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The Junk Parlor

DIY Grapevine Topiary

DIY grapevine topiary that you can use in your home to create some fun spring and summer decor.

A couple times a month I team up with some Instagram friends for a #makersdiychallenge. We have started to do themed challenges and this theme was for a Pinterest dupe! Now I’m on Pinterest a lot! I share my own things from The Junk Parlor, blogs, YouTube videos, products, etc. But, I love using it for recipes, workouts, and of course decorating inspiration!

I wasn’t using my Pinterest scrolling time hunting for a project to use for my Pinterest dupe. But when I discovered what our challenge was I remembered seeing a pin for a grapevine topiary! I remember it because I thought to myself at the time…oh! I have all of those things!

What is Brooke’s motto? Use what you have for DIY projects! So when I do see things repurposed that I already have I make a mental note, even if I don’t pin it! And in this instance I didn’t pin that project and of course when I went back searching for it I couldn’t find it! I found a lot of similar pins, but not the original one that caught my eye!

spring table centerpiece, moss covered bunnies, eggs, and a grapevine topiary

Supplies

So, what do you need that I already had in my stash?

  • Grapevine
  • Moss
  • Pots

I mean how easy is that list? I did use foam that I had on hand, but you could really stuff the pots with anything you had. Even newspaper! If your grapevine doesn’t have anything to stick into, then I would just use the hot glue gun!

up close of sheet moss
upclose of spanish moss


Steps

Grapevine

I typically use my grapevine for making bird nests. HERE is a post about it and HERE is another! Some of the comments I’ve gotten suggested that I soak the grapevine in water to make it more flexible. So for this project I tried it!

I don’t even remember where I got this big roll of grapevine, but I have had it for forever. I typically use the thinner more flexible pieces. But as I’ve used most of it up, I don’t have many small pieces left. I knew this was the perfect time to see if soaking worked!

This is our laundry room sink. I’ve never had a sink in the laundry room, but I am enjoying having one now! I filled the sink and walked away.

grapevine in a sink
water coming out of faucet with grapevine in sink

When I checked on it again, the sink was empty. Note to self, the sink doesn’t really hold water. I had a little rubber stopper that I brought with us on the move. I added that to the sink and filled it back up again. I also added some heavy pieces to the grapevine so that it was submerged in the water and not just floating on top.

I also took some grapevine and stuck it in a bowl of water.

grapevine soaking in a bowl

One thing I learned in doing this project is that while soaking the grapevine definitely helped, I still had issues with the grapevine breaking when I tried to shape it. Sometimes it would even be awhile after I had everything how I wanted and I discovered when I went to take pictures that a piece didn’t keep the bend in it, but broke. Most of the grapevine soaked all day, but maybe that wasn’t long enough???

I also learned that I liked soaking the grapevine in the bowl better than in the sink. I cut pieces shorter, which was what I needed for this project. That allowed them to fit inside the bowl easily. Wedging them into the bowl kept them under water AND forced them to start taking the shape I wanted on my topiary. So for a small project like this, I would suggest soaking in a bowl.

Pots

I grab a lot of terra cotta pots. The miniature ones sell like hot cakes. The pots with lots of age and wear and tear sell the best for me. Sometimes I get stuck with the nicer newer pots. So, what do I do? I get creative and do something to them!

Sometimes I paint them, but for these I used a technique to make them look like concrete! Read all about how HERE.

For our DIY grapevine topiary you can use any pot, any size, any color. I would just use what you have in your stash. Check the garage, shed, basement, I’m sure you have something that would work! You could even use a cup!

up close shot of pots we are using in the project

Pot Filler

I thrifted a couple half sphere styrofoam forms like THIS. They were cheap and I figured I would use them. Years later and after the move, I’m finally using a chunk of one! 😂

I cut this one using scissors as a knife. I just made smaller pieces that would fit inside my terra cotta pots. I actually made these terra cotta pots look like “cement” using THIS technique. I thought styrofoam inside the pots would be helpful in this DIY. The styrofoam gave me something to stick the grapevine into and then it “held” it in place.

If you didn’t have styrofoam on hand you could fill the pots with news paper or rags and then hot glue the grapevine to the edge of your pot. As long as you cover your filler up with Spanish moss or regular moss, then no one will ever know what you used.

dry foam half sphere shaped being stabbed/cut with scissors

After cutting the styrofoam and adding it to my pots, I covered some with Spanish moss and some with the green sheet moss that I have. Again, I like to use what I have on hand!

pots filled with styrofoam and some topped with Spanish moss
small cut sheet of the moss
pot covered with the sheet moss

On one I even added some feathers that I had. I thought they would create a different look and feel for this topiary. I also have a TON of these feathers so I’m always trying to think of ways to use them! Feathers make this feel more like a nest and less like a topiary, but I’m okay with that!

pot with Spanish moss and some feathers


Shaping the Topiary

one vine arched over the pot filled with Spanish moss
one vine arched over the pot filled with Spanish moss

I started the topiary by selecting a thinner flexible piece of garland. This one happened to have random branches coming off of the main vine, but I like it like that! Probably better than just a solid single piece of grapevine. I took one end and stabbed it into my styrofoam. Then, I took the other end and stabbed it in the styrofoam across from the first piece to create an arch.

Next, I took a similar sized piece and repeated the process creating a t shape at the top.

Note that I did trim the grapevine before I put it in my pots. I held it next to the pot to pick a length that I thought fit the size of the pot I was working with. I needed some extra vine to stick into the styrofoam, but I wanted each of the pieces to be of similar height so that they would line up when they crossed at the top.

I did each pot a little bit differently. But, for the most part I added 4 pieces of grapevine of similar size to create the topiary. On some I added moss and on others I did not. Play around with what you have and do what looks right for your decor!

two vines arched over the pot in a criss cross pattern filled with Spanish moss

Decorating with the Grapevine Topiary

I’m sure I’ve already mentioned it a million times, but I sold almost everything when we moved. So of course I wanted to display my topiaries with little feather birds like THESE and I didn’t have any!! I know you probably wouldn’t think about putting things inside a topiary, but for whatever reason these felt like cloches to me! HERE are ideas on how to display a “real” cloche.

So decorate your grapevine topiaries however you want!

up close shot of a grapevine topiary with a antique paper mache candy duck inside.

You can make these eggs! If you have a lot of plastic eggs laying around after Easter, here are a few ways to repurpose them and use them as decor!

Topiary with a paper mache candy duck inside. Topiary pot is sitting amongst repurposed easter eggs and moss bunies

Don’t Forget to PIN IT!

birds eye view of the table centerpiece of bunnies, eggs and topiary

This post may contain affiliate links for the products I use and recommend. I am not paid to promote these products. If you purchase using my affiliate links, I could make a small commission at no charge to you.

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