I love the look of a topiaries but to purchase one is not exactly cheap, especially if you want a nice sized one which sits on the floor. So this year in order to save a few pennies, again I have to turned to using items I already have to decorate the house for the holidays!
To create this topiary I started with a tomato cage I pulled right out of the garden, and a planter which literally was blowing around during hurricane Sandy, landing in our yard.
STEP ONE: Place the cage into the planter.
STEP TWO: Cut a wire coat hanger into 3 long piece and bend wire into a "U" shape. Use the pieces to anchor the tomato cage in the dirt of the planter. (Make the wire pieces are as long as possible, depending on the depth of your planter, in order to maximize the stabilization of the topiary.)
STEP THREE: Begin to wrap the cage with garland. If you use real garland, anchor it to the cage every so many inches with some floral wire. Here I used artificial garland I already happened to have. If using this type of garland you can easily attach it to the cage using the wire branches.
Continue to wrap the cage until it is completely covered, and then secure the top together with floral wire or wire from artificial garland. Now you can see the beautiful conical shape of an evergreen with the wide base and tapered top.
STEP FOUR: Wrap the lights around your topiary in the same fashion as you did with the garland. I used all white lights to make my topiary sparkle!
STEP FIVE: Add some additional fresh pine to fill in a few gaps as well as adding the beautiful pine scent.
STEP SIX: Adorn your topiary with anything you wish. I love the look of fresh fruits like apples or a string of cranberries mixed with popcorn. However given the fact that I want to use this outside, and that I also live in an area of which the wildlife can be anything from squirrels to bears, I opted for faux adornments. I used artificial lemons for a punch of color along with a string of berry garland to enhance my topiary, and then finished it with a simple jute bow on top.
I loved this project because it was so simple and the end results is a large scale topiary I would never have been able to afford.
Have a great day!!!
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Sharing this post at link parties over at these super blogs...
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Cowgirl Up ` Ceadr Hill Ranch
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Savvy Southern Style
At the Picket Fence
Barbara, it turned out great! I saw somewhere wrapping tomato cages with lights to look like Christmas trees. This is a great idea. I can just imagine what a nursery would charge for one like this. xo
ReplyDeleteMY favorite thing...how inviting that is and looks so professional..no one could make it any prettier!
ReplyDeleteThis did turn out really pretty!
ReplyDeleteYou did a fantastic job! Thanks for the post. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, this is such a cute idea!!! I want to try something like this! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou are so clever and creative. Your topiary looks great.
ReplyDeleteLooks so nice, I like the idea of it being easy and you had everything to go it already...it turned out just perfect!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful and clever! I'm a new follower and enjoyed your blog.
ReplyDeleteI currently have a blog party posted and would love for you to post this! :)
http://sew-licious.blogspot.com/2012/11/show-licious-craft-showcase-9-blog-party.html
Marti
So creative! It looks lovely, and what a great idea :)
ReplyDeleteBarbara, you are making my head spin. You are doing the most wonderful things. I can't keep up with you. Absolutely love this topiary. I hope I get a chance to try my hand at one for this year, but it's something to think about for next. I'm putting a new post out tomorrow and I'm shouting to the rooftops about you so don't miss and I hope I do you proud..Happy Wednesday..Judy
ReplyDeleteBarbara, that tree looks professionally made. You did a super job, but that's not surprising. Love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and Merry Christmas,
Helen
You are just so smart. What a clever idea. Thanks so much for sharing again on BeColorful. Hope you are writing a post about your holiday decor. Can't wait to see it. :D
ReplyDeletep