

I had a styrofoam cone from last year's Christmas projects to use as my base.  It's 12 inches tall.  But, you could make a cone from cardboard, maybe from a cereal box, if you wanted to save some money.  The biggest music page cones were made from tracing a 4 inch square on pieces of sheet music and cutting them out.   Since I don't know what size base cone you will use, I suggest making lots of cones.  I simply cut and rolled them and stapled them on the bottom.

You need a way to attach the cones to the styrofoam, so I used sequin pins which you can get at craft stores.

You could use hot glue to attach them, BUT you cannot move them if you don't get them placed exactly where you want.  Just giving you a heads up on that.  This tree was my second attempt.  I took the first tree apart because I didn't like the way it looked.  Glad I used pins.  If the cones had been glued, that would have been it.

Start at the bottom of the cone and work to the top.  Simply place the cones facing the same direction each time and as close together as you can get them.  Put one sequin pin near the base of the cone, pushing it through the styrofoam.

Here you can see the staples (which are only in the paper cones), and if you look even closer, the little pin heads.  First round done.  Looks like a little tutu doesn't it?

For the next round, place the bottom of the cone so it comes about half way down the cones in the first row, and pin around like the first row.  Keep repeating until you are near the top.  At this point, I shortened the cones for a couple of rows so you would have the appearance of a tree as it tapers to the top.  You will need about 2 rows of the 3 inch cones.  The very top was another story.

I sat and looked at this tree for a bit trying to figure out the best way to finish it.  Here is what I did.  Make small cones about an inch high.  Pin 4 or 5 of them pointing straight up like in the picture.  Now, go back and pin several rows of the 1 inch cones over the cones pointing up.  It takes a little time and patience and you may have to adjust here and there.  Otherwise, you are finished except for the star on top if you want one and some glitter of course.

Set the tree in a cake pan or something to catch falling glitter.  Lightly brush the cones with Mod Podge or Elmer's glue and sprinkle with glitter.  Easy.  Peasy.

You could use a small snowflake, a button, or a star of some kind for your topper.  I had two small acrylic stars that I glued back to back, put a little hot glue on the bottom and placed it in the top of the tree.  The most time consuming part of the project is making the cones.  I have to say, I am very happy with the finished product.

The little tree next to this one is really easy.  Cut out a piece of cardboard from a box, something with some thickness, not a cereal box.  Use a wooden skewer like you make kabobs with and push the flat end in the cardboard, pointy end on top.  I deleted these pictures accidently, so I hope you can follow me.  This will be the spindle/trunk of your tree.

Now, using book pages or music pages, cut out at least 10 squares for each size needed.  Reduce each set of squares by at least 1/4 inch so you will have a graduated tree effect when finished.  My base was 4 inches square.  To make sure my first set of squares covered the cardboard,  I made my paper squares 4.5 inches - just a little bigger than the base.  I used pinking shears to give the edges a little pizzaz.   Plain scissors would be fine.  If you make a tree with a big base, it will take more squares and a taller "trunk".

To make the tree,  place a piece of paper so the spindle is in the center and push is all the way to the bottom of the tree.  As you place the squares, turn them slightly so you get a "tree" effect. Every 20 or so squares, place a thin piece of cardboard (like from a cereal box) the size of the smallest square so you don't see it.  Put the cardboard so the center of the spindle is in the center of the cardboard and push it down, same as for the paper squares.  This helps give the tree body and keeps the paper squares from collapsing.  Work your way to the top using smaller and smaller squares, leaving just a tiny piece of the spindle showing.  Again, I glued two stars together back to back with the skewer/spindle in the middle.  Glitter the same way as the directions for the  cone tree above if you want.  Done.  This is an easy one for children to do.  The cone tree is a bit harder.

These trees are so pretty - quite elegant actually.  They would make lovely hand made gifts, especially for book or music lovers and they are inexpensive which is even better!   Don't forget to make some for your home also.  Wouldn't this be a fun family project on this rainy weekend?  What's more fun than cutting, gluing, glittering and decorating?  It's certainly better than what's on television.   Remember, we are making memories.


Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

My fondest memories from childhood Christmas's involve things I made, which I have been doing every year since I was about 7.  Take the time to make some precious holiday memories whether baking or making things together, or both.  You'll be so happy you did.

Welcome To The Living Room- Christmas 2012

Welcome to Christmas at the Little Yellow Cottage.  Decorating began the day after Thanksgiving and has been going on since.  Do you have trouble getting done?  I seem to be continually adding or changing.  There is always another idea, something that could look better, another place or use for something.  Creativity is a curse sometimes, but I am thankful to be cursed.

The tour begins in our main living area.  Our living room is not large, but it is very cozy with the fireplace being the focal point of the room.   When you enter through the front door, there is a small entryway with a rustic cabinet that has old windows for the doors.   It holds our crystal because we don't have enough cabinet space in the kitchen.  The decorations change with the season and here is how it looks this Christmas.

Since I am totally enamored with the shutters I painted earlier in the season, I took my book page wreath down for the holidays and added the ornament wreath I made last year.  My "Joy To The World" sign has been part of our Christmas decor for many years.  It is very dear to my heart so it is used every year somewhere.  For a slightly different look this year, I used the burlap ribbon and the large and small sparkly stars.

There are two small trees in the living area.  I gave up large trees years ago due to lack of space and time.  Small trees are much easier to decorate and place.  With 6 grandsons under the age of 9, three of them under three, it is nice to have them up off the floor.  Grandma does have lots of stuff sitting around and the temptation for little hands is great.

This is the flocked tree in the front window that has all crystal and clear ornaments.  There is a small village under the tree and you can see the big snowflake through the front window.

Here is a closeup of our little village under the tree.  The boys LOVE the ceramic train that I have had for more than 25 years.  Such a temptation for little hands.  We'll see how long it survives.

The mantle is decorated in a winter wonderland theme using lots of white lights, snow flakes (Dollar Tree), candles, and mirrored trees.  If you have not made yourself a regular at the Dollar Tree, do so now.  There are such awesome decorations to be had for very little money.  The mirrored trees came from there 3 years ago.  I had seen them at a high end boutique gift shop for $30.00 each.  I scored mine for $1.00 each.  Yahoo!

They reflect so much light and give such a frosty, wintry look.  They make me happy.  The snowflakes are hung with monofilament line from clear pushpins.  It's very hard to get a good picture of them so that you can see the detail, but they are quite lovely.  These will probably stay up until February.

The small tree in the corner in front of the mirror is decorated with hand made ornaments that I made years ago, lots of icicles and red glass balls.  The reflection in the mirror makes it seem much bigger than it is.

See the large rusty snowflake under the tree?  I have lots of those that get used in different places also.  Have had those for years and years.

Here is a close up of the two trees you can see in the first picture.  They are sitting on a trunk that is used as a coffee table in front of the sofa.  I made these using sheet music.  There will be a tutorial on how to make them tomorrow.  They are beautiful decorations and would be wonderful gifts.   The little polar bear came from you know where.  $1.00.  What can I say?

Need a really easy centerpiece or gift?  I saw these at TJMaxx several years ago and thought holy cow, why should I pay for that.  We have lots of sticks in the yard.  Just gather some up and cut them to similar lengths.  Wrap them with wire in the center to hold them together, spray paint them any color you want.  I added some Christmas greenery and made a nice big bow.  Voila!  A lovely, natural centerpiece.  This sits on top of another small cabinet next to my $2.50 candle holder I found at Gordman's a couple of years ago.  I told you, I am the Queen of Cheap.

The sofa table holds one of my prized possessions, a gift from Dan years ago.  She is a beautiful angel from Mexico.  She sits 12 inches high and holds a candle in her hands and another can be placed inside that shines through her robe.  I hadn't gotten the candle in her hands for the picture.  Details.  It's all about the details.  There are mirrored trees on the table and stars that I have gold leafed, paired with white glittered stars.  You just can't have too many stars in my book.  After all, it was a star that led the wise men to the manger.

And this is my newest addition to our Christmas decorations.  My advent calendar made from an antique Coca Cola case.  I have two of these and have had them for 43 years, as long as we have been married. They have followed us everywhere and have been used for several different things.  This was sitting on our hearth looking at me when it dawned on me it would make the perfect advent calendar!  I found these adorable little ornaments at Big Lots (another one of my favorite haunts).  I used little cup hooks which were screwed into the top of each compartment.  I numbered 24 ornaments and hung them in each little compartment.  There is enough space to put lots of little treats for grandsons to find for each day of the countdown to Christmas.

I used a fine point Sharpie to write the numbers on each little ornament.  I must say, it is adorable.  The boys love to find a treat whenever they are here.

Thanks for joining me tonight.  Hope you got some decorating ideas and tomorrow I will show you how to make those lovely little trees.  Next, we will visit the dining and kitchen area.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

My goal is to make memories for our family and grandchildren.  Yes, it is a lot of work, but so worth it to me.  It's all in the details.

Let It Snow - Make A Snowflake

 As usual, I am a day late with this post.  Sometimes the demands of the day catch me wanting when it comes to time.  I write as things inspire me.  I do not write posts days ahead and then set them to post at a certain day and time.  That is thinking and planning too far in advance.  These baby's are hot off the presses as they say - as they come to me.  There are times when my intention is to post one particular thing, and then some shiny object catches the corner of my eye and there is a whole different post that goes on the page.  That's the way I roll.

On Tuesday, when I had promised this post, we were invited to attend a beautiful Winter Garden ceremony at our grandsons' school.  I did not get my blog written before we went and needless to say, it was too late to write when we returned (that's a nice way of saying my brain had ceased to function at that point).  As for the Winter Garden, I am so very glad we went.  It was one of the most beautiful and inspiring programs ever.

Anyway, here is the promised tutorial with directions on how to make your own snowflakes from craft sticks, better known as popsicle sticks.   When I was in elementary school back in the dark ages, I had an art teacher who would ask for strange things for art projects.  It made my mom crazy and there were no craft stores to buy such things as were requested.  One December we had to have a bunch of popsicle sticks.  Where did one get popsicle sticks in December?  No one knew.  So, we bought popsicles and ate them until we had the required number of sticks.  Thank goodness for craft stores!   I bought a box of 1000 craft sticks at WalMart for $3.99.  Can't beat that with a stick.  (I know, I know).  Just couldn't pass it up.  You can make a LOT of snowflakes with this many craft sticks, or lots of other projects if your heart so desires.

I had seen these snowflakes on Pinterest last year.  They were on an interior wall and painted red which were really quite lovely.  My desire was for snowflakes that looked like snowflakes, the white kind like the ones that fall from the sky.  We have always been taught that no two snowflakes are alike so I created all mine to be different.  Wouldn't you?

This is an easy project.  You need some craft sticks, hot glue and paint.  Feel free to glitter these up if you want.  I was in a hurry the day I made these (and it shows, please forgive), so I did not do glitter.  Simply start by making a base for the flake.  The first one I did was the biggest one that is on the left in the windows.  You will need a protractor and some basic math if you want them to be really straight.  Also, the sticks may move while the glue is still drying, so some of mine are a little wonky which totally goes against my need for things to be straight.  (Ever hear of the galloping horse theory?  We used it in costuming.  On a galloping horse, no one will notice if something is not perfectly even).  These snowflakes are hanging outside, blowing in the wind, and hopefully no one will notice that they are not perfectly straight.  If these were on an inside wall where I could see them, it would be mandatory for them to be straight.  Period.  OCD, I know.

Back to the directions.  Make your base.  The biggest flake starts with six sticks in an asterisk shape.   To be perfectly straight, you want 60 degree angles between the sticks.  Remember basic math?  A circle has 360 degrees, so 180 degrees for half a circle, 3 angles per half circle would be 60 degrees. Have fun with that protractor!  Glue the sticks together.

Now, glue the point pieces on.  Yep, mine is crooked because I wasn't paying close attention, trying to work on several things at once and the glue dried before I could move the sticks.  Arrggghhh.  Add 3 sticks to the end of each point or make a design of your choice.  I then took all the finished flakes outside and spray painted them.

I put a black trash bag on the ground and laid each finished snowflake on it, spray painted one side, let it dry, turned it and finished painting.

I leaned the flakes up against the fence around my little secret garden to take the pictures.  When I looked at the picture, my thought was someone needs to clean up that poor garden.  I will talk to the yard man about it.  Here are some of the other designs I made.  It's really lots of fun coming up with designs.  Yep, that one is crooked on the top too.  : (

It's really just a matter of putting sticks in different places and having fun being creative.  After you develop your design, glue the sticks in place and paint away.

Here is how they look hanging on the porch.  Now they don't look so crooked.  See?  Galloping horse!

They are all different sizes and I really do love the way they look - just the right touch for a winter wonderland, especially in this 70 degree weather we have been having.  One of these would be beautiful on a front door also.

This is a project even your kids can have fun with, just help them with the gluing part!   We don't want any burned fingers.

These snowflakes may hang on the porch when the Christmas decorations come down.  I do like the way they look.  Make your own snowflakes and enjoy the creative process.  It's lots of fun.  When friends and neighbors ask where you got them, just say I made them.  Easy peasy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Every snowflake that falls is one of a kind - just like you!

Welcome To Christmas At The Little Yellow Cottage

Oh you better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout I'm telling you why..........Christmas is coming and waaaaaay too soon.  Do you celebrate on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?  Personally, we like to celebrate on both.  Why not?

This last week has seen Grandma and the Elves (minus the Elves) busily decorating for Christmas.  Dan put up the outside lights on a beautiful sunny Saturday right after Thanksgiving and my part of the bargain began last Monday and I am STILL tweaking things.  Hopefully everything will be done tomorrow, because I have to get on the gift making train immediately.

I promised my friend Debra that I would post pictures of the house so here we go.  I will begin as if you were walking to the front door and this is what you will see.  Frosty (who has been in the family for almost 20 years) sits on the front porch in his dapper top hat surrounded by beautiful white lights and snowflakes made by yours truly.  The snowflakes were spotted on Pinterest last Christmas season and I knew I would make them this year for the front porch.  They are super simple, inexpensive (my favorite word) and made from craft sticks - what we called popsicle sticks back in the day - then spray painted white.  They are hanging from monofilament line (better known as fishing line) and they look absolutely adorable.  I will give you a quick tutorial tomorrow night.

Here is Frosty in the daytime.

He's such a happy guy, I love to look at his smiling face and he never has to worry about melting.  ♥

On our front and back door, there are wreaths that I made from snowflakes found at my favorite Dollar Tree.  Talk about easy and inexpensive!  I wish the pictures showed how they sparkle in the light  (they probably would if I was a photographer, but alas I'm not).

This is the front door and the next picture is the back door.  The main difference is the color of the door which makes them look slightly different.

Here is a close up so you can see the detail better.

Here is how I made these wreaths.  I just happened to be at  the Dollar Tree (my home away from home) and they had a really nice display of all kinds of snowflakes.  I couldn't choose a particular one I liked so I got some of all of them.  For the base,  I used one of the biggest snowflakes which is about 12 inches across and is clear and icy looking.  They were $1.00 each.  There are 2 large acrylic flakes on each wreath, one of which you can see on the bottom right side in the picture above, the other is at the top left.  They were 2 for $1.00.  The rest of the snowflakes came in packages of 3 - 6 per package for $1.00 per package.  The really white glittered foam snowflakes were 12 in a package for just $1.00

I laid the largest flake on the bottom and placed the others around until I got a look I liked.  Then I went back and hot glued them all in place which is what took the longest.  I made both wreaths in under an hour.  Now, how easy is that?  The finished wreath is 20 inches in diameter and is great because it's flat and fits between the door and the storm door.  It is so hard to find things that will fit between the doors.  I can use these winter wonderland wreaths all the way until Valentine's day.  Yippeee!  I also tied a long piece of sheer white ribbon to each wreath and looped it over the hanger on the door.  That was just for effect, but not necessary.

The total cost for both wreaths was $12.00 making them $6.00 each.  That is a great price for two beautiful wreaths.  These would also work nicely indoors because they are so lightweight and have a crystalline, frosty, winter look which can work after the holidays in that blah time of year before Valentine's Day.  You know that time - when everything is grey and yucky.  Yeah, that time.

It's that time of year when you need decorations and gifts for all kinds of people.  This wreath is a beauty and takes little time and little money and you can put your own spin on it.  Our budget is limited, so I am always trying to come up with things that look great and cost little.  I hope you will give this project a try.

Tomorrow, we will continue our house tour.  Come back and join me.  Who knows?  By tomorrow I may have changed a dozen things or made something new and interesting.    See you then.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” 
― Bob Hope

The Tale of The Phantom Turkey

 Hello to you one and all.  How was your weekend?  Hopefully, it was all you wanted and more.  We got a jump on Thanksgiving with my mom, sister, and nephew visiting for the weekend.  Since we would not be getting to celebrate Thanksgiving Day together, I decided we would celebrate on Saturday while they were here.

I spent the day cooking and talking, talking and cooking.  It was a pleasant way to spend the day, enjoying each other's company while doing one of my most favorite things - cooking for those I love.  Of course, the first thing that had to be done was to get the turkey in the oven.  Our oldest daughter worked at a cafe in New York City when she lived there and they baked a turkey every day for sandwiches and dinners.  It was, perhaps, the best turkey I had ever eaten and that is the way I prepare turkeys now.

Mr. Turkey was an 18 pounder and had been thawing in the refrigerator for several days.  He had to be brined on Friday for cooking on Saturday.  Have you ever brined a turkey?  If not, this holiday is the perfect time to start!  It makes the most delicious, flavorful, succulent turkey you have ever eaten and it is really quite simple to do.  I used our Coleman cooler for the brining process, or you can get a new 5 gallon bucket at a home improvement store (like Home Depot) to use.

Make sure you remove all the extras from the turkey that are hiding inside and trim any extra skin and fat from the neck cavity.  Now, make your brine by adding 1.5 cups of coarse salt to a pan containing a quart of water.  Cook and stir until the salt has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and let cool before pouring over the turkey.

When the brining water has cooled, put the turkey in the cooler, or bucket, and pour the cooled brining water over the turkey.  Keep adding water (NOT hot), until the turkey is covered.  You will need at least 7 quarts of water and maybe more.  Add a bag of crushed ice to the water and close the lid of the cooler.  Turkey can be brined up to 24 hours before baking.  If you are using a bucket for the turkey, cover the turkey with water and set the bucket in a cooler and place ice around the bucket.

When you are ready to bake the turkey, remove it from the brining water and wash it thoroughly to remove any remaining salt residue.  Place the turkey in the roasting pan.  Now for the fun part.  This is how I bake the most delicious turkey ever.  In the cavity of the turkey, place one apple that you have cut in half, one large onion that you have cut in half, a quartered lemon, 3-4 garlic cloves, and a handful of fresh thyme sprigs.   You may have to push and shove to get it all arranged, but it is SO worth the effort.  Now, put your hands under the skin on the breast and gently pull the skin loose by moving your hands up and around as far as you can go.  Place fresh thyme sprigs under the skin, as much as you can get under there.  Now, wasn't that fun?

Next, turn the wing tips so they will lay under the body of the turkey so they don't burn during roasting.  This is a really awesome trick I picked up from Alton Brown on the Food Network.  It takes a little twisting and turning to make it happen, but again, it is SO worth the effort.

Now, make a tent of aluminum foil over the turkey, leaving the ends open.  It took two pieces of foil to cover this big boy.  Now, you are ready to begin the roasting process.  Place the turkey in your 350 degree preheated oven.  Recommended cooking time is 15 minutes per pound for a turkey that is not filled with stuffing.  So, if you have a 20 pound turkey you are looking at 20x15, or 300 minutes or 5 hours.  Figure roasting time by multiplying the weight of your turkey times 15 divided by 60.  BE SURE AND ALLOW ENOUGH TIME FOR ROASTING THOROUGHLY!  When a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, the temperature should be 180 degrees.  Now, you can remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

I was so busy getting all the side dishes ready, and the grandsons were starving and begging to eat, so I got in a "get er done" mode.  My daughter asked what she could do to help and I said you can carve the turkey.  I finally had everything ready to go and a loud cheer went up (no, not really), but the mothers started preparing their son's plates when it hit me.  NOOOOOOOOOOOO.  I did not take a picture of my beautiful turkey.  Probably the most perfect turkey I had ever roasted.  It was beautifully golden, not one burned place anywhere.  How could this be?  It was like the moment in A Christmas Story when the Bumpusses' dogs had eaten the Christmas turkey.  I was devastated.  I had worked all day to make this beautiful bird and there was nothing but the carcass.  NO. PICTURE. TAKEN.  WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.  So, I did the next best thing and took a picture of the carcass just to prove there was a turkey.  A real turkey that I had cooked.  It isn't a phantom.  It was a beautiful, delicious turkey.  It was all I could do.  You can see the beautiful golden skin and the ruins.  I know, it's not the same, but it's what I got.  That's what happens when you take pictures of the food you are getting ready to eat.  This is not a photo op, this is not food that is prepared just for pictures, this is hard core dinner food.  No food stylists here, just Grandma trying to get the food on the table.

I did get a picture of some of the awesomely delicious white meat left on the platter.  This turkey was so good that I wish you could taste it.  Brining is the way to go my friends and adding an apple to the cavity helps the turkey retain moisture.  The onions, garlic, lemon and thyme add more flavor than you can ever imagine.  Yes, this is the way to roast a turkey and it got rave reviews from everyone in attendance.  Even our oldest grandson who may be the world's pickiest eater loved it!  Grandson #2 kept asking for more turkey again and again.  There wasn't much left of this big boy, just enough to make a turkey pot pie and a couple of sandwiches.  I guess that's a worthy testimonial eh?

If you are planning to roast a turkey and don't know how you are going to do it, give this method a try. You will be glad you did.  You will have only a carcass to prove you actually roasted that bird.  And a smile on everyone's face.   And that is the tale of the phantom turkey.   Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Be thankful every day, not just on Thanksgiving.  Live with an attitude of gratitude.

How To Make A Snowman Hat Tree Topper

Hooray, it's Friday eve, better known as Thursday.  What did you do today?  This was my project for the day which is a snowman's top hat to be used as a tree topper.  This was made for my dear sweet friends Don and Rick.  No, it does not look one bit like a typical black top hat that you would expect Frosty to wear.  It does look more like something from a Dr. Seuss story, but that's okay because that is what they wanted.  Also, it can be used as a centerpiece which is a plus.

They deck their tree and house out in a theme every year and this year they are using bright colors - lime green, hot pink, and turquoise blue.  Don fell in love with the snowman hat as a tree topper 2 years ago.  We looked and looked at them, but he would change his mind and never bought one.  Last year, they used a beach theme for their tree with star fish, shells and all kinds of cute beach themed ornaments, so he didn't think the top hat was the right thing to use as a tree topper.  This year, it is THE perfect thing to use to go with all the bright colors on the tree and throughout the house.  Needless to say, you can't find one of these just anywhere.  So, I told Don I would make him one as part of his birthday gift. I wish you could see it in actuality, it is SO cute with lots of glitz and sparkle.  It would make Lady GaGa proud.

What started the whole conversation was Don saying he wanted a top hat this year for the tree, but didn't want to spend the money for a ready made one.  Then, I found one on Pinterest that was really cute made from a coffee can.  He and Rick really liked it, so I said that is what I would make.  As you can see, that is not what I made but I did use a Trader Joe's coffee can for the base.  Did I take a picture of the coffee can?  Of course not.  Sorry.  But the can is 9.75 inches tall by 4.5 inches in diameter.  It is taller than most regular coffee cans and narrower.  Perfect for this project!

Remember, I am doing this on the fly, so I played around a bit and started at one place and proceeded to another.  Do you do that when creating?  My years of working in theatrical costumes has taught me a lot about things that can be used that are inexpensive but do the job just fine.  So, I started with an empty coffee can.  Next, I cut up some cereal boxes because I wanted to cover the hat with them.

Cereal boxes are good to use because the cardboard is not too heavy and it is recycling at its finest!  I painted several pieces with a lime green acrylic paint because the Deco Mesh I was using to cover the hat was lime green.  Makes sense, right?  I just used a 1 inch sponge brush and smeared the paint on.

I painted several pieces because I needed to cover the top, sides and brim of the hat.  At least that's what I planned on doing.  I covered the can with cardboard and hot glued it down the seam.

Next, I traced around the can on another painted piece of cardboard to make the top of the hat, cut it out and hot glued it to the top of the cardboard around the can.

Yeah, there is hot glue everywhere, but it peels right off and I knew it would be covered with Deco mesh.

Next, I made what would be the brim.  I cut out a large circle of cardboard and that is where the lightbulb went off in my head.  This would be too flimsy for what I wanted.  That meant time to search the craft room for something else to cover this cardboard with.  If you are a crafter like me, then you probably have all kinds of things lurking in the shadows of your craft room.  Ding, ding, ding - I found just what I needed.  There was a package of 12 x 18 craft foam in different colors and - wahoo- two pieces of lime green foam.  That was exactly what I wanted.   I covered the cardboard covered coffee can with a piece of foam and trimmed it.  I hot glued it down the seam and then hot glued the other end and pressed it over the first seam.  Somehow I missed taking a picture of this step.  That's what happens when I get into being creative.  Oh well.  Then I cut a round piece to cover the top of the coffee can and hot glued it down.

For the brim, I traced two circular pieces of foam and cut those out.  I sandwiched the cardboard circle between the two foam pieces and hot glued them around the edges.  Again, no picture.  Please forgive me.

Now, it was time to cover the base pieces with the Deco Mesh.  First, I cut a piece about 1 inch bigger than the circle meant for the hat brim.  I laid the foam covered piece in the center of the Deco Mesh and gently pulled the edges over the top of the piece.  Working in about 2 inch sections, I put a little hot glue on the edge of the circle and pressed the mesh down with a wooden dowel rod I keep for hot gluing so I don't burn my fingers!!!!  And boy, does it burn if you touch it!  Simply roll from the outside edge toward the center until the mesh sticks to the foam.

I worked all around the circle until all the mesh was glued down.

Now, I laid a large piece of mesh over the circle I just finished and cut the mesh to the exact size of the circle.  Then, you guessed it, I glued the mesh to the unfinished top.

Time to cover the coffee can with Deco Mesh.   Cut a circle about an inch bigger than the top of the can and carefully glue it over the edges.  Yes, it looks messy because you can see the glue through the mesh, but remember it will be covered with more mesh.  Don't forget to use your dowel rod for gluing!

Time to cover the sides of the coffee can.  I laid it on the mesh sideways, cut it to size, and glued down one seam.  I rolled the can until the mesh met the original seam and pulled it tight.  I cut the mesh leaving about 1 inch to fold under when I glued it down so there would not be a jagged edge and it would hold better.  Oops, no picture again.  

Here is the finished crown of the hat.

Not too shabby.  Time to attach the brim.

I placed the crown of the hat in the center of the circle aka the brim.  I used a pencil and made dots in the foam by pushing the pencil down through the mesh so I would know the crown was centered when I glued it on.  After all this work, I certainly didn't want an off center crown!  Now, I ran a bead of hot glue around the bottom of the coffee can and set it in place on the brim.  I ran another bead of glue around the outside edge of the crown just to make sure it held.

TaDa!  Not too shabby.  The hat is nice and sturdy.  Now the fun begins.  Time to decorate!

First, I wrapped some hot pink Deco Mesh around the crown several times because it is sheer and I wanted strong color.  Again, I folded the seam and hot glued it down.  Now, there has to be an opening so the hat will fit on the tree.  I made an X in the bottom of the brim and cut it with scissors.  I pushed it back to form an opening.  If it isn't quite big enough, all they have to do it cut is just a little more so the hat will sit on the top of the tree.

My heart begins to race at this point because it's time to add the sparkly stuff.  (I do have glitter in my veins you know.)  I had several Christmas floral picks that were all glittery and sparkly (be still my heart) in hot pink, turquoise and green.  I arranged them the way I wanted and glued them to the crown of the hat.  Then, I added some turquoise metallic garland loops and some more hot pink Deco Mesh in puffs to fill out the arrangement.

Not a great picture, but it is so festive and happy and sparkly and glittery.

To finish the hat, I used some of the silver snowflakes from a garland that I had purchased at Hobby Lobby to decorate the brim of the hat, the hat band and the underside of the brim so you can see them when the hat is on the top of the tree.  I mean, it is a snowman's hat after all.

Now, how cute is that?  It needed just one more thing.   I used some 1/8 inch ribbon and glued it around the edge of the hat brim and crown of the hat just to make it more finished.  Now, it's done and
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT ON THE TOP OF THEIR TREE!!

If you decide you want to make one of these adorable hats, you can use any sized can for the base.  It just depends on the look you want and pretty much follow the same procedure using any colors of your choice.  You know, I am thinking I may just have to have one of these for each of the grandson's trees and ours too.  Time's a wastin' Grandma.  You better get busy!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale they say,
He was made of snow but the children
Know how he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic in that
Old silk hat they found,
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around................Sing with me now

Frosty the snowman was alive as he could be,
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me.