Fulled Helmet Hat

I bought this pattern over a year ago. Again, it's a fulled (felted) project, and I just thought it was really cute, and would be really warm, too. So a week or two ago, in the non-occupied evenings, I started working on it. Last night I finished it, and this morning I shrank it.

I think it looks Medieval-ish, no??

Right now it is stretched, drying over a balloon. Hopefully the balloon's shape doesn't get any funkier, or this hat will be a laugh and a half!

Considering how large it was before shrinking, I thought my husband might land the hat instead of my son. Amazingly, though, it shrank down very nicely. -- Almost too nicely??

Dear Son is fascinated with balloons. I am drying this over one of my heat vents, so it is at Dear Son's level. A while after leaving it on the vent, I caught Dear Son red-handed, tugging on the hat with one hand while desperately trying to release the balloon out of the hat with the other. It didn't matter that I had blown up five other balloons, which were lying all over the house; he wanted this one!

This hat, obviously, is not a surprise gift for Dear Son. I have tried it on him numerous times as it has been drying, and each time I am pleased with the results. Since I have gotten the ties on it, Dear Son is even more pleased, too. He loves a hat!

Letters

I've been working on more Christmas gifts, these for some girls whose names are obvious. Last time I did this, it took me HOURS to complete, as I wrapped each letter with wrapping paper and glue. This time, I got smart. My neighbor and I both like to use Stampin' Up! stamps, so I called on her to see what she has. She loaned me several sets, plus gave me more ideas, and this is what I came up with.

First, I stole my daughter's spare toothbrush. (It has since been relegated to my craft bin.) I flicked acrylic paint onto the bare white letters.

Next I stamped on the blue dots for Isabella and the flower designs for Olivia.

Then I took a sponge, dabbed it on the stamp pad, stamped it several times on scrap paper, and then lightly brushed all around the edges of the letters, giving them an 'antique' look.

I had to let it dry at this point for a VERY long time (most of the night), as that blue stamp pad for the dots was worse than paint.

About 4:00 a.m. I awoke thinking about it, so came to check on it, and it was finally dry!

'Isabella' was just too plain; the dots too bold. So I took another stamp set, and, after stamping the first bit of ink off onto scrap paper so my real stamping would be lighter in color, I randomly stamped the flowers and berries on top of the blue dots. It toned it down significantly, and I was very pleased with the results.

Finally, I sprayed it with a clear coat finish to protect all my hard work.

They're now wrapped up, ready to gift the recipients with.