1Find a mold.

Find a suitable mold for your papier mache hat. You can try either of these two options:

a.)  Balloon - inflate an oval balloon until it's approximately the same size or slightly larger than your head.

b.)  Pot or other plastic container - find a plastic flower pot, small bucket, large plastic bowl or similar container that fits on your head and has the desired shape for the hat you have in mind.

You can even cut the bottom half of a plastic gallon size water bottle and use that as a mold as well.

2Grease the outside of the mold.

Steps 2 to 4 are only necessary if you chose Option B. If you went with a balloon as a mold (Option A), then skip to Step 5.

Grease the entire exterior of your pot or plastic container with petroleum jelly.

3Wrap with foil or plastic wrap.

Position the pot or plastic container upside-down. Wrap the outside with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Allow for an extra length of foil or plastic wrap at the base.

4Grease the foil or plastic wrap.

Grease the entire surface of the aluminum foil or plastic wrap as well.

5Make 3 layers of papier mache.

Make three layers of papier mache on your mold. Here's a basic papier mache tutorial that you can follow.

For a pot or plastic container mold, cover the entire mold with papier mache. Remember to leave out the extra length of foil or plastic wrap at the base of the mold.

For a balloon mold, just papier mache over the top half of the balloon.

After making three layers of papier mache, set your project aside to dry. It will take about 2 to 3 days to dry completely.

6Remove from the mold.

Once the papier mache is completely dry, you can separate it from its mold.

a.)  Balloon - pop the balloon with a pin or sharp object. Remove the balloon from the papier mache.

b.)  Pot or other plastic container - while holding the extra length of aluminum foil or plastic wrap at the base of the papier mache, carefully remove the aluminum foil or plastic wrap from the mold.

Next, separate the foil or plastic wrap from your papier mache.

7Trim the papier mache.

Trim the bottom of your papier mache so that the edges are even and straight. You can also trim it down an inch or two if you want a shorter hat. To make cutting easier, you can draw a line prior to cutting.

8Build the brim.

Cover your work area with plastic wrap. Use a marker to draw the shape of your brim on the plastic wrap. Set your papier mache hat at the center.

Dip long strips of paper in papier mache paste and lay them down around the hat like radiating rays. This should help fix the hat in place and define the main shape of the brim.

Slowly build a brim with 2 to 3 layers of papier mache.

Let the papier mache dry completely.

Note: If you used a pot or plastic container mold for the hat, you can save time by making the papier mache brim while building the papier mache top in Step 5.

9Mold the brim.

Your brim doesn't need to be flat. Make it more interesting by altering its shape while the papier mache hasn't quite dried yet.

a.)  Curled edges - create curled edges on the brim like those of a cowboy hat or sheriff's hat. Place an object to hold up the edge that you intend to curl. Leave it there until the brim dries.

b.)  Upturned edges - make a brim with the entire edge folded up.

1. While the papier mache is still wet, make small slits or tears at approximately 4-inch intervals around the edge of the brim.

3. Repeat for all slits to come up with an upturned brim. This would be a perfect way to make a sombrero!

c.)  Drooping brim - when doing Step 8, set your hat on top of an object with curved walls (e.g an upside-down small basin) instead of on a flat surface. I set mine on top of a 5-gallon water bottle.

Remember to line the basin or water bottle with plastic wrap before building your papier mache brim.

10Color the hat.

There are two ways to color your papier mache hat. You can either paint the hat or use colored paper for the topmost layer of your papier mache.

a.)  Paint - once the papier mache is dry, paint the entire hat, except the inside that touches your head, with acrylic paint. You can paint details, if you like.

When the paint dries, you can spray the hat with clear acrylic sealer. This helps moisture-proof your hat and make it last longer.

If you plan to paint your hat using light colors, you may need to prime the hat with white acrylic paint before painting with the final colors. This helps hide any print or colored paper underneath the paint.

First, paint the hat with white acrylic paint. Once the paint dries, paint with the final colors of acrylic paint. You can spray with a coat of clear acrylic sealer after the paint dries.

b.)  Colored paper - use colored paper for the topmost layer of your papier mache hat.

Try paper with interesting texture and print such as kraft paper. natural fiber paper, tissue paper or non-glossy gift wrap. Use a clear-drying papier mache paste such as white glue mixture for this final layer.

Once the papier mache dries, you can spray with clear acrylic sealer to help moisture-proof your hat.