Materials
- 1 wooden dowel, 18 inches long (cut to size at store)
- Ribbon, at least 3 inches wide
- Spray paint (the color of your ornaments)
- Styrofoam ball approximately the same diameter as the width of the ice bucket
- Sharp knife to cut Styrofoam
- Styrofoam block
- Low-heat glue gun, plus extra hot-glue sticks
- 1 silver-plated champagne or ice bucket
- Electric frying pan or slow cooker
- Plastic ornaments in a single color, in 3 sizes—small, medium, large
- Glass beads, floral moss, artificial ivy, or floral picks
Directions
1) Wrap the dowel with your ribbon of choice.
2) Spray-paint the Styrofoam ball the color of your ornaments to camouflage any Styrofoam that may peek through. Let dry.
3) Cut the Styrofoam block so it will fit tightly in the bottom of the bucket. Cut a hole in the center of the Styrofoam block for the dowel to snugly fit and put the Styrofoam block in the bucket. Put the dowel through the hole. If needed, insert more Styrofoam into the bucket so the dowel is secure. Use the low-heat glue to secure everything in place.
4) Cut a hole in the bottom of the Styrofoam ball. Insert the dowel into the hole, and affix with low-heat glue. The basic shape of your topiary is in place.
5) Melt enough of the glue sticks in an electric frying pan or slow cooker so that the bottom of your pan is covered. Using the biggest ornaments first, begin to cover the Styrofoam ball by dipping each ornament top or clasp into the glue and affixing it to the topiary ball. (The ornament top or clasp must face down when glued. Ultimately, you will see only the bottoms of the balls.) Fill in the spaces with medium and small balls, until the entire surface is covered. If you are having difficulty covering space between ornaments, simply insert same colored floral picks.
6) Fill in the area surrounding the dowel at the top of the ice bucket with glass beads, floral moss, or artificial ivy.
