DIY Sunflower Garden Hat & Halloween Ghost Frame
I had so much fun creating these two projects because they are completely different styles, but both turned out so whimsical and creative. One is a bright and sunny hatfor summer, and the bonus craft has a soft spooky Halloween feel!
Supplies Used:
- Straw hat from Dollar Tree
- Essential Stencil hat collection
- Wildflower Ghost transfer
- DecoArt acrylic paints
- Dome stencil brushes
- Wired ribbon from Sam’s Club
- Mixed media paper
- Picture frame
- Transfer tool
- Blue painter’s tape
For the first project, I used a simple straw sun hat from Dollar Tree and transformed it into a custom sunflower garden hat using the new hat collection from Essential Stencil.
I chose the “Free Spirit” stencil along with the sunflower design because I thought it fit the relaxed garden style perfectly. I used bright green acrylic paint for the lettering and leaves, then layered golden yellow, merry gold, burnt umber, and orange tones into the sunflowers to give them dimension and warmth. Since the straw surface is uneven, I used a mix of swirling and stippling to help the paint settle into the texture of the hat.
After the painting was finished, I added beautiful wired ribbon from Sam’s Club around the hat band. The green checked ribbon matched the sunflower colors perfectly and really tied everything together. I also planned to add little embellishments like butterflies, birds, and extra sunflower accents to finish it off.
What I love most about this project is how easy it is to personalize. You could change the wording, use different ribbon, add beads or fabric ties, or even make matching hats for garden parties, vacations, or gifts. You can grab this hat in my shop HERE.
Ghost Frame
The second project was this adorable Halloween ghost framed art piece using one of the Wildflower Ghost transfers from the Essential Stencil Halloween restock collection.
Before adding the transfer, I hand-painted a moody nighttime background on mixed media paper using layers of deep blue, gray green, yellow, orange, and black acrylic paint. I wanted it to feel like moonlight glowing through trees and bushes at night. At first the background looked a little strange on its own, but once the ghost transfer was added, everything came together beautifully.
The little ghost house scene with the tiny bats ended up looking so magical against the painted background. It reminded me a little bit of a watercolor or impressionist painting with soft glowing colors behind the transfer details.
One thing I really loved about this project was how freeing it felt to simply layer colors and trust the process. Sometimes backgrounds look messy until the final focal piece is added, and then suddenly it all works together.
You can grab the sweet ghost picture and frame in my shop HERE!
Both of these projects are wonderful examples of how stencils and transfers can completely transform simple everyday items into something unique and handmade.
Happy crafting, friends!
