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Recently, topiaries, or European trees, have become increasingly popular. This great way not only decorate your home, give it incomparable comfort and individuality, but also a wonderful leisure activity for all family members.

What does the word topiary mean?

Once upon a time, and to this day, the art of topiary is widely used in park design and denoted a garden with short-trimmed trees framed by garden sculptures. Today, this name also means a small artificial tree, and such a unique miracle is easy to make with your own hands.

Another name for “topiary” is the tree of happiness. The explanation for this metaphor has its roots in the Ancient East. For a long time, the ball in many religions was considered to be the personification of the sun, creation, infinity and perfection. Eastern religions associate sunrise with hope, the beginning of life, spring, childhood and happiness. By giving topiary as a gift, you seem to be giving a piece of life and happiness to someone dear to you. According to the rules of Feng Shui, a tree brings joy to a home.

Topiary is not the personification of any specific plant that exists in nature. This fairy tree embodies the author's wildest fantasies. Its crown can have not only the typical shape of a ball, topiary shapes can be made in the form of a heart, cone, etc.

Making a European tree is not only a hobby, but also an entire art. However, anyone can make topiary with their own hands. Its height ranges from 15 to 50 cm. The materials used in the manufacture of the tree are extremely diverse; it can be made from any available natural and artificial means: from berries and fruits, dried flowers or spices, to paper, plastic, coins and other materials . You can even make a topiary out of artificial grass.

The minimum basis for making wood is four required components:

• flowerpot or stand;
• the basis;
• trunk;
• crown.

A stand or flowerpot serves as a base for placing the tree. As a stand, you can use not only a flowerpot, but also an unusually decorated jar, cup, glass or other container that matches the general idea.

The basis for the composition is a ball, personifying perfection, or a foam figure of any other shape. For the base figure, you can use other materials at hand. Usually buy finished workpiece basics in a craft store, which saves a lot of time.

To make the barrel you will need wire (preferably thick). As a rule, the wire is wrapped with twine; braid and decorative tape are also widely used.

Making a crown is perhaps the most interesting and creative moment in the entire work process. There are almost limitless opportunities here for the realization of the most daring and original ideas and fantasies.

The materials for making the crown are:

Bonsai trees serve as a wonderful home decoration not only in the living room, but also in the kitchen, bedroom and other rooms. A tree that glows in the dark will not only be a decorative element, but will also serve as a practical night light. European tree made from fresh flowers - wonderful gift for any celebration.

Gallery: DIY topiary (25 photos)

How to make topiary with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

So, let's make topiary with our own hands. Let's look at the process of making a coffee tree as an example. Topiary from coffee beans They are very popular not only because of their appearance, but also because of the wonderful aroma of coffee spread around.

Characteristic features of a coffee tree:

Necessary materials:

• any newspaper for creating a form or a ready-made base;
• corrugated paper (preferably brown or a similar shade to the color of coffee);
• threads;
• stick (for accurate and uniform application of glue);
• coffee beans;
• cup;
• colorful pebbles;
• dry twig (for a tree trunk);
• coins (or fake money);
• plasticine.

Topiary made from coffee beans– a wonderful and stylish gift for a man (husband, colleague, etc.).

Ideas for topiary

Ideas for European trees can be taken from the Internet, craft magazines and catalogs, or use your own imagination. There are many options for execution. You can create a whole topiary garden at home. Anything can become a decoration for a tree; you can safely combine various materials, creating unusual shapes for the base, inventing fantastic figures or sculptures for decoration.

Make an original topiary You can do it yourself for any occasion, from New Year's to an anniversary or other celebration. Or you can create works using this technique without any reason, but as leisure for the whole family and a wonderful time together for adults and children.

Topiary technology in landscape design

The art of topiary is widely used in landscape design and territory design. country house, cottage, garden. Initially, topiary art was a technique of curly cutting of trees and shrubs. As a result of such cutting, plants are given any shapes (balls, cones, etc.) or ornaments; from them you can create various figures and entire green sculptures (animals, people, fairy-tale objects or structures, etc.).

Topiary technique and its types

• Ornaments and figures from flowers and plants. It is not difficult to form a certain ornament or figure using a special ready-made topiary frame in which plants are planted according to the plan.
• Green sculptures. Frame or topiary sculptures are a fashionable trend in modern garden or lawn decoration. To create them you need a frame made of strong wire. Its inside is laid out with a mesh with small cells and filled with soil (if the sculpture is large, then sawdust or other filler can be placed inside and filled with soil mixture on top). Seeds, seedlings or the plants themselves are planted in the soil and then cared for in the usual way.
• Niwaki - also a fashionable idea in modern garden and landscape design - is growing a tree in open ground by changing the shape of its trunk or intertwining several trunks. This decorative element has proven itself well in the compact design of a small area. Nivaki made from willow, pine and other trees look great in the garden.

Creating topiary with your own hands at home or on the site is not particularly difficult. Should always start from simpler forms and, improving your technique and art, move on to creating complex figures and compositions for the garden. The main thing, as most garden sculptors note, is patience, love for plants, careful and proper care for them.

Topiary originates from the ancient times of the Roman nobility. This word comes from the Latin "topia", which means "decorative place". The Romans were distinguished by their love of aesthetics, they were famous for their experienced masters of landscape design, “masters of topos,” as they were called then.

Topiary these days is an original composition that is an imitation of a neatly trimmed tree. An exquisite decorative item will fit perfectly into any home interior, be it a simple topiary made of paper or multi-textured compositions of feathers, flowers, coins, rhinestones.

Secrets of the tree of happiness

The floristic tree carries a very important meaning. It is a symbol of fertility, wealth and health. This amazing decoration has a beneficial effect on the energy of the house, because topiary not only attracts good luck, but also generates powerful energy of happiness.

Advice! If the interior of the house is designed in classic colors grayish tones, it can be emphasized by topiary made from ribbons in cool shades (blue, light blue). In “warm climates” where there are many sunny shades, choose darker colors for the tree.

An original DIY topiary will be a great gift for any occasion. Such a miracle can be created from paper, artificial flowers, fabric, grains, feathers, shells, pine cones, coins, beads - everything that can be found in the home of needlewomen. Topiary will be appropriate in any situation:

• New Year. Ideal gift or decorative element for the winter holiday. A sisal topiary decorated with pine cones, small spruce legs and shiny balls will look especially original. And if you add glitter, lurex, tinsel and gold decorations, the snowy tree of happiness can be an excellent replacement for the Christmas tree.

Advice! Silver and gold go perfectly with contrasting shades (blue, green, red). Shiny elements optimally set off light, pastel colors.

• Romance of Saint Valentine. A love tree or topiary heart, decorated in red and white colors and decorated with satin or paper roses, valentines, fluffy feathers, will be a real romantic gift.

• A colleague's party. Give it to your colleague coffee topiary. Decorated in the colors of coffee pleasure, decorated with fragrant beans, this tree will perfectly decorate the office and fill it with a sensual aroma.

• Mystical Halloween. For fans of the Celtic holiday, a topiary designed in the shape of a pumpkin is suitable. Decorate it with canvas, place a figurine of a witch on top, and the spirit of mysterious celebration will burst into your home.

• Gift for a friend. For the birthday of a close friend, you can create a delicate topiary of roses. To make flowers, take ribbons, napkins, fabric or corrugated paper. Small artificial flowers are also suitable.

Advice! It is better to plant a flower tree in containers of white, light, pastel colors. Glass figured vases would also be ideal. You can write a memorable greeting on them.

• Wedding. Romantic wedding topiary will be a real highlight among gifts for newlyweds. Decorated with satin, lace, pearl beads, sisal, a flower topiary will remind young people of a wonderful day for a long time.

• New settlers.

Our ancestors, when laying the first log for the construction of a new hut, put a handful of grain under it so that prosperity reigned in the house. The best housewarming gift would be a modern topiary made from grains. You can take any large grains (sunflower, pumpkin, beans, peas). For decoration, use canvas, twine, and buttons.

Topiary in the interior

• It’s not for nothing that topiary is called the “Tree of Happiness.” Advantageously located in the interior of the house, it acquires magical powers and brings good luck and fulfillment of desires:

• Kitchen. The owner of the most important room in the house will be a coffee topiary with decorative elements made from natural materials (straw, canvas, twine). A topiary made from napkins would also fit well into the kitchen. Children's room. Make baby trees for your kids using funny souvenirs. For girls, create a fabulous topiary from

• corrugated paper

• , and for the boys, decorate the tree in the shape of a soccer ball. Bedroom. An organza topiary made in pastel colors and decorated with lace, ribbons and beads will help preserve love and fidelity for a married couple. Living room. A bright, elegant topiary from

satin ribbons

, made in the general style of the room.

The most powerful impact is exerted by interior trees created with your own hands. This science is not complicated, we will be happy to tell you how to make topiary.

How to create a homemade topiary with your own hands To begin with, it is better to try to create a simple topiary for beginners.

• Orange tree.
• For a juicy orange tree you only need 3-4 hours. What do you need:
• Sintepon.
• Brown threads.
• Gel pen refill.
• A small pot for the base.
• Orange beads for decoration.
• Green corrugated paper.

Large Christmas tree ball made of plastic (any).

Wooden sticks with pointed tips. Trunk. Let's take one stick and tie threads to it with two knots (on both sides). We tie another stick next door. We continue to knit them further to the end, leaving long tails of thread. We will get some semblance of a wooden rug. We put a narrow strip of glue on it in the middle and wind the sticks into a tube. We wrap the entire structure with thread tails and secure it with a knot. For reliability, they can be glued together.

Step 2. Carefully insert the resulting trunk with the sharp edges of the sticks into the hole on the ball and place it on the glue. You can first pour cereal inside the ball to make the tree “talking”.

Step 3. Glue the blank to the bottom of the pot.

Step 4. Paint the tree trunk brown. It is better to paint the ball itself green to create additional volume for the leaves.

Step 5. Leaves. We cut the paper into small squares. Take one square and place it in the center of the rod from the handle. We crush the paper or roll it with our fingers in a circle. Apply a drop of glue to the center of the paper square and use the shaft of a pen to glue it to the ball.

The tools we will need are a glue gun, scissors and double-sided tape. Stages of work:

Wooden sticks with pointed tips. Pot. We decorate the pot with red fabric, which we secure with tape. We lay a floral oasis or polystyrene inside.

Step 2. Trunk. In the center of the pot we fix the trunk of the future tree. If there is no branch, you can install a cardboard tube, pre-wrapped with yellow satin ribbon. We decorate the junction of the trunk with sisal or tinsel.

Step 3. The upper part of the trunk is placed on a ball of polystyrene foam or a floral oasis (we first give it the shape of a circle). We tie the attachment point with a satin ribbon.

Step 4. We glue toothpicks to the Christmas balls and place them in the base ball.

Step 5. Decor. Using toothpicks, insert pine cones, small Christmas tree decorations, toys, beads, and tinsel into the free spaces between the balls. For reliability, we glue them together.

The New Year's magic tree is ready! Make a wish on New Year's Eve, and the topiary will definitely make it come true.

At first, topiary simply referred to a garden in which ornamental trees were trimmed short with adjacent garden sculptures. In the current understanding, topiary means an original small tree. If you want to quickly get a small tree with the perfect shape, you can make it yourself.

At least four elements are needed for this craft. Such a small list is only a base, without which a sort of flower globe on a stem will not work.

Required items:

• Pot/stand;
• Trunk;
• The basis;
• Crown.

The main craft is usually a ball. Man has an inherent desire to comprehend perfection, and strict geometry sometimes brings him closer to this. But in the photo you can see other forms of topiary, for example, a heart.

Today, a foam blank is used as a base. In order not to make the ball himself, the master buys several at once in craft stores, and this, of course, simplifies the work.

For the trunk, thick wire is usually taken, it needs to be wrapped with twine (twine is used most often), or with decorative braid or ribbon.

Flower ball for topiary (video)

Making your own topiary: the basics step by step

The most interesting stage of work, where great opportunities open up, is the production of the crown. Paper is often used, from corrugated paper to multi-layer napkins. Creating such a crown requires care.

Fabric crafts are also interesting; in the photo you can see all the nuances of this work. The now popular felt is widely used in the creation of topiary; cotton and satin ribbons are also used.

The fabric crown will be complemented by beads, seed beads, and buttons. What is the crown not made from? most interesting works can be made from pistachios. European wood (as these products are also called) turn out to be very natural. True, you will need a lot of pistachios, unless you are planning to make a mini-tree.

In addition to pistachios, coffee beans are actively used. This technique is in such demand because it can kill two birds with one stone. The bonsai tree will not only be beautiful, it is important that it also emits a special aroma.

DIY thread topiary

A separate story is topiary made of different thicknesses of threads. Usually the threads serve as the basis for the future crown. To make such a tree, you need to wrap threads around a balloon, and it is important that the threads sit on the glue. The balloon is then deflated (just poke a pin through it) and you are left with a round, porous figure of thread. Such a thread globe. Just wait until the glue dries!

Other threads can be used to decorate the trunk of a tree. You should not use the same threads from which the globe is made. The structure of such thread structures is used not only in the creation of topiary. This is often how a lamp is made - quickly and easily.

DIY topiary base (video)

Topiary made from coffee beans: fragrant decor

Coffee beans themselves are an excellent decorative material. In their color and texture, they are not inferior to the decor made of glass beads, beads, and even the incredible aroma is associated with the benefits of coffee.

There is also such a fashionable type of coffee topiary made from coffee as a coffee gentleman. This tree has handles, a butterfly or a whole tailcoat, and a cylinder on the head-crown.

Coffee topiary is characterized by:

• Selection of grains - large and beautiful ones go to the upper layer of the crown, and small and chopped ones to the lower layer;
• Instead of a pot or vase, you can use a beautiful coffee cup;
• Chocolate candies can complement this topiary.

The grains can be spray painted or varnished.

Coffee tree (photo master class)

The main stage of making the base for the crown is already known to you. The crown may not necessarily be in the shape of a ball. If a “heart” topiary is planned, the base is made using a cardboard template covered with crumpled paper or cotton wool.

Napkin topiary: delicate flowers

Modern paper napkins are more of a decorative product than a household one. The structure of the napkin and the pattern inspire craftsmen to widely use these same napkins. Including in the manufacture of topiaries.

How can you use napkins in this case:

• Make flowers, buds, roses from fragments of a napkin, and then create compositions from them;
• Cover the smooth base ball for the crown with the top layer of a napkin (decoupage principle), cover with a layer of varnish;
• Creating numerous miniature lumps from a napkin and pasting these lumps over the base ball to form a textured crown.

Napkins - good material and to decorate a tree trunk or pot. And here you will need to use decoupage techniques. New Year's topiaries made from napkins and in the form of textured Christmas trees are especially elegant.

DIY topiary made from napkins (video)

Topiary made of pine cones: New Year's decoration or memories of autumn

This topiary will be an excellent winter decoration, and pine cones are somehow related to autumn decor. Most often, the cones themselves are subjected to decorative processing. So, for topiary they are often painted with golden spray paint (or silver). And with the help of a simple bleach, ordinary buds can be turned into snow-white without any coloring.

Pine cone topiary is most often a tree with a round crown covered with cones. Sometimes the crown can be heart-shaped. New Year's topiary can be made in the form of a snowflake from cones. In this case, it is advisable to cover the snowflake with artificial snow. This can be ordinary coarse sea salt fixed with PVA glue.

As an autumn craft, this topiary also includes chestnuts, acorns, nuts and leaves.

Cone decor: tree of happiness (photo master class)

Let's take a closer look at the process of making a tree of happiness from pine cones in an autumn theme. A foam ball will be used as the base, which can be replaced with a homemade ball made of any material.

Product made from satin ribbons: DIY tree of happiness

Satin ribbons are an inexpensive and accessible material that can be used at different stages of topiary making. Most often, ribbons are used as additional decor. They are tied around pots, trunks, and bows made of satin ribbons complement the crown.

But this type of topiary is also popular, as a souvenir tree with flowers made of satin ribbons.

The principle of creating such a tree is simple:

• A bud is formed from satin ribbons of different colors, the components of which are sewn together with hidden seams;
• The required number of flower buds is made, which are fixed with hot glue on the base ball;
• The trunk of the tree is tied with a satin ribbon or a combination of both;
• The pot can also be tied with a thin ribbon.

The video master class will show the process of making a tree from ribbons in more detail.

Topiary made of satin ribbons (video MK)

Autumn topiary: memories of the golden age

An autumn tree or a souvenir topiary decorates the house like nothing else, if you want to bring accents of the lyrics of autumn into it. Most often used natural materials, which can be found literally under your feet.

Cones, chestnuts, acorns, dried flowers, berries, rowan and, of course, leaves are actively used.

This type of topiary is popular as a tree with a crown of roses made from leaves. To prevent the leaves from wilting, they can be soaked in a glycerin solution. True, this process is not so simple, if only because for two to three weeks glycerin will be absorbed into the leaf through a slightly cut twig. And then the leaves will dry for another three weeks.

DIY topiary “School tree” (video)

Sea topiary: souvenir made from shells

Topiary can be made as follows:

• Cover the crown with beautiful shells, decorating such a ball in one place with a decorative starfish;
• Wrap the trunk with a satin blue or turquoise ribbon;
• The pot can be a souvenir mug bought just on vacation, and if there is some kind of symbolic inscription on it, even better;
• You can throw smooth pebbles or sea sand into the pot.

Instead of a round crown, there may be a heart-shaped crown. And this, in turn, could be a photo frame where a canvas of shells frames a photograph from a seaside holiday.

Topiary in a marine style (photo master class)

MK with step by step photos will show you how to make a shell topiary in detail.

Corrugated paper topiary

Corrugated paper is cheap, and the number of handicraft items where it can be used is huge. Making topiaries also could not do without the use of corrugated paper (or crepe paper).

Having made the required number of flowers from corrugated paper, they are glued to the base ball with a hot-melt gun, forming a flower crown.

Corrugated paper has the most wonderful property - it is flexible and stretches well, making the petals incredibly lifelike.

Master class: corrugated paper topiary (video)

Topiary “Money Tree”: how to attract financial well-being

The topiary itself is often called the money tree, although it was originally considered the tree of happiness. But you can also turn such a lucky souvenir into a money symbol - for this you use either coins or banknotes (souvenir, finite).

Coins can become a beautiful crown decoration. You just need to take ten-ruble coins that appear to be gold. They do not need to be additionally decorated, varnished or undergo other procedures. Coins are glued on according to the principle of scales, first one coin, then two more on top of it, so that the first one is in the middle. And around these three coins others are stuck.

The money tree of their bills also looks great, but the bills need to be presented gracefully. Buds, rolls, “birds”, etc. are formed from them. This money tree is an excellent gift option for a young family that has yet to build their family budget.

Money tree: topiary made from coins (photo master class step by step)

New Year's topiary: decorate the house for the holiday

New Year's souvenir trees are special topiaries that can be made from the most different materials. Most often, topiaries are made in the form of a Christmas tree, that is, the usual round crown is replaced by the shape of a Christmas tree.

Cones are used as materials for New Year's topiary:

• Cones– both in natural form and decorated;
• Tulle or organza, from which you can make so-called pounds;
• Felt- in itself, in its texture, which is an excellent decor;
• Sequins, from which “Christmas tree scales” can be created;
• Textile;
• Christmas tinsel and sweets;
• Chocolate candies and beautiful wrappers.

New Year's topiary is a special decor. The use of rhinestones, beads, bugles, buttons, braid and satin ribbons is welcome. As a pot, you can use cups that are decorated with cotton wool, New Year-themed napkins, tinsel, etc.

Master class: New Year's tree of happiness (video)

Other options: what topiary can be made from

Almost anything can make a great decorative base for topiary. You can combine materials, create eclectic trees, etc.

Examples of topiary:

• Topiary made of buttons. Buttons different sizes and flowers can become a crown for a tree. They are easy to glue, easy to work with, and assembling the buttons is not at all difficult.
• Paper rose topiary. Paper roses from old sheet music (many people have collections lying around on the mezzanine) look very beautiful - this is vintage, which is so relevant now.
• Pistachio topiary. Pistachio shells, both decorated and natural, can decorate the crown of a tree.
• Pasta topiary. Pasta is an excellent material for decoration. They are easy to paint, varnish, and glue together. All that remains is to choose the pasta of the desired shape.

Sometimes not the best ordinary materials complement traditional topiary.

Unusual topiary design

European trees serve as excellent home decorations. For the kitchen, the living room, and other rooms, such trees will serve as natural decor. And e If the material from which the topiary is made is difficult to surprise anyone today (although it is possible), then it is definitely possible to impress with the form.

Topiary Ideas:

• Rowan bonsai. Autumn craft, elegant, natural, simple to perform. Rowan has a beautiful texture and color that can always be complemented with other autumn vegetation. To build such beauty yourself, watch the video master class. A red rowan tree is an ideal autumn interior gift.
• Heart. Topiaries made from burlap and beads in the shape of a heart look great. Often such topiaries are used as an accessory for themed photo shoots.
• Bonsai made of lush fabric. And this tree will become the decor for such celebrations as weddings. You can build many mini topiaries, the creation of which does not take much time.
• Tree-lamp. A cozy decoration for the home - a cute option for both the kitchen and the bedroom.
• Topiary for birthday. WITHToday, topiaries are popular not with a crown ball, but with numbers indicating the number of years of age. You will get two trunk-stems, on each of which a number “sits”. For example - 30. This could be the same topiary made from coffee beans, with crowns with numbers. Well, the pot in which such an unusual tree grows is decorated in an appropriate way for the birthday.
• Poppy flower made of coffee and burlap. A beautiful topiary is made from coffee beans and fabric, which together can make up a poppy flower, where the grains are the core and the fabric is the petals. You can use crepe paper instead of fabric.

You can create a real mini-garden from such trees at home with your own hands. You can take pictures from the Internet, video instructions, and kitchen decor catalogs as a basis.

Express topiary: master class for beginners (video)

DIY topiary (photo)

Decorative trees are considered a worthy decoration for a home. They are appropriate in any interior; you just need to think in advance about the color scheme that fits into the finished design project. Ornamental trees do not require special conditions of maintenance and care. They do not need to be watered as they are artificial plants. These decorative items are freely sold in stores, but it is better to make topiary with your own hands. It will take some time to make it, but in the end you will get a unique decorative tree that fits perfectly into the existing interior of the room. And it’s better to build a topiary yourself, because according to the ancient Chinese teachings of Feng Shui, this tree brings joy to the house. By making a decorative tree, a person charges it. According to legend, topiary can only bring happiness to its creator.

Topiary: history of appearance and significance in modern interiors

The word topiary or topiary comes from the term “topia” - a decorative garden plot. The concept came from Ancient Rome and meant various figures carved from the crowns of trees or bushes. Ancient Roman civilization disappeared, but the idea of ​​beautifully decorating gardens was picked up by the Catholic Church. Then topiary entered social life. Their heyday occurred in the 17th century: it was then that decorative trees appeared in the residences of rulers of states, incl. and in the Russian Empire. Then they were forgotten, but in the 20th century, topiaries became popular again. Now they were no longer used to decorate gardens and palace walls, but were planted in pots. Today, topiaries are no longer planted. They can be made from any materials. Topiaries are made in the most bizarre shapes and colors, often combining materials in quite controversial ways. They are otherwise called trees of happiness, believing that they bring joy to the house. They can be made from:

• coffee beans;
• walnuts;
• fir cones;
• straw;
• sweets;
• napkins;
• silk ribbons;
• plastic bags, etc.

Where to start assembling wood

Assembling a topiary must begin with planning the appearance of the future tree of happiness and finding the necessary parts. Appearance topiary is determined by the style of the interior for which it is made. First, find the materials necessary to construct the base of the tree. In any case, you will need tape, glue, colored paper, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, etc. The list of parts is limited only by the imagination of the creator. After collecting the necessary things, you can start creating a topiary. First, the barrel is assembled, because it is the basis of topiary. Moreover, it must not only be strengthened, but also covered with varnish or paint. Then one end of the trunk is attached to a pot, stone or shell, and a ball is hung on the other, which will later become the crown of the tree of happiness. It is best to use glue to hold all the parts of the topiary together.

The basis

To construct the basis of the tree of happiness, whatever is at hand at that moment will do. To make a base from newspapers, you first need to crumple them thoroughly, and only then form a sphere according to the given parameters. Newspapers are crumpled and pressed tightly, after which they are wrapped with tape. The base can also be made from newspaper clippings, but in this case they should be placed in a plastic bag. If you need to make a small base from padding polyester, you first need to compact it into a sock or stocking, then give it the required shape and wind it tightly with sewing thread. It’s even better to make this base from polystyrene foam, using ordinary packaging from household appliances. But polystyrene foam crumbles and is inconvenient to roll into a ball, so this base is not very popular. In addition to those mentioned above, the following materials can become the basis of topiary:

• polyurethane foam;
• Knitting thread;
• papier-mâché, etc.

Trunk

The trunk of the tree of happiness connects the base with the crown, so it must be strong and stable. Its role can be ordinary wire, secured with artistic tape, twine or plastic. To make the product more realistic, this barrel can be made from wooden branch or wood chips. But first this branch must be cleared of bark, covered with varnish and stain. If you are making a low topiary, then as a trunk you can take a popsicle stick, sushi sticks or wooden skewers fastened together. The color and type of trunk depends on the material of the base and crown. For topiary with coffee beans, white or brown colors are suitable. A curved trunk for a European tree can only be made from wire. You can also take any material that is approximately suitable for the trunk of a topiary, shape it and fill it with plaster.

Crown

To make a topiary crown, absolutely any materials that are currently at hand are suitable. To do this you can take paper napkins, corrugated paper, folded origami, nylon tapes etc. Then the crown needs to be decorated. To do this, take fir cones, real seashells, coffee beans, artificial flowers, etc. The crown is the main accent of the tree of happiness, so its design must be approached very seriously. The trunk and stand only emphasize the overall theme of the topiary, so it is advisable to first decide on the material for the crown, and only then design the remaining parts of the tree. But the topiary trunk may not be able to withstand a crown that is too large, so it should not be overloaded. Only the stand of the tree of happiness can be decorated with some elements.

Stand

As a stand for topiary, you can take an ordinary flower pot, a large flat stone or an iron bucket, decorate them beautifully and place them under the crown. The decor of the tree of happiness stand can be anything. It is decorated using the decoupage technique, decorated with lace or bright unusual shreds. You can stick stones, shells and artificial flowers on the stand. This topiary element is a semantic continuation of the crown, so its design must be based on the existing elements of the decorative product. If the tree is decorated in a marine style, then shells and multi-colored pebbles will be appropriate, and for a topiary in a romantic style you will need lace and hearts made of colored paper. The size of the tree's crown should be larger than its stand in order for the composition to look harmonious.

Wood making workshops

Making topiary with your own hands is easy. To do this, you do not need to have artistic taste or designer education. The ideal tree of happiness is decorated intuitively from available materials. There are many master classes on this topic on the Internet, some of them are presented below, but you should not follow these instructions step by step. According to Feng Shui, topiary quickly and effectively activates any sector of an apartment or house, instantly filling it with the necessary energy. But for it to work properly, it must be decorated with the necessary elements. To normalize family relationships, jasper or amazonite should be glued onto the topiary stand. A tree with a tiger's eye, charoite or turquoise will help you climb the career ladder. And to improve your overall financial situation, you need to decorate your topiary with jet or a hawk’s eye.

From coffee beans

For this topiary, you need to take high-quality large coffee beans and stick them on the base for the crown, laying them out with the central strip down. The ball is completely covered. To do this, it is better to take a glue gun, although you can do without it, using regular glue from a tube. When the ball is completely sealed, take a plastic tube, which is sealed along the entire length with double-sided tape, departing 2-3 cm from both edges. Satin ribbon, fabric or corrugated paper of the desired color is glued to the tape. Then you need to dilute the alabaster and pour the resulting mixture into a pot or iron bucket. Then they insert the barrel into this mixture and wait for the alabaster to harden. After the mixture has hardened, its surface is spread with coffee beans in 2-3 layers. The finished crown is glued to the top of the trunk itself.

The resulting topiary can be decorated with an elegant bow or jewelry.

From the cones

Do-it-yourself topiary from cones is made according to a similar scheme. Small half-opened pine cones are glued onto the foam ball at small intervals from each other. If the gaps are too large, they can be filled with acorns or chestnuts. For additional fixation of elements, you can use golden or brown threads. To make a trunk, you need to put together several (up to 10) bamboo skewers, wrap them with thick white or brown thread, leaving open areas along the edges of the sticks. Then you need to dilute the alabaster with water or take a ready-made cement mixture, pour it into a flower pot and insert the tree trunk into the base. When the mixture hardens, it is decorated with pine needles or sisal, a fully formed crown of the tree of happiness is attached to the trunk, and the pot is decorated with a satin or openwork ribbon.

From satin ribbons and other fabrics

As a base for satin ribbon topiary, you can take a foam sphere or a ball of crumpled newspapers, secured with thick threads dipped in PVA glue. Then you need to take satin ribbons of any color, roll them into small rolls, first bending the ribbons at a right angle. You need to bend the satin ribbon several times until it runs out of length. The result of these actions should be a rose bud. Upon completion of production, it is necessary to sew all the petals with a thin silk thread at the base. The number of such roses is determined by the size of the base. Usually 20-30 flowers are required. Then they decorate the crown of the topiary. You can take an ordinary twig as a trunk for such a tree, and use a clay flower pot for the stand. The stand and tree trunk should be decorated with elegant green leaves made of satin ribbons or silk.

Corrugated paper

First you need to take a round foam ball. Then you need to make roses from corrugated paper. If they are very large, then there will be a lot of free space between the flowers that will need to be covered with something, so it is better to make these roses medium-sized. For one small topiary you will need 35-45 roses. To do this, it is better to take paper of different colors in order to alternate the shades of roses on the topiary in the future. The trunk for the tree of happiness can be made from traditional sushi sticks, and ordinary polystyrene can be used as soil. Alabaster is difficult to make, but foam is easy to find. Only the barrel needs to be inserted into the foam base the first time. At the same time, you need to decorate the crown by gluing roses in a chaotic manner. Then the crown is attached to the trunk and the topiary is considered ready. If desired, the soil in the pot is covered with artificial grass, and the trunk of the tree is decorated with a bright bow.

The sea tree of happiness can be made from materials brought from the sea: pebbles, shells, dried crabs and pearls. They should be used to cover the base for the topiary crown. If there are only a few shells and pebbles, the space between them can be decorated with sisal, artificial starfish and marine-themed salt dough crafts. When making a topiary trunk, it is better to take sushi sticks decorated with satin ribbons of white, blue or sand color. As a stand for the tree of happiness, you should take a white flower pot, which can be decorated with artificial pearls, lace and small figures made of salt dough. Inside this pot you need to fill it with alabaster and insert the topiary trunk into this alabaster mixture. You can put sisal fibers, sea pebbles and shells on top of the frozen filling.

Money topiary made of coins and bills

This topiary is usually made from fake banknotes, but for decoration, you can attach real coins to the crown of a tree or stand. Of course, it is better to use rare, antique or foreign coins rather than ordinary ones. To begin with, each bill needs to be folded in half, slightly moving the edges, and then folded into an envelope, securing the uneven edges with double-sided tape. The number of bills depends on the size of the base ball, but traditionally about 20-25 bills are required. The trunk of the money tree can be made from twigs or sushi sticks, and a flowerpot can be used as a stand. The outside of the flowerpot can be decorated with special self-adhesive paper with images of money or lace. Alabaster is poured into the pot itself, the trunk is placed in it and wait for it to dry. After this, the topiary soil is laid out with coins, wood sawdust or decorative stones.

From dried flowers and fresh flowers

Making a tree from dried flowers is quite simple. You can decorate the base for the topiary crown with dried flowers and yellowed leaves, but the flowers and leaves taken for these purposes must be strong and dense, otherwise they will simply fall apart during work. Dried flowers are attached directly to the foam ball. A curved branch from the street is taken as a trunk, and an ordinary clay pot is turned into a stand. The inside of the pot is filled with alabaster, first fixing the trunk of the topiary. This trunk is inserted into the finished tree crown, and the dried alabaster is decorated with dry leaves and flowers. Topiary from fresh flowers is usually created by professional florists, but you can try making it at home yourself. To do this, you need to take rose buds, chamomile flowers, lilies or chrysanthemums, correctly and carefully cut off their stems and attach them to the base of the crown. Otherwise, the technique for producing a tree of happiness and decorating a topiary pot is similar to making it from dried flowers.