This month I made sure I started on Shruti’s Artsy-Craftsy challenge early on. This month’s theme was thermocol and I just remembered all the crafts and thermocol arts we used to do when growing up. Craft stores in the US do not sell thermocol and styrofoam seemed to be the substitute. But I did not stop there, the environmental engineer in me wanted to a bit of research about both thermocol and styrofoam. Both of them are forms of the plastic – polystyrene. Yes – thermocol and styrofoam are plastics so if you can take them out of your life – recycle, reuse or completely reduce their use please do so.

My first entry (yes I do hope to make more than one) is made using styrofoam cups. Styrofoam cups are ofcourse plastic and melt in heat to form these adorable hats.

These hats can be used in numerous ways – a picture/message holder (I bent a paper clip to form the holder), a fridge magnet, a vase and whatever else you can think of.

Here is a mini tutorial to make you own hats

You need

Styrofoam cups

Paints

Embellishments (beads, buttons etc)

This

becomes this

Preheat oven to 350F. Place styrofoam cups open end down on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Watch carefully, in 3 minutes you will have these amazing hats. Watch carefully and pull it out as soon as you see the cups in the shape you desire. I learned the hard way that it is better to work with not more than 3 cups at a time (the melting time varies if more cups are used). Let them cool completely and they will come off the cookie sheet easily. Paint (have you discovered my secret yet? I own only 2 colors pink and maroon and I am too lazy to add to my collection), embellish and decorate.

Inspiration