The Selfhelp Home is beyond grateful to everyone in the community who has shown us kindness during the pandemic, whether it be through meal donations, PPE, monetary donations, and letters to our residents. Recently we received a couple of very unique gifts from a member of the community… crazy hats! Here’s the story behind Liezl Kapastin’s creative hats project.
Liezl was born and raised in South Africa. She and her husband (who was born in Philadelphia) moved to Chicago in 2004. Liezl said, “We’re proud to call it home!” They have two little girls – a bright and funny 5-year old, and an adorable 10 month old. After spending 15 years in the corporate world, Liezl had an opportunity to become a stay-at-home mom when their first little girl was born, and has been fortunate to stay home with their second baby as well.
What inspired you to begin making these creative hats for the community?
Liezl: My background is in Graphic Design – I have a passion for all things creative. During the past few months as we’ve all been staying home, I’ve been itching to create something fun!
Friends in England were hosting a virtual “Fancy Dress” get-together and I was inspired on a whim to create a hat each for my husband, my oldest daughter and myself. My first three hats were born – I titled them “Breakfast”, “Recycled”, and “Into the Wild” respectively. They generated lots of laughs and I was inspired to create more hats to bring a bit of levity to this unprecedented, sometimes stressful time we find ourselves in.
I have created 6 hats so far – two of which were specifically designed for The Selfhelp Home. After creating the hats, I posted them to a Facebook group to share the laughs. This is where I connected with Arielle Lewis from The Selfhelp Home.
What inspired your ideas for Selfhelp’s unique hats?
Liezl: I wanted to create a hat that felt meaningful to The Selfhelp Home – music seemed to be a special part of the seniors’ day. Arielle mentioned “Oh, what a beautiful morning” is a song they love, and this song was the inspiration for the design of the first hat.
For the second hat, we discussed concepts that represent positivity – so this time I wanted to create something a little different that would guarantee a few smiles.
It has been an absolute pleasure and a joy creating these hats for The Selfhelp Home and to be able to spread a little cheer!
Thank you for sharing your talents with us and spreading cheer, Liezl. Your hats have been a hit at the home. Selfhelp’s residents and staff have so much fun trying them on!
Who wore it best?
