DIY Topiary and My Magnet Board

I have a thing for topiaries. I love them! Any shape or size. But if you have ever shopped around for them you know they are SUPER pricey. I have made most of mine so when I decided I wanted not one but TWO in the office, I knew I needed to make these also.

I always use sticks and tree limbs when I make a topiary. Not only is is cheaper to head out to the backyard for supplies, but it makes it more real. I actually don’t like having fake plants. I would much rather have them be real. And I have bought real topiaries in the past. But they are pricey too and don’t do well indoors. So I try to make mine look as close to the real deal as possible.

The greenery I used came from a place called Tai Pan Trading. I know they are not in every state, but they have hands down the cheapest prices. Each bunch of greenery was $5.00 instead of the $15.00 at the craft store. That right there made this even more affordable. Shop around and not only look for greenery that looks realistic but for a good price too.

I didn’t take pictures along the way because I have actually already done a topiary tutorial here before. You can see the step by step process from when I showed how to make pine tree topiary trees.

My magnet board used to be red. When I decided to paint it white my first thought was how much of a pain it was going to be because it would take a lot of paint. I used RustOleum’s Heirloom White X2 paint (the same paint I used on my kitchen cabinets) and I was amazed! I already knew I liked the paint. I have used it a lot. But it only took ONE COAT!!! To cover RED people! (Dear RustOleum….I {heart} you!!!) And it only took one can. Here it is before:

And after:

The other cool thing about my magnet board are the magnets themselves. I got them from IKEA. The are meant for the kitchen to store herbs or whatnot. But mine hold office supplies. So instead of floating around in the bottom of my desk drawer, they are organized and out of the way! Plus they double as decor :) They are called GRUNDTAL containers. They would be fun filled with craft supplies, in a kids room filled with their “treasures”, in a bathroom with small hair things or q-tips, or ANYWHERE! They are kind of my new favorite thing….