How To Make A Topiary

Warning: This is picture heavy!

Step 1: paint the styrofoam balls the colour you're deciding to do for you topiary, so if bits peak through after, they are not obvious. I actually needed a few more coats on these.

Step 2: paint the base of your topiary, if it's not already the colour you want it.

Step 3: pick what your "decoration" will be for your topiary. I wanted to use some random balls and I found this strand at Michaels that suited my style.

Step 4: separate them.

Step 5: decide you don't like the gold base and paint it black....then decide you don't like the black either.

Step 6: use steel wool to get it all off.

Step 7: spend enough time on this that your arms are sore and you've made quite a mess.

Step 8: paint your skewers and paint your base gold again.

Step 9: use something that will hold your topiary in the base. You can buy crafting styrofoam, but since my family is in construction, we used rigid insulation leftover from a job site. I've also read that people use modelling clay...as long as it will anchor it in. I glued mine into the pot.

Step 10: step back and look at the mess and be glad you're doing this at your mom's.

Step 11: start to glue the balls onto the styrofoam in a random pattern.

Step 12: when you've got them on, step back and look at it and realize you want 3 skewers in the bottom. One is too skinny.

Step 13: fill the small holes with smaller beads.

Step 14: tell your mom you are using up her whole supply of hot glue and she will need to increase her glue budget for next year's crafts.

Step 15: realize you don't like the white skewers, so paint them again.

Step 16: if you want to decorate your topiary a bit more, wrap a ribbon around the base of the ball.

Step 17: this probably should be done before step 16. If you want balls on the bottom, glue them down. I've also seen people do glitter or that fake cotton snow or moss....whatever suits your "look" that will cover up the styrofoam. I don't have pictures of it, but I also hot glued my skewers into the styrofoam ball at the top and into the insulation at the bottom to really hold it in.

Step 18: add more ribbon because you're not happy with the way it all looks. Step back and realize that this one craft took you 9 hours.

Step 20: once you get home, cut the ribbon shorter. Also, decide to paint glitter onto the pot and wreck it a bit more. There are no pictures for this step because at this exact moment, it's sitting outside letting the spray paint dry while I decide how to cover up my mistakes.