Evergreen Topiary

This topiary craft is so festive for winter. Use these simple instructions to make your own outdoor decorative topiaries, which also make great Christmas decorations.

Materials:

• Drill
• 1/16" drill bit
• Plaster of Paris
• 4" pots
• Burlap
• Sticks
• Glue
• Fake pine branches

Instructions:

1. The first thing you need to do is tape up the hole in the bottom of your pot. This way the plaster won't get out.
   
   
    
2. Mix up the plaster directly in the post according to the directions on the package. Then put the sticks on the pots and let them sit for several hours until they have completely set up. I got my sticks in the backyard. I trimmed them off of one of my pine trees. Any stick would do. I cut them to be three different heights.
   
   
    
3. Drill holes in the top of each stick. The a few more at 45 degree angles just below the top of the stick.
   
   
    
4. I stripped the plastic off of the fake pine branches to expose the wire. Then I bent the wire in half until it snapped in half. If you have trouble breaking the wire you can use wire snips.
   
   
    
5. I put some glue on the hole before sticking the wire in it. Any glue would work.
    
   
   
   
    
6. Here they are all glued! Just play around with the location of the branches until it looks like what you want. The holes are small enough that if you choose not to use that hole, you can't see it. No one will know :)
   
   
    
7. I used burlap but really you can use whatever fabric you want. Or, you don't have to use any at all. You could add pebbles or moss to the pots to cover up the plaster.
    
8. Set the pot on the fabric and then bring all the side up around the stem. Since burlap frays so easily, I just pulled me of the strings and used those to tie the fabric. You could also use ribbon or jute.