DIY Birthday Party Hat!

Create a DIY Birthday party hat to match any party theme using scrapbook paper and yarn! Free template to help you get started.

Hello Crafty Friends! Today I’m excited to share this cute DIY Birthday party hat I made from paper and yarn for our recent Winnie the Pooh party. I couldn’t find any party hats that fit our theme, so I decided to make my own! I was able to use the same scrapbook paper and cute bee embellishments I used in other places of the party. 

To create the hat, I used a generic party hat I found at Target and customized it to match our party theme which was classic Pooh Bear. You can do this for any theme or occasion by choosing scrapbook paper that coordinates with the your party. While I chose to cover an existing paper party hat, I have also included a pattern that you can download so you can make this using thick poster board or paper. I have to say, though, using the pre-made party hat as a base made this a really quick project.

DIY Birthday Party Hat

Supplies Needed

• Paper party hat to use as a template or my free printable template located in my Resource Library
• Decorative scrapbook paper for hat
• Decorative scrapbook paper scraps for medallion
• Embellishments that match your theme – I used these cute Winnie the Pooh bees!
• Yarn for pom pom
• Glue stick
• Hot glue
• Scoring board
• Scissors

Step by Step Tutorial

Step One:Use the free printable or a party hat as your template and trace around it onto your hat paper. Cut slits in the hat using a craft knife and self-healing cutting mat. If you are using the printable template, cut it from thick paper or posterboard. Posterboard will work best as it is sturdy but thin and curves nicely. 

Step Two: Glue the decorative paper you just cut out to the party hat template. You can skip this step if your decorative paper is really thick, but it will be helpful for thin paper. 

Assemble the party hat using the tabs and the slits you cut with the craft knife. Glue or tape it into place. Add elastic through the two slits. In the picture below, I was using the pre-made party hat with decorative paper over it. If you are using the free pattern provided, you can tie your elastic through the slits around the bottom of the hat. It is more visible, but secure.  

Step Three: Create the paper medallion. I love paper medallions, especially on party hats! They add such nice dimension and are so cute! To create one, start with a strip of paper – mine was 1.25 inches wide and I cut the strip the length of my decorative paper, which was 12 inches. Score the paper every 1/4″ using a scoring board and stylus. 

Before I purchased a scoring board and stylus set, I used my paper trimmer and a sharp object like my needle nose pliers. I marked the paper every 1/4″ on the back side with small pencil ticks, then laid the paper in the paper trimmer and scored it in the groove where you would usually cut. Some paper trimmers actually come with a scoring blade which is another great option!

Once your paper is scored, accordion fold along your score lines.  

Adhere the two ends together with hot glue or strong double-sided tape.

Lay a piece of paper down and stand up the accordion pleated circle like in the picture above. Put hot glue on the piece of paper in the center of the pleated circle, then push the circle down bringing the center in. The center should end up in the hot glue, push it all the way down and hold for a minute or two. I add a small amount of hot glue to the top as well. 

Cut away the paper underneath so you can’t see it sticking out from behind your medallion. Decorate the medallion any way you want! I added a circle of green plaid paper and then printed the number 2 off my computer and cut it out. You could also use a number sticker for this part. I added some Classic Pooh bee embellishments that matched the rest of our party to finish it off.

Step Four: Adhere the medallion to the party hat! I used a dab of hot glue and stuck the medallion to the center of the party hat. 

Step Five: Add a yarn pom pom to the top! You can add a pre-made yarn pom pom or make your own using a pom-pom marker or a piece of cardboard as I did. I used green yarn and glued it to the top of my hat. 

All finished!! The hat matches perfectly with the party colors and theme of our Winnie the Pooh party! Party hats make any special occasion just a bit more festive, don’t you think? Here are a few more I’ve made before!

Download the File

Download the Free File! These files are FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. This file is in my Resource Library. You’ll find it under Paper Patterns – All Other Paper Crafts. Enter your first name and email to get the password to download this file. You’ll also have a chance to sign up for my newsletter to receive fun craft tutorials, tips, updates and more FREE files to help make crafting something special and unique easier!