Thursday, October 07, 2010

Halloween Day 7 - Spooky Topiary

Well, it has finally arrived...Day 7!  And therefore, the last project in my Halloweeny blitz!!! 

I'm pretty thrilled with how this one turned out.  Especially when you consider I missed counted the days when I started this whole thing, so I only had 6 projects planned out!  Yikes! 

So, last night when I got home around 6:30, I started looking at what I had on hand.

Enter this lovely, purchased a few weeks ago at Goodwill as a daily half priced item, so I paid $1.50.

(Warning...this post is picture heavy.)

It almost broke my heart to sand it down and paint it black because if it was truly hand painted, I know someone put their own talent and hard work into painting it...but it was old and dated and needed a new lease on life.

So, that's what I did.  And then I Modge Podged with scrapbook paper (about $1.50 worth...with plenty left over for another project), sanded all the edges and inked the edges with black ink and of course rubbed it in with my fingers. :)


As I sat there pondering what I was going to do with it next, this hole was saying, "use me...not the big one on the other side for a candle...that's too predictable." 

I couldn't let this little hole down...and that's when it hit me...topiary!!

I gathered some leftover dowel pieces and some skewers I had and put a styrofoam ball on top.

Now what?  What was I going to use to make the topiary?  I thought about spiders, but that didn't work.  Once again, I was at a loss.  Since Doodle was still at her dad's I ran to Meijer (it's a store here in the Midwest, kind of like a bigger, bit nicer, more expensive Wal-Mart).  Nothing stood out to me.  Shoot!!

Well, I had to go to Menards (a large hardware store we have here in Indy) because I needed to pick up a hard to find lightbulb for my cubicle at work.  As I was walking around...I found my solution....and for FREE!  Sort of.  Menards offers alot of rebates.  So, my solution was $1.50 with a $1.50 rebate! :)

What would make the perfect Halloweeny topiary?


That's right....shelf liner!

So, having done something like this before (which I have not had time to show you yet), I just used the same technique.

I cut my shelf liner into 2x2 squares.  Pulled the sides up around a small piece of dowel, hot glued the end and stuck onto the styrofoam ball (which I painted black so white wouldn't be showing through any gaps).  Just keep repeating until the whole ball is full.  Shove each piece in pretty tight so you get a good full look to your topiary.



Once I filled the whole ball, I wrapped a scrap piece of cream fabric around the dowels.  I rubbed some of my Jim Holtz Distressing Ink in Walnut over the ribbon to age it up some. 


Then I hot glued the dowel into the little hole and added a couple spiders for fun!  I also ran some of the spider web stuff you use outside over the ball to give it some 'eeriness'. 



Here's what I ended up with!!






Be sure to come back tomorrow...that's when I'll show you my living room all decked out for a fun Halloweeny. :) 



Until tomorrow...
 






16 comments:

  1. Your topiary is so clever! I've been wanting to make some myself...you have inspired me!
    smiles!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, how fun! That turned out fantastic. I'd love for you to come link it up to my Halloween party this weekend! Hope to see you there. Have a wonderful night.

    Krista

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very creative! I am your newest follower and would love for you to share this over at a crafty soiree at www.yesterdayontuesday.com (every thursday)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well I'll be doggone! Girl, you have a true knack for turning nothing into a whole lotta something!

    I can't wait for the big reveal!

    Many Blessings,
    M.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That is the cutest thing Ive ever seen!!! I NEED to make one now. I wonder if I could find a similar box thing... hmmm. I love it!

    - Michelle @ Bunch of Craft

    ReplyDelete
  6. Really cute!!! Thanks for sharing on Thrilling Thursday @ Paisley Passions :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello there. I am a new follower via Blog Hopping.Please visit @ http://www.mommiesandbeyond.com
    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks fantastic! What a good idea. I LOVE the transformation from the snowman to the polka dots and spider webs... it really looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Even though they aren't your "thang" you're great at making them!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That turned out awesome! I totally did not expect the final result when I saw what you started with!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is really great! Probably my favorite Halloween topiary!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog - it is fun to come here and see other great crafts:)
    Lindsay @ Diary of a Crafty Lady

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is fabulous! Thank you for linking to tickled pink..this tickles me pink! I am a new follower.
    Holly
    504 Main

    ReplyDelete
  14. Good day! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to
    give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading through your posts.
    Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same topics?
    Thanks!

    Look into my page: New Methadone
    Also see my web site > Treatment Of Opiate Addiction

    ReplyDelete