1Prepare the hat's top.

Find a plastic plant pot that fits on your head. Clean it thoroughly and let it dry.

2Prime the pot.

Paint the outside of the plant pot with white acrylic paint. Let the paint dry.

3Draw a round outline.

Prepare a large sheet of construction paper (e.g. 24" x 36") to make into the sombrero's wide brim. Red, yellow or any festive color works best.

Place the plant pot upside down at the center of your construction paper. Use a pencil to trace the outline of the pot's mouth on the paper.

4Draw a smaller circle.

Draw a slightly smaller circle inside it. You can use a compass or find a smaller bowl or round object to make the smaller circle.

5Draw a pair of perpendicular lines.

Draw a pair of perpendicular lines, intersecting at the center of the circles. These perpendicular lines are just guides to help you draw an oval brim.

On each of the four lines, mark the point where you plan to draw your oval, thus defining the size of your hat's brim. Opposite points must be roughly the same distance from the center.

6Draw an oval.

Draw the oval, connecting the four marked points on the perpendicular lines.

7Cut out the brim.

Cut out the big oval as well as the inner circle to come up with your hat's brim.

8Cut slits around the hole.

Cut slits about 1 inch apart. Start cutting from the inner circle to the outer circle.

9Fold up the fringes.

Flip the brim so that the outer circle line and the perpendicular lines are hidden at the bottom side. Fold up the fringes.

10Cut slits at the outer edge.

Next, cut 1-inch long slits about 4 inches apart along the outer edge of the brim.

11Fold up the sections.

Fold up the sections to create an upturned brim.

12Glue the sections together.

Glue the overlapping sides of the sections together.

13Paint the pot.

Check on your plant pot. Once the white paint is completely dry, use poster paint or acrylic paint to paint the pot with your intended color or colors for your sombrero's top.

You can make the top and brim the same color or use contrasting colors. Bright red, yellow, orange and green are popular colors in Mexican art and culture—I used this color palette to paint stripes on my sombrero top.

14Put double-sided tape.

Line the inside of your pot's mouth with double-sided tape.

15Put the top and brim together.

Remove the paper on the double-sided tape. Position the brim so that the fringes fit perfectly inside the pot. Press on each fringe so that it sticks to the double-sided tape.

16Add a chin strap.

Cut a length of elastic string to make a chin strap for your hat. Use transparent tape to attach the ends of the string on the inside of the pot. Adjust the length of the string for a comfortable fit. To make sure the string stays in place, you can secure the ends with a glue gun instead of tape.