Candlestick Topiary

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I really really LOVED Jeana's Valentine Topiary over at In Place of her Crown. Did you take a peek? Aren't they pretty? So I knew I had to make a version of my own.

First I took these candlesticks I got at a thrift store and painted them. I call them my "wastic" candlesticks because honestly, I can't tell if they are some sort of plastic or wood, they are made out of a weird material and look like they were painted to look metal.

Bleh, huh? But I bought them because I knew they had potential.

I painted them a pearlescent ivory color, MUCH prettier as you'll see in the finished product.

I LOVE brown. Love love love brown. It's my favorite color, so I decided to make my topiary part of this project out of brown and pink fabric. Each topiary takes about a yard of fabric, so I used 1/2 yard of pink and a 1/2 yard of brown for each. I cut my fabric into 3" squares. I don't have pinking sheers so I just used regular scissors.

Then I just took a pencil and started poking the fabric into the styrofoam ball. It takes more fabric then you think it will, and least that's what I thought as I was cutting and poking away.

I did get a blister on my finger after poking two styrofoam balls full of fabic. But it's all for the crafting cause! Okay, so the story behind my styrofoam balls is I am cheap and styrofoam balls are pricey, at least to me they are. They are $3.50 for two of them at Walmart. What???? So, I went to the Christmas clearance section which is 90% off and found some yarn ball ornaments that had styrofoam balls inside. They are down to .20 each. I bought all they had (6) to use in future craft projects.

Back to the fabric poking. At the end I left a spot bare to poke into the candlestick where it will be sitting on top.

Then I just put it on the top of my candlestick, added some ribbon and fell in love...

Aren't they pretty???

Yes, I used two different color pinks in each one. Don't the wastic candlesticks look SO much better in that pretty pearl ivory? It's Rust-Oleum's Hammered Finished in Ivory. Love it! These will be on my February mantel for sure!

Items used and cost:

2 wastic candlesticks from thrift store: $1.00

2 styrofoam balls (Christmas ornaments on clearance): $.40

2 yards of fabic (brown and pink) from Walmart: $4.94

Rust-Oleum spray paint (already had)

ribbon (already had)

Total cost: $6.34

Until next time :-)

Linking to these parties:

Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Naptime, First a Dream, Super Stinky Boys, Keeping it Simple, C.R.A.F.T., Coastal Charm, Crafty Geordi, Somewhat Simple, Chic on a Shoestring, Fingerprints on the Fridge, The Shabby Nest, French Country Cottage, Tatertots and Jello, While He Was Napping, DIY by Design