Make an elegant DIY crown for your Galadriel costume using a glue gun and a few simple craft supplies. Easy to make and great for any elf costume or cosplay. 
My younger daughter dressed as Galadriel for Halloween and wanted a crown that looked just like Cate Blanchett wore in The Lord of the Rings movies. I’m not a metal smith or a jewelry maker, so I had to find an easier way to make the crown that still had a silvery look. I found my answer with Deco Foil transfer sheets.
You can see more details of my daughter’s Galadriel costume here, as well as the rest of our family’s costumes from The Lord of the Rings.
Galadriel’s Crown Supplies
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- A small piece of sheer fabric
- Glue gun and glue
- Deco Foil adhesive pen
- Deco Foil silver transfer sheets
- Jewel or Bead (optional)
- Bobby pins to wear the crown
How to Make an Elvin Crown
Create a Pattern
First, draw a pattern for the lines of the crown. Actually, draw one side of the crown, and then trace it onto the other side so they are both the same. The design should curve up slightly at the ends so that it will curve around the head. Measure to make sure the pattern is big enough to go from ear to ear.
Make the Crown
Next tape the paper design underneath a sheer fabric. Wax paper would work too. It just has to be clear enough to see the design through and able to separate from the glue gun glue. (Not tracing paper—that would stick too well to the glue.)
Apply glue from a glue fun over the design, nice and thick. Go back and add more glue to anywhere that looks thin. It will break later if it’s not thick enough.
We used a glue with silver glitter in it to add more sparkle and “magic” to the crown, but regular, clear glue gun glue would work just as well.
The crown in the movie doesn’t have a jewel in the front, but we decided it would look good, so we added one. While the glue is still hot, add a large bead or jewel to the center. Be sure there is plenty of glue to hold onto the jewel. Although, you can always glue the jewel back in later if it comes out.
Add a Metallic Finish
Now to make the crown look like silver, we coated it with Deco Foil in silver. First, coat the crown as thoroughly as possible with Deco Foil adhesive. It’s a little hard since the adhesive is clear, but try to cover the entire front of the crown with it. If you miss a part, the silver won’t stick on and you’ll just see the glue base.
Lay a Deco Foil transfer sheet across the crown and press it on to the adhesive. Get it into all those nooks and crannies. You can take the sheet off and then press it on again if there are any spots you missed. If you need, you can even add more adhesive and try again in spots you missed. Cover the entire crown with silver to make it look like solid metal.
Putting on the Elf Crown
When the crown is finished, peel of the back fabric carefully. Don’t pull on the crown or the glue with stretch and break. Pull the fabric gently instead.
The crown fits across the forehead and above the ears. Attach the ends of the crown with bobby pins. It’s a really light-weight crown, so it shouldn’t need anything else to hold it on.
We bought jeweled elf ears like these ones from Amazon to make her look like an elf.
Don’t forget to see how we made all the other parts of her Galadriel costume. It turned out beautifully, and she looked just like an elf. Well, a very short elf. But still beautiful. Plus, if you like the idea of using a glue gun to make these, take a look at the details on this Nazgul sword. And check out the rest of our Lord of the Rings costumes:
