Halloween Decoration: Cardboard Witch Hat

I always enjoy decorating for Halloween and this is a quick and easy project. It's perfect for a table centerpiece, something to hang in a tree, or even as a hat for a scarecrow. 

You can decorate the hat as much or as little as you wish, and it would be a fun project for a group of older kids at a Halloween party. You can easily add more ribbon, fake cobwebs, fake spiders, fake bats, miniature foam pumpkins, fake leaves, or other fall or Halloween decorations. You could also paint the hat a different color.

This hat could also be made to wear by simply cutting out the center of the base/brim. I recommend doing this carefully with an exacto knife after you've assembled it, since that would make it easier to avoid gaps between the cone and the brim, but it's up to you.

MATERIALS
- large flat pieces of cardboard (the base/brim could be made of black foam board also)
- exacto knife/scissors
- glue gun, glue sticks
- black paint (I used acrylic with a foam brush but you could use spray paint)
- ribbon, twine, or other thick string to cover the seam between the cone and base/brim
- pencil, ruler

1. Draw a large half-circle onto cardboard. I did mine about 10" in diameter by pinning one end of my ruler to the cardboard and pivoting it on the pin while drawing my line with a pencil. You can also trace a really large circular object, like a laundry basket or pizza pan.

2. Cut out the half-circle.

3. Score and crease one side to help it bend nicely into a cone shape. I overlapped about 4" of cardboard, but you can trim some off to have a smaller overlap area.

Once you're happy with the shape, glue gun it in place. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

4. Cut out a large circle from cardboard. Mine was about 17" in diameter.

5. Glue gun the cone in the center of the large circle. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

6. Paint the entire hat black (or whatever color you prefer). Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.

7. Glue gun a piece of ribbon or similar material to the cone around the seam between the cone and the base/brim. DONE!

I haven't decided if I want to add anything more to my hat or leave it as is. I like the simplicity of it, but if something catches my eye, it might get a few more fun details added.