• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Artisan Life
  • Dot Marker Pages
  • Learning Center
  • Seasonal Printables
    • Winter Printables
    • Valentine's Day printables
    • St. Patrick's Day printables
    • Earth Day
    • Easter printables
    • Mother's Day
    • Fall printables
    • Thanksgiving Printables
    • Christmas Printables
  • Printable Calendars
  • Preschool + K
    • Alphabet Tracing Worksheets
    • Dot Marker Pages
    • Cut & Paste Crafts
    • Preschool Math
    • Fine Motor Practice Pages
    • Spanish Preschool Pages
  • Coloring Pages
  • Shop
  • Recipes
    • Healthy dessert recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Dot Marker Pages
  • Free Printables
    • Preschool worksheets
    • Free Printable Coloring Pages
    • Printable journals & planners
  • Learning Center
  • Shape Templates
  • Coloring Pages
  • St Pat's Printables
  • Desserts
  • Dot Marker Bundle
  • Shop
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Dot Marker Pages
    • Free Printables
      • Preschool worksheets
      • Free Printable Coloring Pages
      • Printable journals & planners
    • Learning Center
    • Shape Templates
    • Coloring Pages
    • St Pat's Printables
    • Desserts
    • Dot Marker Bundle
    • Shop
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Uncategorized

    DIY Sunburst Headdress Tutorial - How to Make a Zip Tie Crown

    Published: Oct 20, 2016 · Modified: Mar 2, 2025

    7309 shares
    • Share

    Discover how to make a zip tie crown that's perfect for a sunburst headdress or a saint's halo with this easy tutorial! It's a very easy DIY Halloween costume idea on a budget, plus it looks stunning and it's durable, too.

    While looking at ways to make floral crowns, I came across this tutorial for making a spiked halo headpiece. I love her channel and she has wonderful costumes, but this headpiece just would not work for me with the materials I had.

    A strange series of thoughts while rummaging through supplies led me to the idea I finally loved and what I'm sharing in today's DIY sunburst headdress tutorial using zip ties. I hope y'all enjoy because it's way super easy!

    DIY zip tie crown

    This post may include affiliate links, which means I may make a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. 

    So, to make this sun ray halo headband thingie (there seriously has to be a better name for it. A nimbus headdress?) I used zip ties. Yes, zip ties! Zip ties and gold spray paint I got for free several months ago when someone was clearing out an abandon locker at the MakerSpace.

    Since first writing this tutorial, I've realized that it's become very popular with people looking for a  nimbus or halo headband for nativity scenes and church Christmas pageants. 

    If you make one of these halo headbands and use it for your nativity or play, I'd love if you could tag me @natashalhn on Instagram and @natasha5887 on twitter so I can see your work!

    Materials needed for a halo headband with zip ties

    • A plain headband. I used a very narrow metal headband from this package
    • Zip ties! Any color will do in a pinch, but I recommend black. I used both 4" and 5.6" zip ties, but you an use one length if you'd prefer.
    • Gold spray paint
    • Sparkly accents (beads, sequins, glitter, etc. Optional but fun)
    • Glue (Gem-Tac or thick super glue)

    That's it!

    C2G 43036 TAA Compliant Cable Ties, 4 Inch Long, Black, Pack of 100
    Black Point Products BE-0106B BLACK Cable Tie Bag (100 Pack), 5.6"
    BEACON Gem-Tac Premium Quality Adhesive for Securely Bonding Rhinestones...
    C2G 43036 TAA Compliant Cable Ties, 4 Inch Long, Black, Pack of 100
    Black Point Products BE-0106B BLACK Cable Tie Bag (100 Pack), 5.6"
    BEACON Gem-Tac Premium Quality Adhesive for Securely Bonding Rhinestones...
    C2G 43036 TAA Compliant Cable Ties, 4 Inch Long, Black, Pack of 100
    C2G 43036 TAA Compliant Cable Ties, 4 Inch Long, Black, Pack of 100
    Black Point Products BE-0106B BLACK Cable Tie Bag (100 Pack), 5.6"
    Black Point Products BE-0106B BLACK Cable Tie Bag (100 Pack), 5.6"
    BEACON Gem-Tac Premium Quality Adhesive for Securely Bonding Rhinestones...
    BEACON Gem-Tac Premium Quality Adhesive for Securely Bonding Rhinestones...
    supplies for DIY sunburst crown

    How to make a sunburst headdress:

    1. Find the upper center point of your headband and cinch down one of the longer zip ties in this spot. This will be the top of your crown! Really pull it down tight so you won't have to use any glue.

    zip tie on headband

    I guess if you really wanted to, you could stop here and have a very narrow unicorn horn. =p

    2. Add 3 smaller zip ties on either side of your central long tie. Again, cinch them down as tight as possible and make sure they're all facing the same direction!

    add zip ties

    3. Add a longer zip tie on each end...

    ...then three more shorter zip ties on each side.

    keep adding zip ties

    4. Continue repeating this pattern until you've covered most of the headband! It can get awkward to wear if you go all the way to the end, so I recommend leaving a few inches empty at the bottom.

    zip ties all the way around headband

    5. Protect an outdoor work surface with newsprint, a large box, plastic, or something else to prevent spray paint from going everywhere, then spray one side of your crown with spray paint. Work with short sweeps of paint and layer it on slowly instead of spraying intensely on one spot before moving on. Too much spray paint at once can lead to unsightly drips!

    6. Once one side is dry, flip your crown and spray the other side. It's okay if a little of the black zip tie shows through - I actually prefer to leave a tiny bit showing to add some visual depth.

    7. Look for spots with inadequate coverage - there are always a few hiding somewhere on every project I've spray painted! Add some additional paint, as needed.

    diy sunburst headdress

    8. Once your crown is fully dry, bring it back inside to embellish, if you'd like. I used a tab of thick super glue to hold three gold beads on the end of each longer zip tie. Beads, sequins, and glitter would all look great!

    add beads to crown

    Get out there and enjoy your new crown. =) It really flashes when it catches the light!

    Don't lose track of this tutorial! Pin it to your favorite craft board now!

    Sunrise

    This crown would make a gorgeous addition to a sugar skull/Day of the Dead ensemble, don't you think? Or a nice accessory for a Renaissance saint costume? {{Because Renaissance Saint is super popular Halloween costume, right? =p }} It can also be worn as a sort of necklace...stay tuned for a sister photo to "Sunrise" above to see what I mean!

    If you enjoy making costume pieces, you'll also like seeing a tutorial for the super simple chiffon cape/skirt in the photos! 

    I never would have expected to use zip ties to make a sunburst crown until I tried it! What unusual crafting supplies have you used in the past?

    DIY Sunburst Crown Tutorial

    More Uncategorized

    • Text "free printable all about my teacher questionnaire" with a preview of a cute teacher questionnaire printable
      Free Printable All About my Teacher Questionnaire
    • Text "fine motor tracing worksheets" with a preview of seven fine motor tracing worksheets for preschoolers
      Free Printable Thanksgiving Prewriting Worksheets
    • Free Printable Beginner 4x4 Sudoku Puzzles
    • A preview of two printable November calendar pages for 2023
      Free Printable November Calendar 2023
    7309 shares
    • Share
    text "access hundreds of printables now"

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maria

      June 23, 2019 at 7:11 am

      Hi Natasha, this is an awesome tutorial that I'd love to try for a socialite outfit to go to a James Bond Casino Royale event soon. One question, I would imagine that zip ties are a bit too floppy to stand up on their own once attached to a headband - did you use a specific type or do anything extra to get them to stand upright?
      Thanks,
      Maria

      Reply
      • Natasha

        June 23, 2019 at 7:25 am

        That sounds like a fun event!

        No, I didn't do anything extra to the zip ties to make them stand up. I used the pictured/linked zip ties that I ordered on Amazon.

        I hope that's helpful and enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Julie

      October 20, 2016 at 9:42 pm

      I LOVE this!! And actually so easy to do, like super easy!! Now, I just need to figure out why I would need to wear a sunburst head dress....! 😉

      Reply
      • Natashalh

        October 21, 2016 at 8:43 am

        Halloween is coming!!!!
        I wanted to take photos on this particular hike, but it turned out too windy when I got where I'd imagined. Because the headdress wouldn't fit in my bag, I had to wear or carry it while hiking. Back on the road walking towards the car, a lady stopped driving to roll down her window and tell me how cool it was, so you never know what kind of reaction you'll get. =)

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Text "Hello! I'm Natasha!" with an image of a woman a blue shirt

    Hi, I’m Natasha! I'm so glad you're here.

    I'm a former classroom teacher with a Masters of the Arts in Teaching turned homeschooler. I share educational & planner printables for busy parents and teachers. Simplify your life when you discover how to instantly access 700+ printables here!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • text "free printable reading log trackers for kids" with a preview of two reading tracker printables
      Free Printable Reading Logs
    • text "free printable reading coloring pages" with a preview of three reading coloring pages for kids
      Free Printable Reading Coloring Pages
    • text "free printable reading log bookmarks' with a preview of two pages of printable reading bookmark
      Free Printable Reading Tracker Bookmarks
    • text "free printable emotions coloring pages for kids" with a preview of three emotions and feelings coloring pages
      Free Printable Emotions and Feelings Coloring Pages

    The Artisan Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    The Artisan Life also uses affiliate links for other sites. For a full look at my policy, please visit its page here.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Save Time

    • Join the Learning Center for quick & easy access to hundreds of printables

    Contact

    • Contact

    If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly here: natashalh(at)stalkingthewildsnark(dot)com. I do not accept guest posts and will not respond to unsolicited requests for guest posts or links. Stock images by Depositphotos

    COPYRIGHT © 2012 – 2025 The Artisan Life · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED