Skip to Content

DIY “Ocean Air, Salty Hair” Beach Hat

If you saw my Kentucky Derby party, then you saw my fun Talk Derby To Me or Hold Your Horses DIY hats! They were inspired by the Eugenia Kim “Do Not Disturb” straw hats which fetch $435/hat, thus this DIY version! So to get ready for summer vacation, I made some beach hats! Make your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comMy hat? Did not cost $435 to make. In fact, it didn’t even cost $5 to make. The “straw” hat is from the dollar store and the sequins cost about $3. I’m not even going to count the cost of the hot glue. Eugenia Kim must be killing it!

And I love that these hats don’t cost much to make because I am hard on them! If I pack a big hat to take on vacation, it gets smushed in my suitcase or in the overhead bin on the plane. If I go to the beach, it will get wrinkled or folded in the backseat or the trunk of the car. I cannot be trusted with a $400+ hat. Make your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comAlright, let’s get into the DIY. You’ll need a few supplies: DIY Word Saying Sequin Beach Hat // Salty CanarySupplies:

  • Hat
  • Sequin trim
  • Scissors
  • Hot Glue Gun

Step 1: Decide on your saying! Need some inspiration? Here’s a few:

  • Ocean Air, Salty Hair
  • Salty Hair, Don’t Care
  • Do Not Disturb
  • Wish You Were Here
  • Beach, Please
  • Out of Office
  • Mrs. ______ (for a bachelorette weekend)
  • Bride To Be

Or make a hat for the pony races: Make your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comMake your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.com

  • Talk Derby To Me
  • Hold Your Horses
  • Go Baby Go

Step 2: You have a choice of how to design your words. You can draw out the words with chalk, or just write it with hot glue and get it done, but I prefer to just lay out the words in the sequin trim and then go in and hot glue everything down little by little. Make your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comThe reason I prefer that method is because the sequin trim is a bit tricky to work with and I like to make sure it’s going to twist and turn the ways I want before making it permanent. Make your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comMake your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comMake your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comAnd that’s it! Two steps! Easy! Oh wait, Step 3: Pack your sunglasses and head to the beach! Make your own sequin saying hat for the Kentucky Derby or the horse races! Click through for tutorial // saltycanary.comI also made the little yellow pompom hat that I took to The Flower Fields. Just a little less than a yard of pompom trim and another dollar store hat. The hat was a photo prop lifesaver because I NEVER know what to do with my hands. But when a hat is about to fly off your head in the wind, you have something to do with your hands! Visit The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA about 1-2 hours south of Los Angeles // saltycanary.comVisit The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, CA about 1-2 hours south of Los Angeles // saltycanary.comWhat will your beach hat say? Let me know in the comments.

Sharing is caring!

Liana Martinez

Monday 25th of July 2016

how many "yards" of sequin trim would you suggest?

Andrea

Monday 25th of July 2016

Depending upon what phrase you write and the size of your hat, about 6-8 yards. I suggest getting a little more than you think you need. And when you're done, please share a photo on social media and tag me @thesaltycanary so I can see!

Sue Morrison

Tuesday 24th of May 2016

Awesome ideas! Can't wait to try them.

Vanessa

Monday 2nd of May 2016

These hats are perfection! I made a DIY version of Eugenia's hat as well, but I went full on copycat with "do not disturb". You've inspired me to make another version. And oh my, I love your blog redesign!