Planning a New Years Eve party, literally back to back with Christmas, seems like a daunting task. Cleaning the house, buying the food, prepping the food, and styling the whole event is enough to make even the most organized person weary. However, before you write off the whole idea of hosting a NYE party, remember, it only needs to be as complicated as you make it. Of course, for me, it is extremely complicated. But, this December I found myself with a few extra minutes to plan a small NYE party, complete with gold glittered hats.

Yes, I know you can buy party hats, but, I had some multicolored ones lying around. Being the queen of DIY (that’s a lie; it’s more about repurposing old things instead of buying new things), I decided to spray paint them gold and cover them in gold glitter. My only advice when spray painting cheap party hats? Let them dry completely in-between coats, otherwise you will have drip marks, which will show under the glitter. When it comes to putting glitter on the hats, after you let the glitter and glue dry, paint over the glitter with one more coat of glue. This helps with the trail of glitter that you are bound to create whenever the hats get touched, placed or even breathed upon.

Steps:
1. Gather up some party hats (try the dollar store or your local craft store) and spray paint (an array of colors are available at your local hardware store or craft store).
2. Cover the ground with lots of newspaper. If you are able to, always spray paint outside on in an extremely well ventilated area. Spray paint the hats in thin coats, letting them fully dry in-between coats.
3. Paint clear craft glue (ie: Elmer’s) on the area of the hat you want covered in glitter. I covered about 3/4 of the hat in glue, with a more glue at the bottom and getting progressively less towards the top.
4. Sprinkle glitter on the hat (over a paper plate). Once you get all the glitter you want on the hat, let the hat dry.
5. Once the hat is dry, cover the glittered areas in one more coat of glue and let it fully dry. Voila. Glittered hats.

Now, you are all thinking that this was more of a pain than what it was worth. And, I’ll be honest with you, you may be right. Would plain gold hats, or even the multicolored hats have been sufficient? Probably… But not for me. So, if you find yourself with extra time and want to spray paint paper and get covered in glitter, this is a project for you. Cheers!