My Hat

Here in our family we love hats everyone wears them even Mr. Watts. I recently found a beautiful straw hat from Italy for 2.00 that just needed a little attention. When buying a used straw hat you can straighten it out and bring it back to life with a good steam. We have a hand held steamer we purchased from Khols that Mr. Watts likes to use on his suits for his International Travel when they are packed into a suitcase. The steamer is wonderful though for hats, it is great for disinfecting and for pressing any creases out that may have occured during the life of the hat from improper storage. Also a fake head can be purchased at Sally Beauty supply for 3.99 which is a great item to have for steaming and especially if you like to add flowers or a new ribbon to your hat it makes a wonderful stand. Here are some snapshots of some of my new thrifty hats that I have found and brought back to life as well as a wonderful poem and craft.



My Hat!
The hats of a man may be many
In the course of a varied career,
And some have been worth not a penny
And some have been devilish dear;
But there's one hat I always remember
When sitting alone by the fire.
In the depth of a Northern November,
Because it fulfilled my desire.



It was old, it was ragged and rotten
And many years out of mode,
Like a thing that a tramp had forgotten
And left at the side of a road.
The boughs of the mulga had torn it,
It's ribbon was naught but lace,
And old swaggie would not have worn it
Without a sad smile on his face.



When I took off the hat to the ladies
It was rather with sorrow than swank,
And often I wished it in Hades
When the gesture drew only a blank;
But for swatting a fly on the tucker
Or lifting a quart from the fire
Or belting the ribs of a bucker
It was all that a man could desire.



When it ought to have gone to the cleaner's
(And stayed there, as somebody said!)
It was handy for flogging the weaners
From the drafting-yard into the shed.
And oft it has served as a dish for
A kelpie in need of a drink;
It was all that a fellow could wish for
In many more ways than you'd think.



It was spotted and stained by the weather,
There was more than one hole in the crown,
And it made little difference whether
The rim was turned up or turned down.
It kept out the rain (in a fashion)
And kept off the sun (more or less),
Bt it merely comanded compassion
Considered as part of one's dress.



Though it wasn't a hat you would bolt with
Or be anxious to borrow or hire,
It was useful to blindfold a colt with
Or handle a bit of barbed wire.
Though the world may have thought it improper
To wear such old rubbish as that,
I'd have scorned the best London-made topper
In exchange for my old battered hat.

By~
William Henry Ogilvie



Here is a great link to make your own straw bonnet like the one we made above out of a straw hat!
CLICKHERE!!


May joy and peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now,
And bless you evermore.

Have A Blessed Weekend Love ~The Watts
Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:2