Christmas Topiaries

Hi! Hope you have all been well! Our halls are decked, and I am ready to start the Christmas Season! The elves have been busy (OK, that's a lie.....it's just me). I am going to try and post a daily project or two over the next few weeks, some large and some small.

Here are the first three of several topiairies. Anyone who has been in our house knows my love of topiaries.

I had huge response to the small, tarnished mirrored tree in my last post.

I wanted to clarify just how I achieved this look.

I started with three super shiny trees from the Dollar Tree. They looked like they belonged straight off the set of Saturday Night Fever. I just needed a white polyester leisure suit to complete that look.

I used Benjamin Moore's Finishing Glaze in Raw Umber, and dabbed some on with an old cloth, and then splattered spots randomly all over to mimic an antique mirror. Easy Peasy.

The second one I found at a thrift store for $3. I removed all the beads and fabric.


Primed it grey, and painted the base a flat black.
I had some uber shiny silver beaded garland, but I have also seen the same things at the Dollar store. I hot glued it in rows, starting at the bottom, and wrapping my way around and up.


I used the same B.M. finishing glaze and rubbed it all over with a cloth, to instantly age it. I went back with a clean paper towel and randomly rubbed the glaze off, in a few small areas to let that shiny silver peak through here and there.

The third topiary you may remember from Halloween, and used to look like this:

I spray painted the entire thing a flat white. I dabbed the BM glaze over the branches, and then dabbed it in the nooks and crannies of the base, and then rubbed off the excess. I flecked and splattered it lightly to look like old water marks.

The snowflakes were from the Dollar store and were also tarnished. I plan on posting a tutorial on it tomorrow, hopefully. The weather is cold and rainy and not the best for capturing great pictures.

Better late, than ever:

Please join in on the fun of DIY day at a Soft Place To Land