Craft-E-scapes

The Secrets Of Flower Pressing How To Press Flowers & Make Greeting Cards For Fun And Profit. A Creative & Inspiring Course With Instant Access.

Make And Tune Wind Chimes! What better gift to give, than a beautiful set of wind chimes, hand made by you, and tuned to a musical scale the receiver will enjoy for many years.

Make this Ivy Topiary
(Click on pictures for larger view)

You know those nice ivy wreaths and topiaries you see in the store...well you can make your own!

First I took a balloon about 6" round and randomly wrapped twine all around it. Then I mixed a white glue and a little water to make the glue runny enough for the twine to soak it up. When it dries, it dries hard.

Then let the kids pop the balloon (their favourite part of the processs). Remove the balloon and presto, you have a nice frame to wrap the ivy. I took a shish kebob shewer and hot glued that to ball...enough for it to stay upright so you will have to apply as necessary.

To prepare the ivy, I replanted it into a nicer container, about the same diameter as the ball. I had several vine stems so I decided to remove 2 of them and any leaves up to about 6 inches from the base on the remaining 4, and braided those stems carefully. (I did bend a few stem and hopefully they will mend without the vines dying.)

Finally I stuck the skewer into the dirt next to the stems and began arranging the vines around the ball. You can tuck some of the leaves into the ball to anchor the vines in place. The topiary will fill out in time, completely covering the ball.