Gold cup, Spring 2011

This was worth an update.  I always get all kinds of crazy DIY ideas and never follow through.  Well....This Saturday was the biannual Gold Cup Virginia horse races.  And of course every good horse race deserves a great hat.  I had a few too many beach hats to buy a new hat for the race but decided I would use one of the ones I don't wear often and doll it up.  I didn't realize how great it was going to come out.

What I used:

Pink beach hat
4 yards of tulle (2 each of two different purples)
Two squares of purple felt, each a different color
One square of green felt
two peacock feathers
hot glue gun
pins
needle and thread

First I pinned the two layers of tulle to the inside of the hat then wrapped it around and over the hat as I pinned

Then I sewed around the brim and in other area to get the tulle to stay down...a stitch here a stitch there

I cut circles out of the felt, then cut the circles into spirals and used my hot glue gun to glue as I rolled the spiral up into a rosette

I cut leaves out of the green felt.

I hot glued the peacock feathers onto the tulle, then the leaves, then three rosettes over the leaves and Voila!

I actually had a few people ask if they could take pictures of my hat.  DIY is so much fun.

Some bonus pictures from out tailgate at the field

The table being set up

Michelle's hot pink solo cups

Michelle's pink lemonade jello shooters, similar recipes can be found on michelle's blog here

Blowing bubbles.  Because that's just what you do when you're tailgating at a horse race

The ladies in our hats and sundresses

The boys in their southern tailgating best

Holding onto my hat and walking down to the field to get a closer look at the second race

Maggie trying to find my ear to tell me a secret

Me and Mags in the parking lot before leaving to hear out