Mad in Crafts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About
    • ABOUT JESSICA
    • CONTACT
    • MEDIA KIT
    • Seen On
  • PRIVACY
  • CRAFTS
    • HOLIDAY
      • VALENTINE’S DAY
      • ST. PATRICK’S DAY
      • EASTER
      • FOURTH OF JULY
      • FALL
      • HALLOWEEN
      • THANKSGIVING
      • CHRISTMAS
    • HOME DECOR
    • KIDS
    • MISC
    • Wearable
      • JEWELRY
      • PURSES, CLUTCHES AND TOTE BAGS
      • T-SHIRTS
    • FREE PRINTABLES
    • FREE SVGs
  • DIY
    • Gardening
    • Health
    • ORGANIZATION
    • Outdoor
    • Room Makeover
    • The Mad House
  • Recipes
    • Dessert
    • DINNER
    • DRINKS
    • Snacks and Appetizers
  • ENTERTAINING
    • Birthday Party
    • Party
    • Wedding
  • SHOP
Please note: This page may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and choose to make a purchase from the partnership site, I will earn a commission. Thank you for supporting Mad in Crafts!

RECYCLE AN ARTIFICIAL TREE INTO TOPIARIES

December 5, 2014 by madincrafts 1 Comment

MAKE A TOPIARY TREE FROM YOUR OLD CHRISTMAS TREE

This year my parents gave us their old artificial tree, which is larger and nicer than our old one.  I considered trying to sell our old tree on Craigslist, but the bottom row of branches was pretty beat up.  I hated the idea of throwing the whole big tree away though. 

I had pinned tutorials for DIY Christmas topiaries made from tomato cages and garland, hoping to make my own at some point.  A light bulb went on in my head!  Why couldn’t I use the branches of our old artificial Christmas tree instead of evergreen garland to make some pretty topiaries?  It was a complete experiment, but honestly most of my projects are.

By using materials I had on hand (or scrounged from my parents’ garage) and upcycling the old tree, I was able to make two 3 foot tall topiary trees for FREE!  You don’t need an entire tree to make one of these topiaries.  Many people don’t put the bottom branches of their artificial tree on every year.  Instead of boxing those branches back up, you could use them to make a topiary of your own.

topiary base

I made the topiary bases earlier this year to use as pedestal containers for my fall mums.  They are made from two sizes of plastic flower pots which I then painted with Plutonium spray paint in Third Place Metallic (their bronze color). 

You will need to weight the bases so the topiaries aren’t quite as top heavy.  Just set something heavy inside the top of the two pots. 

tomato cage base

Just like the other topiary tutorial, the frame of these trees is an upside down tomato cage.  I used duck tape to bring the three stakes together into a point and to tape the cage to the inside of the pedestal.

wire on branches

I took branches from our old tree and attached them to the frame using strong twist ties, but zip ties would also work.  The L curve of each branch needs to be towards the bottom of the topiary and to point to the inside of the topiary.

branches on

I added tree branches in two layers, once around the top half of the tree and once around the bottom.  The bottom layers’ L curves are actually inside the flower pot while the ends of the branches overlap the top layer of branches.

fluff branches

After I filled in any gaps with branches and secured the branches with twist ties, I “fluffed” the branches into a tree shape.  I bent the individual branches down and out to fill out the topiary.

topiary with lights

You can decorate the topiaries in whatever way best fits your décor.  We use these large size multi-colored bulbs in all our of our outdoor décor, so I added a strand to each of the topiaries.

christmas lights

I placed one topiary on either side of our front door.  They add some color to that side of our front porch and look so pretty with the rest of our lights at night!

bokeh lights

Filed Under: Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Outdoor Tagged With: affiliate, Christmas, DIY, outdoor, porch, topiary, tutorial, upcycle

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
              

Comments

  1. Melissa White says

    December 5, 2014 at 11:09 pm

    super cute! great idea!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




About Jessica

Search the blog…

Gallery of Valentine's Day Crafts
DIY Home Organization
Delicious Dessert Recipes

Copyright

You're welcome to link to Mad in Crafts or use a single image with a brief description to link back to any post. Republishing posts in their entirety is prohibited. Feel free to pin on Pinterest!

Affiliate Disclosure

Jessica Hill is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in