Oh my Easter Bonnet! It’s on this week? It’s Easter Hat Parade time and all over Australia parents will be thrust into an Easter themed craft frenzy. But before you cover the house in glitter, check out our guide to creating simple yet awesome Easter hats.

Nothing Flash

The best thing about Easter Hats is they can be as easy or complicated as you like. You can either make your own creation or simply decorate an old floppy hat. Use fake, handmade or fresh flowers, eggs, toy chicks, ribbons and bows and decorate all the way around the brim of an old straw or fabric hat. Finish off with a bow around the chin to secure the hat and give it a traditional bonnet look.

Re-worked Christmas Decorations

Get creative with an old Christmas wreath that fits like a crown, alternatively weave one with fresh willow or use a bamboo ring available at craft stores. Use a hot glue gun to decorate with fake flowers, chocolate eggs wrapped in foil, and bunnies. Weave ribbons and bows through and have ribbons streaming off back of crown. Glue more flowers to ribbon streamers, perfect for any princess.

Paper Mache

The world, as in the world of shapes, is your oyster! Use a balloon to get started and let your inner Art Attack go wild. Paint and jazz with craft items or flowers and you are off!

Jester Style

Make a jester style crown from cardboard, and decorate the tips with flowers or eggs. Use a length of cardboard long enough to wrap around your child’s head. The height of the crown is up to you, but the bigger the triangles the better! Cut triangles out of your cardboard in a jagged tooth pattern, leaving a few centimeters at the base with no cuts, then staple together and glue the flowers or thread eggs tied with string onto the dangling crown points. You could use a combination of both alternating each point, create a colourful flower garden or a nest in the crown with eggs and chickens dancing all around.

Tissues

Get onto to Pinterest and make some lovely flowers or the like from tissues, weave in some other sparkles and odds and sods; all of a sudden you’re the next big thing on Pinterest! Honestly, half the point of Easter Hat Parades is to traumatise your child in some way. They can pluck tissues off later to mop up their tears.

So there you have five great Easter hat ideas and not a hint of glitter!