Thriftgoddess!: DIY Day: Hats on!

I'm a fan of all things Edwardian and Victorian with just a squinch of steampunk and Gothic, so when I signed up to join my friend Christine's event called, mysteriously, The Tweed Ride (look it up), I knew that I had to kick my thrifty and crafty instincts into gear. (Yeah, I don't even own a bike, but I can remedy that in a heartbeat.) So anyway, using items I already had on hand, I crafted a cute mini Victorian-style top hat in under 30 minutes.

I started out by utilizing an empty salt can as the main part of the hat. Cut the can in halt using an Xacto knife (be careful) and make certain the edges are even.
Cut a brim from another piece of cardboard that is wider than your salt can (here, I grabbed the first available piece of scrap cardboard I could find.)

Now here is where I failed to take extra pix for the tutorial, so bear with me, and just picture it. Hot glue whatever fabric you have chosen around the brim. Tuck excess fabric underneath. Hot glue fabric around your salt can and tuck the excess up into the opening of the can, and glue that securely, too. Let the glue set for a few minutes, and then glue the top to the middle of the brim.

Here comes the fun part! Decorate your hat in a most excellent manner. I chose black tulle, white ribbon, fake feathers and a silver button to add nineteenth-century panache to my little hat. To keep it on your head - hot glue the hat at an angle to a wide headband that matches your hair color so it's invisible. Sew the hat to the headband for extra security. Place hat on your head and charm your gentlemen friends.
Son #3 said my hat looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie, so I take that as a compliment! Exactly the effect I was hoping for!