Scott’s Topiary

This is Scott’s Topiary. I just finished it.

Scott lives in Austin, TX. I live in Richmond, VA. We have never met. As you can see Austin is a looooong way from Richmond – about 1500 miles to be exact.

Through a serendipitous chain of events that happens every once in a while, Scott got wind of Glittermoon Vintage Christmas from a Tweet made at the Country Living Fair in Atlanta last fall. He contacted me right away and asked me to make him a wreath. So I did. He loved it.

A few weeks ago, I heard from Scott again. This time he wanted me to make him a topiary for his dining room table. We emailed back and forth about colors, size, etc. and then I got down to it.

Scott likes cool tones and he wanted a silver base rather than gold. I chose this classic silver-plate piece for the base and affixed a cone to it. Then, I wrapped it with vintage silver tinsel. It is not my intention to write a DIY blog but I do want to show you my basic process.

Then the fun starts for me. I plow through my collection and start pulling things out that I want to use. Scott wanted blues, magentas, greens, and so on in a cool palette. Here are some of what I chose to begin with.

These are some wonderful Poland indents that I thought would be lovely.

And here are some pretty greens and golds to add to the mix.

Now, I can start designing. It’s all about color, spatial relationships and balance. Topiaries come together differently than the wreaths – you have to be sure that the sides all match pretty well and there aren’t any lumps sticking out. So there is a certain uniformity that needs to be paid attention to. For me, it’s a little less free form than making a wreath.

Here we go!

And a little later here we are.Ta da! Finished! Overall, it took about nine hours or so to make. The final details and embellishments are what make or break a piece to my way of thinking. Scott says he loves it. I will be finding a BIG box and getting it packed up to ship to him over the next few days.

A couple more views so you can see some of the other sides.

Scott says this hot pink ball with the aqua stripe is his favorite. I’m pretty partial to the blue one behind it with the horse and sleigh on it myself.

I also really love the green teardrop shape with “Merry Christmas” on it.

Also, this graduated color ball that has the church windows on it. Isn’t it cool?

And what about the wonderful Poland one with the hot pink skier on it? Honestly, I just love them all. How about you? Do you have a favorite?