Topiary Tutorial

Do you love the topiaries at Pottery Barn & Ballard Designs, but refuse to pay $60-80 for one? Well, you don't have to spend a ridiculous amount of money to display a beautiful topiary in your home. You can make one yourself. I made two for my kitchen table, and I would like to share with you how I made them.

First, decide what type of topiary you would like... Boxwood, Angel Vine, Ivy. Then make a trip to your local Arts & Crafts store. We have a JoAnn's close to our home, which carries everything I needed for this project . I purchased the following:

Small terra cotta pots               .99 ea
Foam balls                           $3.99 pack of 6
Foam bases                         $3.99 ea
Maidenhair Fern Bush           $12
Spanish Moss                      $ 4.99 bag

Here are the items I already had at home:

Sticks or branches
Green acrylic paint
White acrylic paint- or whatever color you want to color your pot
Small paint brush
Glue
Scissors 

First, I painted my foam balls  Forrest Green. You can purchase foam balls that are already green, but the size I wanted only came in white. Then I painted my pots white with a dry brush. I let the foam balls and pots dry over night.

The next day I cut up several small pieces of my Maidenhair Fern.

Next, I used a knife to cut my foam bases so they would fit inside my pots.

Then I started to push my small pieces of Maidenhair fern into my foam balls. I started on the top of the ball and worked clockwise until it was covered, leaving an opening at the bottom for the stick to enter. This part of the project takes about forty minutes.....but it's definitely worth it!!

 Next, I measured the sticks so both would be the same size. I slowly pushed the sticks into the base, and pulled them back out. I pored a dab of glue in each hole, and put the sticks back in. Then, I pushed the foam balls onto the top of each stick. Finally, I covered up the foam bases with Spanish moss. Voila!

My hubby came home from work and asked" Why are there palm trees on the kitchen table?" That's okay....I'm very happy with them.

The Cohesion Project

If you have a family member, friend, or know anyone who has Cerebral Palsy you should take the time to check out this clip of "The Cohesion Project", and please think about donating money to help make this documentary. The Cohesion Project is a documentary about three men who have cerebral palsy. It follows their inspirational journeys to accomplish their goals in life. Any donation questions can be directed to:

thecohesionproject@gmail.com

Refurbished Farmhouse Table off Craigslist

Hello. My name is Karie, and I've decided to start my own blog to share my DIY projects. My hubby and I have recently moved into a new home, and there are plenty of projects that need to be completed. I have also been inspired to start refinishing and reupholstering antique furniture. I plan to share these projects with you through this blog.

 My hubby and I use to have a large black wooden pub kitchen table. The chairs were very uncomfortable, and it just looked awkward sitting in our kitchen. I'm new to the blog world, and have been finding inspiration in some DIY Farmhouse Table project posts. We decided to purchase a table off Craigslist, and sell the old table. Here are some pictures of my very first DIY project using our new table:

Thanks to my dad lending me his electrical sander and some 60 grit sandpaper....I was able to get started!

Here is the table which we purchased off of Craigslist. Oops! I don't have a before picture. Our table use to have an ugly yellowish pine stain covering it's entire body. I sanded the table top with my father's sander which only took about thirty minutes. I did not sand the legs.  This is the table after I applied a Minwax walnut stain to the table top, and creamy white paint by Behr to the base.

I only applied one coat of the walnut stain. I didn't want it to look perfect. I wanted it to look old and used. Here is a better look at the top.

I love that it doesn't look perfect! 

I still need to distress the base and apply a couple coats of Minwax Polyurethane. The chairs to the table had cushions that needed to be reupholstered. I got some great ideas from Miss Mustard Seed's blog...and here is a sneak peek at how the cushions are coming along....

 I haven't decided if I will stencil some french wording.....what do you think? I will post the final result of the Refurbished Farmhouse Table as soon as it's finished later this week....please come back and check it out!

My family and I would like to send special thoughts out to the families and friends of anyone who suffered the loss of a loved one in 9/11. We will always remember!