DIY Large Royal Crown

1.5' in diameter crown for church pageantry

I was recently tasked to make a large royal crown for our church anniversary's opening pageantry. For this I needed about 1' x 5' of metal sheet. I was only able to buy a 3' x 3' stucco embossed aluminum sheet that I had to cut in half to make two 1' x 3' pieces.

Materials and tools used:
~ aluminum sheet
~ plastic gems
~ large sheet of paper (manila paper or an old calendar page)
~ marker
~ metal cutting/heavy duty pair of scissors
~ electric drill
~ several rivets and a hand rivet gun
~ pliers
~ gold paint spray (18k gold)
~ contact cement
~ safety gears(glasses and gloves)

Because I had little time to create it, I was not able to take a lot of pictures.

The Paper Pattern. Since I worked with a two-piece aluminum sheet I had to make a paper pattern for a half part of the crown. Take 1' x 2.5' paper and fold in half. Fold each half - in half. Draw  pattern on the folded paper and cut.

Transferring the Pattern. Trace the paper pattern onto the aluminum sheets (two of them) then cut with a metal cutting pair of scissors. Do wear gloves and glasses.

Folding the edges. To make the aluminum sheet appear thicker I slightly folded all the edges using a pair of pliers

Rivets. To connect the two sheets, first drill tiny holes and apply rivets using a hand rivet gun

Gold Paint. After folding all the edges (which will also make it easier to hold the crown) apply the gold spray paint in several coats, take care to read the instructions on the paint can.

The Plastic Gems. Plan the placement of the plastic gems before attaching them on the crown. Arranging them beforehand will make the glue-ing  a lot smoother. Because the surface of the crown is embossed and its structure itself is curved, I chose to adhere the gems using contact rubber cement.

Contact Rubber Cement. Carefully put this adhesive on the back of each plastic gems. Wait till the rubber cement becomes a bit cloudy and therefore stickier and no longer runny, then stick them on the crown.

Finishing Touches. While the rubber cement is drying some of the gems might slip a bit and that would be arranged as long as the adhesive has not yet dried completely. Carefully go through the gems from time to time to check, and that will make for the finishing touches and its done.

The finished crown.

DIY Paper Corn Hat

DIY paper corn hat.

For a corn hat with 3D kernels, try making this fun but economical design made entirely of paper.

You will need the following:
   ~ 1 yellow vellum/cartolina
   ~ 1 golden yellow crepe paper
   ~ 1 light or yellow green crepe paper
   ~ golden yellow tissue or colored paper
   ~ white glue
   ~ pair of scissors
   ~ 8" to 9" elastic string
   ~ stapler

The very first step is to make a paper boat using a yellow cartolina.

And now to decorate your corn hat:

DIY Paper Tomato Hat

A last minute DIY paper tomato hat.

For an easy but fun tomato hat, try making this design made entirely of paper.

You will need the following:
   ~ 1 red vellum/cartolina
   ~ 1 red crepe paper
   ~ green colored paper
   ~ white glue
   ~ pair of scissors
   ~ 8" to 9" elastic string
   ~ stapler

The very first step is to make a paper boat using a red cartolina. For more on this, kindly click here.

Now you are ready to decorate your tomato hat.

DIY Paper Carrot Hat

DIY carrot hat made of paper.

For a last minute carrot hat that's simple and economical, try making this design made entirely of paper.

You will need the following:
   ~ 1 orange vellum/cartolina
   ~ 1 orange crepe paper
   ~ several green and orange colored paper
   ~ white glue
   ~ pair of scissors
   ~ 8" to 9" elastic string
   ~ stapler

The very first step is to make the paper boat using an orange cartolina. For more on this, kindly click here.

Steps to make a rounded-top paper boat hat.

Now for the assemblage:

DIY Paper Pineapple Hat

A simple and economical pineapple hat.

For a last minute pineapple hat that's simple and economical, try making this design made entirely of paper.

You will need the following:
   ~ 2 yellow vellum/cartolina
   ~ 1 green vellum/cartolina or several green colored papers
   ~ white glue
   ~ pair of scissors
   ~ 8" to 9" elastic string
   ~ stapler

The very first step is to make the paper boat using a yellow cartolina. For more on this, kindly click here.

For the leaves of the crown. You need to cut several 2" x 7" green pieces of paper.
For the 'pineapple eyes'. You need to cut several 3" x 6" yellow pieces of paper.

Now your paper boat hat is ready to decorate.

Ancient Sword Prop

All throughout the internet are a thousand and one ways to come up with a pretend sword or weapon of some sort. Being someone who has been fascinated with sword fights in movies, I found my son's need for a prop blade to be an opportunity for me to (likewise) pretend to be ~ a sword-smith.;D

A prop weapon inspired by a traditional Filipino sword the talibong.

 I practically did not spend a thing for this project. For the 'blade' I used a thin but sturdy PVC material that I covered with a silver paper salvaged from a chocolate box packaging.

You had only need to look around to find PVC on used folder, clear book or notebook covers and other office supplies. I found it better than using corrugated board because it is thinner and stronger and much easier to draw from sheath if ever your prop sword would require one.

For the sheath and handle I used corrugated board covered with paper and decorated with aluminum inner milk-can seal with pressed-in design to resemble engraved metal. A heat glue gun should easily hold all the materials together.

DIY Faux Gold Armband

Thanks to my son's school activity, I was forced to find a way to create a faux gold armband for his ethnic costume. Luckily all the materials needed (which consisted of just 2 main items) can be found just around the corner. 

It was that of a pintados (painted) prince costume that inspired this project.

 Materials needed:

 ~ duct tape, metallic gold wire and a paper pattern cut to fit.

The paper pattern should be in the shape of a trapezoid with slight angles on the sides.

 Procedure:

Step 1: Prepare the duct tape by laying a portion down ( sticky-side up) the table; if the tape is not wide enough for the band, stick two pieces together then cut and shape according to the paper pattern.

 Step 2: Stick the metal wires on the duct tape one by one. The length of each should exceed the length of  the tape by about half an inch on both sides. Carefully curve the wires as you go along.

Step 3: Fold in the exceeding wire ends on the 'wrong' side of the band.

Step 4: Cover the folded ends of the wire with a small piece of tape so as not to cause any discomfort.

Step 5: Curve the band all the way till you achieve the desired result.

Armbands are integral and defining to many kinds of costume and to those who need to come up with a pair asap, I hope this post helps.

DIY Fruit and Veggies Hats from Paper Boat, Part II

Need to come up with a fancy hat right away, say a fruit or a vegetable one? Here's a fast, green and economical option: start  by folding  a paper boat.

(For Part I of this post that featured a watermelon, pineapple, corn and a leafy veg hat, click here.)

 Now you are ready to create as many fruit and veggies hats you can think of.

You only need your imagination along with some crepe, tissue or multi-colored papers to dress up your hat and rise to  the occasion. Here is an example on how to decorate a tomato hat. For more illustrations on this tomato hat click here.

(1) To put a fruit stem, roll a green paper, make several cuts from one end to make flaps to glue on the top of the hat.

(2) Glue the crepe paper from the inside of the rim.

(3) Cover the whole hat with the crepe paper, fold excess paper in and glue at the root of the stem.

(4) Cut sepals from green paper and attach.

Modify color of hat and stem, size and shape of sepal or leaf to come up with various fruit and veggies hat. Here are some ideas for inspiration:

Orange Paper Hat

Carrot Paper Hat~ for step by step instructions click here.

Mango Paper Hat

Squash Paper Hat

Strawberry Paper Hat

DIY Fruit and Veggies Hats from Paper Boat Part I

Need to come up with a fancy hat in no time and with minimum cost? Start with something you have been an expert at making all along - folding a paper boat, and then explore the possibilities.

The next step is when your craft wizardry takes over. Decorate with crepe, tissue or multicolored paper to the design of your choice.

Here are some ideas:

For step by step instruction for a DIY paper pineapple hat click here.

For step by step instruction for a DIY paper corn hat click here.