DIY Customized Trilby Hat

I love hats in the Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn! Hats all the time!
I couldn't have found this DIY at a better time as I had a lovely black trilby with a beautiful bow on it. Now cats and prized possessions do not go together and so my bow was no more. 

I love this hat but could not wear it half eaten so I went on a quest for a hat fixing DIY:) I found this simple DIY in Viva Magazine and made it slightly different by using a belt instead of rope.

What you need for this DIY:
- Trilby (Really any hat will do)
- Belt or rope (Two pieces of rope in a different colour looks the best)
- Super glue
- Scissors
If the hat has a (half eaten) bow or ribbon on it like mine did, cut that of first. If you leave this on it can look sloppy poking out from under the belt you are about to put on. Measure out the belt so that it fits snug around the hat and cut it to size. Add some glue to the tips of the belt and place it onto the hat. Hold it in place for a few seconds so it sticks to the hat. Do the same to the other side of the belt and make sure the tips line up nicely so you can't see where the belt was glued to the hat. If you make a mistake and the belt doesn't line up properly you can always choose to glue a pretty ribbon or brooch over it!
Now another way to customize this hat, the way it was done in the original post, is with rope. Get two pieces of rope, the original post had two different colours of rope which worked really well. Line the pieces of rope next to each other and find the middle. At the middle point you made a knot with the two pieces so it looks like one thick piece of rope. Add glue to one side of the knot you made and firmly press it against the hat. Hold it there for a few minutes so it stays put. Take the bottom piece of the rope, add glue to the inside and press it against the hat. Cut the rope at the place where the rope meets so it lines up nicely. Apply the same to the other piece of rop. Make sure to add extra glue to the place where the rope meets so they stick together properly and let everything dry for as long as it needs.

It's a great DIY to add to a hat that needs a make-over. Either because you are fed up with it or... your pet has ruined it! :) Perfect for summer and winter hats! I apologize for the hairs on the hat in the picture! My cat decided to sit on it prior to me taking the picture. I'm still trying to get the hairs off!

Enjoy this DIY!
Xox Elena

DIY Rustic Clipboards

Now most people who know me, know that I love (old) photographs and photography. It makes a house a home. I'm also always looking for new ways to display not only pictures but also artwork and quotes. Basically anything that looks good and inspires me everyday!
Now I found this DIY on ABeautifulMess.typepad.com which is easy to make and looks awesome! You could always cheat and buy the clipboards which are available in quite a few shops but handmade is always better:)

What you will need for this DIY:
- Flat piece of wood
- Electric saw (Electric cuts through wood faster and prevents the wood from chipping or breaking off halfway through sawing)
- Clipboard clips (bought in any hardware store)
- Any picture, artwork or quote you want to display

First of all you need to think about the size you want to make the clipboard and outline this on the wood. Carefully cut the wood and sand the wood afterwards to make sure there are no splinters or hard edges.
Basically the clipboard is completed at this point. All you need to do is get the clip and the item you want to display and clamp it onto the board!

I love the simplicity of the project and how good they look hanging/standing up! I love that when you are fed up of the picture there is no taking the frame of the wall, taking the picture out and the pain of cutting too little or too much off a picture to make it fit into the frame! Simply take the picture out from under the clip and place another one under it! Simple and fun:)

I hope you have fun with this project!

Xox Elena