To show how much you care about someone, it is better to present a handmade gift rather than a store-bought one. A DIY topiary makes for an excellent present and is an elegant form of crafting. Europeans were the first to decorate their interiors with the “tree of happiness” to attract the energy of wealth and prosperity.
Making a topiary is an activity accessible to everyone. All you need to do is watch the instructional videos carefully selected by the FreeHandmade.com editorial team.
Polymer Clay Topiary
A few hundred years ago, in Ancient Rome, the art of shaping trees and shrubs existed to design the gardens of the wealthy. Plants took on geometric, animalistic, and labyrinth-like shapes. Such gardens were called “topiary” in Latin (literally “ornamental gardening”). During the Renaissance, this idea conquered Europe, and later America. Today, topiary art has been reborn as interior decor – small compositions made from a variety of materials. The simplest piece can be molded, for example, from polymer clay, colored with a marker, and decorated to your liking.
“Coffee Dreams” Topiary
A coffee tree in a small clay pot will serve as a bright accent in any room, not just the kitchen. The base can be decorated with sisal featuring a snail shell or a small rose and decorative stones. The crown is formed from coffee beans mixed with purple roses, beads, and satin ribbons. For the base of the crown, you can use a homemade fiberfill ball (the most popular format) or buy a ready-made one at a craft store. The composition is completed with tied cinnamon sticks and randomly scattered purple beads with brown pasta shapes.
Quick Decorative Flower Topiary
A simple craft that takes only a few minutes to make. This project is easy enough for a beginner and can be done together with children. The ball-crown is covered with small flowers, with a bead placed in the center of each to serve as the core. You will need a minimum of materials:
- a styrofoam ball for the crown,
- corkscrew willow (corylus) branches for the trunk,
- sisal for decorating the planter,
- flat artificial flowers and beads.
Pinecone Topiary
https://youtube.com/watch?v=IEOT8TKsZ5w
A simple yet beautiful piece made from pinecones. Making crafts from natural materials is always interesting and pleasant. This autumn tree will beautifully decorate your home. The pinecones are glued on with hot glue, tinted with acrylic paint if desired, and attached to a dry branch. The pot is covered with loosely draped burlap. Real or artificial stones can be used to secure the trunk. A satin ribbon bow adds extra elegance to the piece.
Interior Faux Flower Topiary
An elegant tree can be made from large artificial flower buds with petals and leaves (like roses or peonies). It is advisable to use elements of different sizes and types for an asymmetrical composition, but stick to similar shades. The trunk can be double or triple, intertwined, or made from loosely placed curved branches. Branches can be painted and toned to enhance the overall impression. It is best to choose a planter in a color scheme similar to the buds.
Napkin and Crepe Paper Topiary
Beauty created out of practically nothing. Crafters usually have many scraps and leftover materials from previous projects: wrapping paper, decoupage napkins, ribbons from embroidery, or kanzashi elements. It is best to use these creative “wastes” for new masterpieces. With just a few napkins and crepe paper scraps, it is very easy to create a stunning room decoration. For the base, styrofoam, construction foam, floral sponge, or even crushed paper or a nylon stocking filled with cotton wool will work perfectly.
Floor-Standing Basket Topiary
Depending on its size and design, this topiary can be placed on a windowsill, table, bookshelf, mirror, dresser, or even the floor. It looks equally harmonious in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, or bathroom. There are no strict rules for decoration; everything is decided purely by your individual taste, imagination, and skill: snowy coniferous twigs, succulents, ferns, dried lavender, gypsophila, foamiran flowers, or a basket-planter made from rolled newspaper tubes.
Eco-Style Topiary
Eco-style implies the use of natural materials. The crown can include nuts, pinecones, tangerine peels, physalis, star anise, moss, acorns, chestnuts, and other gifts of nature. It is important to know how to arrange an abundance of decorative elements so that everything looks natural and rich. The advantage of such a piece is the accessibility of the materials used and the ability to gather them yourself while taking a walk outside.
Nautical Style Topiary
If your stash is full of seashells brought back from seaside resorts, or if you simply love southern motifs, it’s time to create a craft with the scent of the sea. Seashells of various shapes, sisal, cinnamon sticks, beads, glass marbles, dried flowers, and other decor suitable for a nautical theme will all come in handy. A small but bright starfish can be used as a striking accent. By the way, the ball base can be easily made from polyurethane foam (mounting foam). Watch the detailed instructional video to learn the technique of painting the trunk and filling the planter with cement.
DIY Money Tree Topiary
Craftsmanship doesn’t mean just copying trees that exist in nature. On the contrary, the main goal is to create the most original object, attracting attention with its exclusivity. A craft made from banknotes and coins to attract financial energy into the house continues the popular “money tree” idea. This master class will teach even inexperienced crafters how to create a handmade gift for any holiday in just a couple of hours.
These DIY topiary trees are a wonderful alternative to live potted plants: they are just as charming, but much more durable and require absolutely no maintenance.
