Santa hat 🎅🏻 a Christmas (started) in July project entry.

Inspired by a saved photo from my projects to do list.

I wanted to do a Christmas in July project.

I always say I will start earlier next year and never do.

A completely new fabrication to complement the inspired old tired rather unattractive preowned Santa hat.

Project supported by using what-you-have: some thrifted and recovered recycle bin/garage materials that were squirreled away just waiting for a purpose.

Objective: Outfit the hat for a new seasonal holiday display

1-Thrifted Santa hat was inspiration start after finally deciding on a subject matter.

Have a bag of thrifted Santa hats. This one was not particularly pleasing -an inexpensive example thinner felty quality red fur and some mild red dye transfer was evident in the white trim likely from washing.

Adult sized.

Likely under $4, purchased a long time ago.

Additional recycled repurposed thrifted ingredients

Other various garage and recycled trashy or thrifted materials collected to assist the modeling

Foam sheets. Free life jackets came with the house purchase.

Once deteriorated and no longer safely serviceable the belts and interiors multiple layers of thin foam sheets were harvested and saved for future repurposing. Foam in perfect condition.

Reclaimed used shipping boxes to include a collection of inside packing materials

Typical expected collection of pre-used shipping materials.

Brown paper/two thicknesses, Amazon cardboard boxes, packing peanuts, this packaging assortment was saved for repurposing or reuse for any possible future shipping needs. Normal expected condition.

Characteristically thick dense and textured pressed cardboard forms meant to stabilize shipping boxed gallon paint cans were deliberately saved for its interesting stiffness and rough texture.

Two rolls of brown adhesive gummed packaging tapes ( different paper thicknesses ) were thrifted decades ago. Completely serviceable.
Thrifted melted marbles that came inside a clear glass vase - two selected for part of the eye balls. Normal condition.
Grout and caulk — a final sealing prep prior to decorative painting

Some leftover powdered grout from a former project was mixed with glue/water in experimental try at Santa hat fabric stiffening, a draping effort.

Some barely useable should-have-been-trashed poorly preforming dollar tree caulk thats tube was damaged (split open midway and had been duct taped shut after its last use.)

Lastly some more expired faulty caulk from the garage obtained, old/expired it would not expel from cartridge so its cartridge was forcefully split in half and an alternative messy finger painting application done. Provided general smoothing for foam - paper - fabric transitions or paper wrinkles. The coating corrections were achieved with the less-desirable-messy-manual approach that was necessary because of the faulty failed expired caulk suboptimal properties.

Grommet —Lastly hole was punched on the cardboard’s backside and a thrifted grommet ring glued inside the newly made puncture for hanging purpose. The grommet was another thrifted garage stash item. Only one side was needed.

Assessment

Certainly got so carried away immersed in the facial construction that I made the project more substantially larger and thicker than I planned.

Initially figured a few layers of cardboard and let painted wash shadows show the dimension. Adapted with the process using the textured cardboard and figured out more dimension was likely needed to balance out the furry spikey hats textures and the dimensional draped ( padded) hat placement.

Whelp the sad preowned dye transferred now petrified hat got its modified cardboard mounting.

Guess…. mission accomplished?

🎅🏻Christmas in July🎅🏻