Beer Box Cardboard Cowboy Hat

Making a cowboy hat out of almost any beverage carton, shoebox or other cardboard material is easy with my downloadable template. This fun, handmade craft is sure to please the beer or soda lover in your life. The downloadable template makes it easy to place logos and graphic elements on the front, side or brim of the hat. Each hat takes about an hour to make. Ready to get started?

(3) Soda or beer cartons (12 packs can work but 18 packs are ideal)
(1) headband (optional)
Craft knife
Scissors
Scrap paper
Hot glue & gun
Spray adhesive
Tape
Marker
Ruler

Download link: https://bit.ly/cowboy_hat
Once the PDF file has been downloaded, print it and make sure the scale settings are set to 100%.

Use the layout icons on each printout to determine the correct orientation for each page. The brim template can be taped together with the paper edges tightly aligned. However, the crown template can be adjusted for different sized hats. I recommend leaving about a 1/4" gap between template pages when taping together for an average adult sized head (I think my head is average size).

Using a craft or art knife and a ruler, cut out the template along all dashed lines.

Carefully deconstruct your cardboard cartons, while trying not to rip too much of the printed areas.

Using the template as a guide, determine the best position of the template for optimum graphic element placement. Keep in mind the center of the template is the top of the hat so all graphics elements should be facing outward from the center. Once you have found an ideal location for the template, use something like a crease in the carton as a reference point and measure the location of the template in relation to your reference point. Next, flip the carton over and using your reference point as a guide, try to get the template positioned in the exact same place on the carton. Once you are satisfied with the position of the template, tape it in place with a few small pieces of tape.

Using a sharpie type marker outline the template onto the bottom of the carton. Don't forget to mark the eight slits too (see photo). Also don't forget to score the centerline of the hat. Score the center about 5 to 6 inches from the top of the side panel to the bottom side panel (see photo). Be careful not to cut all the way through the cardboard, a faint score is better than a heavy score.

TIP: You'll eventually need to trace and cut out two brims, but I recommend only cutting one brim now because your hole may end up being too big and you can use the brim piece with the big hole on the bottom where it won't be seen.

Once the shape of the templates have been transferred to the cartons, go ahead and cut it out using an art knife, or utility knife and a ruler. Don't forget to cut the eight slits (see photo).

Now that you crown is cut out, crease the left and right side panels by folding them over (see photo). Depending on the placement of the graphic elements on the front or side of the bucket, you may want to glue the side flaps over the front and rear flaps or vice versa. Once you've determined this and your glue gun is hot and ready to go, apply glue to the inside of the flap in a triangle and fold the flap together leaving about 1/4" inch gap at the bottom of the flaps. Repeat this for all four flaps. Be careful not to burn your fingers on the hot glue.

Tip: Before you move on, give the crown a fit test. It should fit well at this point and not be too tight or too loose. If it doesn't fit, you can carefully pull a few flaps apart taking care not to rip anything and re-glue them in a tighter or more loose position.

I recommend gluing a sports headband into the crown of your hat (we'll get to that later) as a last step, so if you plan to do that, you'll actually want the hat to be a little loose on your head at this point. Once the crown fits to your liking, you're ready to proceed.

Remember that score we made a few steps back? Now it's time to apply some pressure and give this crown a nice classic cowboy crease.

Cut a piece of scrap paper about 4 to 5 inches tall (crown height) that will fit around your crown and make a mark every 1" or so on one of the edges with a sharpie marker. Wrap the scrap of paper around your crown and make marks around the crown in a straight line.

Once you have marks going around the crown, using a pair of scissors cut up to each mark. Next, fold the tab upward and continue cutting and folding tabs up around the crown.

Once your crown is tabbed, place the brim you cut out earlier onto the crown. Check to make sure the hole in the brim is a good fit. If it's too small, the brim won't fit on the crown. If you see the tabs, the hole in the brim is too big. If this is the case, cut another brim with a smaller hole that fits better, otherwise cut your other brim piece to match the first. Once your brim pieces are cut and fit nicely, put a generous coat of spray adhesive on the inside of both brim pieces and quickly attach the top brim and bottom brim with the crown in the middle. Let the adhesive dry for 10 to 15 minutes.

Once the glue has dried a bit, it's time to give your cowboy hat some swagger by bending the sides up and the front and back of the brim down. The amount of bend you choose to give the brim is up to you, but I think the more character the hat has, the better.

If your hat is a little too big, or you just want to be able to actually ride a bull with the hat, you'll want to add a sports headband to the inside of the crown. Stretch it out and glue it in place with some hot glue.

Send me a photo of your hat and I'll add it to the gallery here.