DIY Ostrich Feather and Fabric Flower Topiary

Ostrich Feather and Fabric Flower Topiary

I had an extra terra cotta pot left over from my centerpieces and I wanted to incorporate it into my wedding. I thought about it a little and decided to do something with the left over ostrich feather from my menus and some left over fabric I had in my house. I love the way this topiary came out and it will be a nice addition to my candy buffet table. 

Things you will need:

• Terra Cotta Pot
• Gold Spray Paint
• Floral Foam
• Cotton Balls
• Colored Marbles or Stones
• Wooden Dowel or Branch
• Large Styrofoam Ball
• Ostrich Feather(s)
• Polyester Fabric 
• Gorilla Glue
• Elmer's Glue
• Box Cutter
• Acrylic or Crystal String
• Paint and Paint Brush 
• Candle 
• Decorative Wooden Heart on a dowel - I found mine at Michaels
• Letter Stencils or Stamps - Stamp Ink
• Long Sewing Pins

Optional:

• Sizzix Die Cutter - to cut out the shapes for the flower petals

Step 1: 

Paint your terra cotta pot and let it dry. Trim down a piece of floral foam to fit into your pot and push it down into the pot. With the extra pieces fill in the excess around the main piece of foam. Apply a good amount of gorilla glue around the base of your dowel and push it into the center of the foam. Start pulling a cotton ball apart and using Elmer's glue glue it to the floral foam and cover its exposed top. Glue down a layer of marbles or colored stones on top of the cotton. 

Your base is done! 

Step 2: 

Cut out circles or hearts for the flower petals. I prefer to used a die cutter for this but you can do this by hand as well. After you have a good pile of polyester fabric shapes start heating one edge with a candle flame. Hold one fabric piece at a time over the flame and watch the heat melt up the edges. This will only take a few seconds and then repeat until your pile is done. Note: I prefer to used a long candle stick because when candles in a jar melt the flame is harder to access. 

Step 3:

Paint the dowel any color you want and let it dry for a few minuets. Center your foam ball on the dowel and firmly push down till the ball is stabilized on the dowel. Once the ball is stabilized start arraigning your ostrich feather(s) and push them into position. Then taking a long sewing pin start pinning petals to the ball. I always use gorilla glue on the end of the pin before I push it in because gorilla glue expands when it dries and will help keep the pin and petals into place. Leave a the bottom of the ball empty and start pinning your crystal string to the bottom of the ball. Making sure to have put gorilla glue on the pin before sticking it in. Continue doing this around the bottom of the ball until you meet the first loop and again use a pin and secure the end of the crystal string. You can also use other pins to try to secure your crystal string as well as hot glue to glue them to the pins. Continue adding fabric petals as you were before you added the crystal string until the whole ball is covered with petals. 

Step 4:

Since my topiary is for my candy table I wanted to make a little sign that said CANDY. I found these pre-made wooden hearts on dowels from Micahels and all I did was painted it white let it dry and stamped the word CANDY on it. Since I only had black ink I went over the letters and design with some gold paint and painted the edges gold as well! Once I let the whole thing dry I push the dowel into the floral foam and glued some stones around it for support. Very simple but very cute and super girly! 


Allow for everything to dry before you start moving the topiary around and there you have it! An elegant and quick decorative piece for your candy buffet, escort table or even for a centerpiece.

Thanks for reading and I hope this tutorial inspires you to make something beautiful today!