This started off as a major craft FAIL.  But I didn’t give up.  I had to hit Hobby Lobby again before I could redo and it took me a couple weeks to make it in (Do you guys feel WAY to busy lately?).
First I had my kids collect sticks at the park.  I broke them to about the size I wanted, wrapped them together at the top and bottom with a rubber band and stuck a skewer down the middle.
I used little buckets from the dollar spot at Target.  I wrapped walmart bags around the base of the sticks to stabilize it in the bucket, then filled it the rest of the way with spanish moss.

Next I chopped the corners off a couple pieces of floral foam to make more of a sphere ish shape.  No need to waste money on buying the round ones when it takes two seconds to shave the corners off the ones from the dollar store.

So, I started putting it together.
Here is where I started to get nervous.  I had originally wanted to make a boxwood topiary.  I saw the preserved ones at Target, but was feeling to cheap.  So, I cut some boxwood sprigs from the bushes in my yard.  But WOW did I underestimate how many I would need and how fast they would dry out. 
Ugly!  I found out how to preserve boxwood (using glycerin and dye) but it takes 3 to 5 weeks.  I wanted these suckers up BEFORE the holiday, so on to plan B.  

Went to hobby lobby and bought a little fake bush.  Some of the stems were too ling so I just cut them in half and wrapped the bottom with floral tape to half a green toothpick (get the colored toothpicks, they hide in the foam better that way!).
I divided my bush in half, and hoped and prayed it would be enough to do both topiaries.  I was NOT spending any more money or time on the stupid project 🙂
I stuck half a toothpick through the base of the little sprigs after I slid the off the wire bush.
Then I stuck it into my floral foam.
 
Much better.
Here she is all pretty and ready before the holiday!  I can’t wait to put her up for St Patrick’s Day!
I’m still going to trying doing something with boxwood, but I’ll do it the right way this time.
Have you had a craft fail recently?  Did you give up or keep going until you got it right?

Linking up at not just a housewife, sugar bee crafts, sumos sweet stuff,
new nostalgia, a bowl full of lemons, savvy southern style

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