Morning everybody! This week has been a crazy one around these parts, which might explain why I woke up this morning and realized We Are Hosting Thanksgiving At Our House One Week From Today! Yikes.
Lucky for me, I have a husband who loves to cook, so while Stephen plans out the food (he bought the turkey yesterday) I’m focusing on the decor. Today I wanted to share a guest post from Sarah of Tree Classics. Although it’s a post about Christmas topiaries, I think all these examples could be used as table centerpieces for Thanksgiving, too!
Take it away, Sarah!
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How to Create Stylish Christmas Topiaries
Topiaries are a great way to extend the Christmas theme throughout your home. With a little creativity (and a lot of patience), topiaries embody the spirit of the holidays. For a stylish Christmas this year, here are a few ideas that you can try:
Pinecone Harvest
Inspired by HGTV.com, this topiary uses pinecones, artificial berries and old branches from broken Christmas trees.
Photo from www.countryliving.com
Materials:
- decorative bowl or platter
- craft foam blocks
- foam topiary cone
- hot glue and 2 packs of glue sticks
- 12 branches from old or broken artificial Christmas trees
- pinecones (enough to fill the surrounding foam cone)
- a bunch of berries
- artificial moss
Procedure:
- Fill the decorative container with craft foam and then begin staking branches into the foam. This hides the interior of the container and adds a nature-inspired theme to the whole piece.
- Working in small sections, use hot glue to apply a thin layer of the artificial moss to the cone. Starting from the bottom, hot-glue the individual pinecones, keeping them as close as possible to hide the middle of the tree. As pinecones have varying shapes, you can use more moss to hide the topiary’s middle section. Add the berries for finishing touches.
- Once the cone is covered, gently place the tree in the center of the container. The weight of the tree will keep the arrangement sturdy.
To create a pinecone mini forest in your foyer, make several topiaries in varying heights. You can also use poinsettias instead of pinecones and leave out the moss.
A Pot of Gold
A unique spin on vintage topiaries of foam balls and gold, this is one eye-catching piece with its shimmering elegance.
Photo from www.thisnext.com
Materials:
- A ceramic pot
- Foam core (preferably twice as big as the pot)
- Brown moss or burlap
- Styrofoam or floral foam
- A long, straight twig (be sure it’s not brittle as it serves as the topiary “stand”)
- Small ornaments painted in gold like berries and ribbons
- Gold paint
Procedure:
- Paint the pot in gold.
- Cut the foam into a shape that fits snugly into the pot to serve as foundation for the stand.
- Drive the twig into the center of the foam core, as securely as you can, going about halfway through.
- Surround the core with small golden ornaments.
You can also use different color themes. Gold and brown makes for an earthy color scheme, but you can go modern with silver and blue.
Snow White
The gorgeous white blooms of a rose never go out of style. This one is inspired by flowersandchocos.com.
Photo from www.flowersandchocos.com
Materials:
- foam topiary cone
- white vase or pot
- roses (or other flowers, just make sure they have a wide base so they can cover the foam cone)
- hot glue and 2 packs of glue sticks
- small silver/gold beads
- gold/silver ribbon
- wooden dowel rod
Procedure:
- Fill the pot or vase with craft foam. Using a wooden dowel rod, poke the cone all the way through.
- Glue the roses around the cone. Place gold or silver beads in the center of some flowers for a gleaming touch.
- Wrap the pot with gold or silver ribbons.
You may use other flowers; just make sure that the base is wide enough. Personally, I love paperwhites and poppies.
Be it the porch, patio or foyer, topiaries are the perfect accents to entryways. Greet your holiday guests in style this year!
Author’s Bio:
Sarah is a wife, mother, and a certified DIY nut. She works as a copywriter for an online store that sells artificial Christmas trees and lives in a quiet little town in Illinois with her husband, their three children and two rambunctious dogs.
