HATTITUDES

I love hats, especially on bad hair days. I love to Smash too and my first Smash book featured hats – so is it any wonder that my favorite Dr. Seuss book is The Cat in the Hat? One of my greatest obstacles was locating the book for this challenge! My BFF didn’t have it. The library had a waiting list for it. My daughter-in-law had it, somewhere in her house in Virginia. Finally, I broke down and purchased a copy from Amazon. One thing is certain – the Cat in the hat has a major hattitude! And so my journey began.

First, I had to find hat-pictures in my photo library. Not a problem. In fact, I found generations of hats! So, what do you think of that? Then I had to sketch my design. Now, I know people who do a fantabulous job of creating sketches, but I like sketching on my computer in Microsoft Publisher. Why? Because then I can drop in my photos and see what fits and what doesn’t! That doesn’t mean I won’t change my design while I’m putting it together, but this serves as a great road map.

Part of the process involves selecting a color scheme. White Mosaic grid paper with red and black cardstock from my stash proved to be a perfect match. Of course, we all know that the Cat in the Hat wears a striped top hat! Selecting the right font was the next step in the process; preferable one that wouldn’t cost me money. My reasonable facsimile popped up at www.1001freefonts.com -- Candy Stripe BRT. After a quick download, I printed my title on Copic Express It cardstock, colored in the red with Copic Marker R29 Lipstick Red and created the hash marks with a Copic Multiliner 0.1 tip pen. My original title was Cat Hattitudes but it morphed into plain old “Hattitudes” by the time I finished the project.

I used Comic Sans MS font to complete the whimsical tone of my layout. As far as one-inch embellishments are concerned, only one thing would do – the cat’s hat! I googled “cat in the hat hat” and found this image in wordpress. I thought about cutting out a second image and popping it with a foam dot, but nixed the idea for some unknown reason.

Finally, I provided information about my behatted family and friends. Now, the journaling may not have reflected an attitude, but just wearing the hat creates what I now refer to as a hattitude. Here’s what I wrote:

Long, long ago, ladies wore hats with a veil,

Like my Granny’s cousin Daisy Linda Boniville.

Today girls wear hats outside to shovel snow

Which my daughter Leslie did some years ago!

Aunt Hazel and David, so young in the 40s

Thought their hats were spiffy and sporty.

Grads in caps & gown

Enjoy their day filled with happy smiles, not frowns.

Babies get hats right after they’re born

To cover their tiny heads, keeping them warm.

Uncle Poke in his hat during the Great War

Big Bro Don in 1961, just before the Not-a-war

Mommy Me before it was over in 1974

Daddy & Me so stunned

To say goodbye in 91.

War was harder again when Matthew grew

To serve in the year 2002

Firstborn Leslie followed, wearing a hat for war,

A hat hard as can be and that’s for sure

My, my how time does fly,

Military families never get used to saying goodbye.

Smokey in his hat never tires

Of saying, “Only you can prevent forest fires!”

Look at the caps atop Cubbies’ heads so still

In packs they have fun while they learn life skills

Punkin’ Nate marched so well

He got a prize for being swell.

Another helmet keeps boys safe

While tackling and pushing foes away.

Some hats are crowns

With lots of sparkles all around.

Hats for tea,

Just my friends and me,

We’re happy as can be!

Now let me add this final verse

Which I probably should have mentioned first.

Since this was for fun, I focused on rhyme

Rhythm and meter are for another time.