That one time I didn't make it to Belmont, but I have a fabulous derby hat to show for it.

Yup, the title says it all. That one time I didn't make it to Belmont, but I have a hat to show for it. As you may know, D and I have a going on 5 year tradition that we go to Belmont for the big race. Every year we try to top our outfits from the last year, and this year I decided to make my own fabulous hat. Because the hats are everything at these races. Well the hats and pearl necklaces. Anyway, I made my own hat (see inspiration pic below). How fabulous is that hat with the gorgeous peonies? So I made my own version of the hat was all ready to go. 

Unfortunately we never made it to the races. It was a nasty combination of a car breaking down, a washer overflowing and flooding the apartment, and bloody fingers needing stitches (okay I'm exaggerating a tad, still bloody but no stitches needed) -- that prevented us from going. But there was no triple crown this year anyway so it's not like I missed anything special, right? Right!

This years inspiration photo.

Sorry I've had this pic saved on my computer so long I don't have the original source listed.

So I got to crafting with my little hot pink glue gun. 

And a bunch of flowers and ribbons from the craft store. 

So I hit up my local AC Moore and found all the faux flowers I needed for the desired color palette. I decided I wanted a mix of pinks, dark pinks, and whites, with a contrasting black ribbon for a chic and classic look. Plus the black would allow we to wear it with almost any color dress. I started with a basic straw hat (hat I originally bought for the races a few years ago) and lined the base of the hat with the black ribbon. Then I snipped off all the flower stems and went to arranging until I thought it looked good. Like so:

I decided I wanted to have all the flowers on one side of the hat for a more dramatic effect. Much like my inspiration photo. Once I had the placement of everything I liked, I snapped a photo and started hot gluing! 

My mom got in on the action since she is a natural born flower arranger by heart. She helped me with the proper placement of greens and even created this pretty  black plaid bow on the back of the hat for added texture and interest.

And there you have it. The most fabulous hat I ever made that I never got to wear. I guess there's always next year. I'll be ahead of the game with my entire ensemble picked out. Plus this could always double as a southern belle Halloween costume. Because you know it's never too early to be thinking about Halloween :)

xo Steph