Boxwood Topiary Tutorial

I have been working on this little project for the master bathroom, and I am excited to be able to share the tutorial with you!  It doesn't require much skill, but it does take a lot of patience and perseverance.

Here's what you will need:

 -5" terracotta pot (spray painted with Krylon and covered with crackle glaze)

-12" dowel or stick

-4" Styrofoam or floral foam ball

-Faux boxwood plant (I used garlands and snipped each piece off at the same length)

-Small cube of floral foam

-Tacky glue

-Moss or other filler

If you are using a white styrofoam ball and/or dowel, these will need to be painted green or brown.  I painted both my ball and dowel.

Step one, take your terracotta pot and floral foam cube.  My pot has been spray-painted with Krylon spray paint in leather and covered with a weathered crackle glaze and ivory paint, like the birdcage redo.  (That tutorial is next on my list.)  Fit the cube inside the pot, like so:

 

My foam cube was a tad bigger than the pot, so I just pushed it into the bottom, and it wedged itself in.  If your cube is smaller, you will want to glue the foam to the bottom of the pot with tacky glue.  Don't use hot glue or super glue, as these will melt your foam.

Step two, stick your dowel into the foam cube, keeping it as straight as possible.  If you are able to easily pull it back out, put some glue down into the hole before replacing the dowel.  I wasn't able to get mine back out, so I ran a ring of glue around the base of the dowel.

 I haven't been compensated in any way for this post by Aleene's Tacky Glue; I just love to use it!  

Step three, push the foam ball onto the top of the stick or dowel:

 

Be careful here to get the ball as centered as you can.  You will definitely want to glue these parts together well, since you will be handling the ball extensively.  It's also a good idea to let the glue dry between this step and the next.

Step four, start sticking your boxwood pieces into the ball: 

I dipped the end of each stem into tacky glue before I stuck it in, otherwise they didn't stay put very well.  Pack those little pieces in pretty tightly, so you won't be able to see the ball through the leaves.  This part definitely took a good chunk of time.  Give yourself a few hours for this part, and don't give up!  A good movie or book on tape will get you through.

Step five, cover up the foam in the pot:

 I started with a layer of excelsior to fill in the sides of the foam, then topped it off with moss:

I used sheet moss and glued it down with the tacky glue.

That's it!  Now you have a lovely handmade (and inexpensive!) topiary.  I'd love to see your version if you leave me a link in the comments.

Linked up: the DIY club, Blue Cricket Design, tatertots & jello

 

Master Suite Sneak Peek

After two days of hard work and a lot of help from family, we finished painting the master bed and bath!  Whew.  It was a lot of work, but I am in total love with the final result.  The paint color is "Coastal Villa" by Valspar.  

Bear in mind that we haven't quite gotten everything back in order as you look through these photos.  Also, I don't have a headboard.  We're still working on that one.

 My new bedding set (Apt. 9 from Kohl's) is the reason I make the bed in the morning!  It's amazing what awesome bedding does for my mood.

 We got a ceiling fan 30% off at Lowe's, and my talented husband installed it for me in no time.

 We also took the same color into the bathroom, which is connected to the bedroom through a tall archway.  We did an eggshell finish in the bedroom and a semi-gloss in the bathroom.  Sorry, no photos of the bathroom until it's all done!  This is just a sneak peek, after all.  

What's that?  You wanted to see a close-up of the cutie on the end of the bed?  

Wish granted.

Linked up: tatertots & jello 

Custom Order

Just had to share my latest custom order!  The stitching is in bright yellow, which is kind of hard to tell from this photo.  I've been working on this off-and-on for the last week, along with starting a book club for my neighborhood and painting the bathroom.

Coming up this weekend: A preview of the master suite bedding and paint.  

Stenciled Onesies

I stenciled a onesie and shirt this week for my new nephew, David.  I was really happy with how they turned out!  I used my usual method for the stencils- vinyl cut with my Silhouette.

I got my new bedding, and it was definitely a great purchase.  We got it all set up tonight, and I love it!

We also bought the paint for our bedroom and bathroom.  I picked "Coastal Villa" from Valspar.  I am hoping to start painting this weekend, but the husband has some car repair/maintenance he wants to do. . . I hope it doesn't take the whole weekend.

Linked up:

Marshmallow Peppermint Pie

This is one of my husband's favorite pies.  I made it for the first time last week, and it was deliciously light and fluffy.  This pie combines many of my favorites: peppermint, marshmallow, whipped cream, and chocolate cookies.  It's best if you make it a day ahead and let the flavors fuse together overnight.

Marshmallow Peppermint Pie

1 pint whipping cream

4 candy canes, crushed

4 c. mini marshmallows

For the crust:

1 package chocolate Nabisco wafers, crushed

4 T. melted butter

             OR

1 store-bought Oreo crust

Whip the cream until hard peaks form.  Add the crushed candy canes; fold in the marshmallows.  If you are making the crust, combine the wafers and butter.  Press the crumbs into the pie pan.  

Pour the whipped cream mixture into the crust.  If you made the crust, sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top.  Refrigerate the pie until ready to serve, preferably the next day.  The peppermint candy will soften and the flavor will spread into the whipped cream.  Makes one pie.

A Winter Dilemma

I have a few things I would like to do tomorrow, which is the last Saturday before my husband's classes start up again.  One of them is to frame our bathroom mirrors.  Another is to put our new bedding on our bed in the master bedroom.  Yet another is to repaint our master bedroom and bathroom.

Unfortunately, there's no way I can do all that in one day!  Also, I ordered the bedding online at Kohl's, and it won't be here until Monday.  I guess that one's out.

So here's the real dilemma: Do I make the frames for the bathroom mirrors in the freezing cold garage, or paint the bedroom and have it all smelly because it's too cold to open the windows and air it out? 

Which would you rather have: numb extremities or a fume headache? 

Maybe I will just go shopping and get Euro pillow inserts and matching lamps for our nightstands.

2010: The Year in Projects

1. Stacked Bird Pincushion
2. Paper-Covered Kraft Letters
3. Etched Numbered Glasses
4. Hallway Coat Rack
5. Valentine's Day Birthday Cake (and Party)

1. Truffle Brown Wall Paint
2. Moss and Aspen Egg
3. Kitchen Wall Paint
4. Stacked Hair Clips
5. Fancified IKEA Mirror

1. Chipboard Photobook
2. Kitchen Art
3. Craft Room
4. Kitchen Chair Redo
5. Toddler Slip-Ons

1. Felt Ruffle Pillow
2. Fall Wreath
3. Flower Hair Clips
4. Faux Roman Shade
5. Easy Fabric Box

1. Nursery Wall Paint
2. Chalkboard Sign
3. Pennant Wall Art
4. Car Seat Canopy
5. Changing Pad Covers

1. Birdcage Redo
2. Carved Pumpkins
3. Homemade Apple Pie
4. Pennant Banner
5. Winter Wreath Chandelier