my weekend project...don't try this at home!

Juju hats...they are fabulous, are they not?

Unfortunately they are not in my budget. So I thought to myself...Self? How difficult would it be to make one? Oh I make myself laugh sometimes with these ridiculous notions.

The answer of course is: bloody difficult! Which is no doubt why they cost a bazillion dollars. Anyway, surprise, surprise, a degree of difficulty that would daunt even a Chinese high tower diver did not deter me dear bloggy peeps...so I had a go!  And here's the result....looking less juju, more frou-frou (as the 22 year old was very quick to point out...everyone's a critic around here!) 

I do however quite like the bold splash of hot pink on my black wall. At least for a while...until it falls apart or on my head, whichever comes first...not that it would hurt if it fell on me as it's...well...light as a feather!! It looks a bit like a rose don't you think? Or perhaps a peony if you're being really generous.

Want to know how I made it? Read and weep (as I felt like doing at various stages!)

Step 1: assemble the makings...clearly it's all in the type of feathers you use...and clearly these are not juju making feathers; but they were all I could find (from Spotlight and Lincraft, because of course one place didn't have enough...). I knew I should have stopped there and then. Next time, less fluffy and straighter feathers. Because speaking of straight, these would look right at home in the gay Mardi Gras. (And absolutely NO offence intended)

Perhaps I'll start chasing cockatoos and collecting their feathers to have another go one day....in the very distant future!

Step 2: make a cuppa...this looks like it could take a while (that may also apply to those who are reading this I might add)

Step 3: glue the rubber mat stuff that you put in the bottom of drawers to stop things rolling around to the top of a bamboo paper plate holder. This, in my humble opinion, was a stroke of genius on my part! Flexible, easy to glue and holes that would hold the feathers in without the need for stitching. The pegs were obviously just there while the glue dried.

Step 4: While the glue is drying sort the feathers into like size piles...

Step 5: start poking feathers through the holes in the non-stick mat...

First and second rounds done...

Continue with the feathers in a circle...at one stage I used a small plate to make sure I wasn't getting too wonky a circle...

...and just keep going, using smaller feathers as you get closer to the centre

So...I certainly can't claim this to be a raging success because it doesn't look exactly the way I wanted it to 

...but you know what...it doesn't much matter...because when I look at it, it makes me smile. 

Mostly at myself for thinking I could match the talent of the ceremonial juju hat makers from Cameroon...ha! Not likely :)

I'll be sharing this throughout the week at The Girl Creative for Just Something I Whipped up Monday and BNOTP Metamorphosis Monday and Someday Crafts on Wednesday. And goodness knows what I'll try this weekend!

image 1 elements of style