Hats off... but preferably on!

Today we will show you how to turn any simple novelty into a beautiful and unique adornment. Embellishments can transform your store-bought accessory into an exclusive, distinguishing, and one-of-a-kind feature.

We started off with this simple black mini-top hat that was intended to be a hair accessory. Seeing as my dress was tuxedo themed, this seemed particularly fitting. Upon closer examination, it didn't match the rest of the outfit we had created. We decided to use the rhinestones we purchased from Amazon.com.

 

We found that gluing these rhinestones to the hat was harder than we thought; here's a little bit about technique. We used some tweezers to grab the rhinestones and then dipped it in
Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, which is really nice because it can be cleaned up with water. 

This process is a little meticulous, so I would practice grabbing the rhinestones before pouring the glue.

It was better for us to use a lid to place the glue and then either dip it in the glue, or use a toothpick to grab the glue and place it on the back of the rhinestones. Either way is fine, but just dipping them in the glue results in a lot of glue-covered rhinestones.

We placed the the rhinestones in the spot we wanted them, and then pressed them lightly

to insure that they wouldn't slide. In our case it was on the black dots already on the fabric.

Inspired with how this turned out, we applied the same technique onto this plain cummerbund. We forgot to take a picture of how it started, so either click the link or just take a look at the finished product below. We think it looks awesome.

And finally, here's the finished top-hat. 

And just in case you're feeling adventurous, we found this video on how to make your own top hat. With some ribbon, feathers, tacky glue, and patience, you can have your own home-made accessory.