I used a sad, dusty, moss topiary that I purchased at a yard sale for $3.00 as the form for the boxwood branches. If you don't have one of these, you can make your own using a styrofoam ball, a stick, and some moss. I purchased two bunches of boxwood branches on sale at Hobby Lobby for $4.00/each and pulled a milk glass urn out of the depths of my basement. The tools needed are wire cutters and a glue gun.
Clip small sections off of the boxwood branches, leaving a wire "stem" on each piece to hold it into the foam. My hand was red and swollen by the time I finished clipping two bunches, so I will wear gloves next time.
Put a small dab of hot glue on the end of a stem and push it into the foam.
When working on a circle or a sphere, I like to start with a "north, south, east, west" pattern to ensure even coverage and uniformity. I don't want to end up with a lopsided topiary. It looks a little comical at this stage, so stick with me. This was the point where my hubby was giving me funny looks, but he's gotten use to my ways.
Keep adding small branches, turning the topiary to ensure an even look.
It gets a little tricky once the ball starts to fill out. Just be gentle. I tucked the completed topiary into the urn using plastic grocery bags to hold it in place and finished it off with some moss leftover from another project to hide the bags.
It took two full bunches and about 45 minutes to make this topiary and I love it! It's the kind of piece that looks great everywhere you set it down, so you want to use it everywhere. My local Hobby Lobby is going to sell out of these branches next time I'm there!
So, here's the cost breakdown:
Milk Glass Urn: Free from my friend's barn
Topiary Form: $3.00
Two Boxwood Bunches: $8.00 on sale from Hobby Lobby.
Moss: Leftover from another project
Plastic Grocery Bags: free
Total investment: $11.00 and 45 minutes
Well spent.
Just a few reminders before we part ways -
I'll announce the winner of my 1000 follower giveaway on Sunday, so check back to see who's getting a custom hand painted "antique" grain sack. I can't wait to get to work on that!
Second, make sure you check out the new entries on SYTYCD Sunday night at 9/8 c. Last week was full of wonderful and inspiring ideas, so I'm looking forward to what this week will bring.
