
When you buy an older house, you may find yourself asking: What would this old house do? Trust me, we’ve asked ourselves this question multiple times over the course of the last 3 weeks.
Our Hallmark House (this is the name I’ve dubbed it) was built in 1922, and there are a lot of nuances that don’t exist in modern construction. From plaster walls to old fixtures – old houses come with character and challenges.
At times of discouragement, Matt would ask, “What would this old house do? They’d be stoked.”
Here’s what you need:
- A hat (you can get blank hats at any craft store)
- Letter stencils (or use your Cricut/paper cutter with vinyl)
- Paint
- Sponge applicator
Instructions:
I used my Cricut to create a stencil out of vinyl. You may be asking – why didn’t you iron on? Oh – well, I’ve had very bad experience with this in the past. I burned the hat! If you don’t have a Cricut – vinyl letters from the store will do the trick.

Tip: Measure your had – my hat was 4.5″ x 2″
Now, place your stencil firmly on your hat.

Peel your letters!

And apply your paint. I used fabric medium, this converts any paint into fabric paint. Feel free to use puffy paint in a pinch. It turns ANY paint into fabric paint. I would recommend using a sponge applicator to get the antique look.


Remove the stencil before the paint fully dries.
Allow to dry overnight!

Now you’re ready to rock your new look when working on your old house!
Happy renovating/DIYing!
xo love kim