Topiary of cones, acorns and / or chestnuts is an eco-decor, which is especially good in autumn or winter interior design or a dining table. We prepared 2 step-by-step master classes for the production of decorative trees with our own hands, as well as a selection of photo-ideas and video lessons.
Memo about basic materials for beginners
Topiary consists of: a crown, a trunk and a base in a pot. With the crown everything is clear - we make it out of cones, acorns and / or chestnuts. And what can be used as its basis? Most often for this purpose use foam balls (sold in stores for creativity or stationery) or balls of floral foam (sold in flower shops).
As a barrel, you can apply any stick: a strong branch (pre-dried), a simple pencil, a spoke or a wooden stick. If the original form of the trunk you do not like, then you can wrap it with ribbons, twine, just paint or tint. Find a nice pot is not difficult. In fact, an ordinary clay pot is suitable for topiary from chestnuts, cones and acorns best. If desired, it can be painted or artificially aged.
As for the base, which will hold the tree trunk, here you can choose any assembly mix (cement-sand mortar, putty, gypsum or alabaster) or the same floristic foam / foam. If you prefer the first option, we recommend using alabaster. It is available, easily bred and does not crack. And here is the instruction for its use:
- To fill 1 pot with alabaster it will take about 1 kg of the mixture and about 3 cups of water. Stir the solution for a couple of minutes. As soon as the mixture thickens to the consistency of thick sour cream, pour it into the pot, set the barrel and hold it in a level position for 2-3 minutes. Leave the mixture to dry for 12-24 hours.
See also: Basic instructions for making topiary with your own hands.
Master class 1. Round topiary of cones and not only
Since the topiary is done roughly according to the same principle, you can use our instruction to create a topiary not only from cones, but also from chestnuts and acorns.
What you need:
- Flower pot;
- Any assembly mixture or foam / flower foam for attaching the stem in the pot;
- Pins with tips;
- Cones, chestnuts and / or acorns;
- Hot glue gun;
- Dry moss (can be replaced with sisal fiber);
- Wooden stick (can be replaced with a pencil);
- Tape (optional).
Step 1. First we need to prepare natural materials for work.
- Freshly picked pine cones should be washed in water, and then dried in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
- Acorns and chestnuts should be simply rinsed and dried naturally. The main thing is to carefully inspect them for cracks, which are dangerous because insects can live in them. Small bugs and worms can eventually move to other fruits.
Step 2. Cut the wooden stick to about 45 cm (the height of the barrel may be different depending on the height of the pot, the diameter of the ball and your wishes for the height of the product). If necessary, color the trunk.
Step 3. Insert the barrel into the ball and fix the place of attachment with glue. If you work with polystyrene, then it must be previously cut with a knife and scissors hole.
Step 4. Paint the balloon in a dark brown color, so that in the crown of the finished product the gaps are barely noticeable.
Step 5. Dilute your mix according to the manufacturer's instructions or, according to our instructions, dilute the alabaster (see Handbook for beginners). Fill the pot with a mixture, not reaching 2-2.5 cm to the top edge of the pot. In this project, instead of the mixture, floristic foam, diced, was used.
The basis of topiary from floristic foam
Step 6. Insert the trunk into the center of the pot. If you use any assembly mixture, then the barrel should be inserted immediately after its mixing and hold until the mass in the pot hardens.
Step 7. Preheat the glue gun and glue the bumps / acorns / chestnuts to the pinheads as shown in the photo below. Before you begin the design of the tree crown, it is desirable to divide your materials into three groups - large, medium and small.
In fact, it is not necessary to use pins to fasten the cones / chestnuts / acorns to the stem, because they can simply be glued. However, it is easiest to create a neat round-shaped crown with the help of pins.
- By the way, fresh and soft acorns and chestnuts can be fastened to toothpicks. If your fruits have already hardened, try to soak them in water for a while.
Step 8. Now it's time for the most interesting - the design of the tree crown. Our task is to insert pins into the balloon so that the cones / acorns / chestnuts are as close to each other as possible, and evenly, so that the crown is round. If the cones have different sizes, then first you need to stick big cones on the ball, then medium ones and then small ones. If the material has approximately the same size, then they can be glued in rows by the principle of bee honeycombs.
Mounting cones to the base
Step 9. Cover the "soil" in the pot with a dry moss (see photo below) or any other material you have and use a hot glue to fix it in place.
Step 10. You can complement the topiary with decorations, for example, with a band tied around the trunk.
In the next collection of photos we present other ideas for the design of autumn and winter topiary made from natural materials.
Topiary of acorns
Topiary with a crown of fir cones on a candlestick
This topiary has no trunk, and its crown is formed only half of the cones, namely the tops. Take the idea for a note if you want the crown of your tree to have no gaps at all
New Year's topiarius of cones, ribbons and artificial leaves and holly berries
Topiary of pine cones and leaves
Composition of a pair of topiary in festive decoration of a table
And here is a tree with a crown of chestnuts. The peculiarity of working with them is that between the fruits it is necessary to paste additional decorations to cover the gaps. For example, it can be berries of mountain ash, sisal or small cones. Also keep in mind that due to the severity of the chestnuts, they are desirable and glued, and fastened to the pins.
Topiary from chestnuts, satin ribbons and beads
Topiary from chestnuts, cones and rowan berries
Topiary of chestnuts, cones and sisal
By the way, chestnuts can be used not only for the decoration of the crown. Below are photos of examples of live topiary with chestnuts in a pot.
See also: Flowers from tapes with their own hands - 6 master classes for beginners.
Now we offer to watch a video about how to make a topiary from cones, chestnuts and acorns with your own hands.
Master class 2. Christmas tree of cones
In addition to the traditional round topiary of cones, chestnuts and acorns, you can make a topiary tree. Such a Christmas decoration you can put on a festive table, on a mantelpiece or at the entrance to the house.
Here's what you need:
- Pine cones of different sizes - from large to small.
- Basis in the form of a cone of foam or floristic foam. If you do not have a ready basis, then you can make it with your own hands from paper, newspaper lumps and cardboard.
- Hot glue gun.
- PVA glue.
- Dark brown acrylic paint or brown paper.
- Sequins (optional).
Step 1. Skip this step if you have a ready base for the Christmas tree. If there is no basis, then we suggest to do it yourself. Fold a sheet of paper (eg, A3 size) into a cone of the desired size. Fix the cone with adhesive tape and cut off excess paper at the base and at the top (there will be a cone there). Now tightly "stuff" the workpiece with balls of crumpled sheet of newspaper.
Next, cut out a cardboard circle, whose diameter is 2-3 cm more than the diameter of the base of the cone that you got. Glue the cone on the circle using scotch tape as shown in the following photo. Woo-ala! The basis for the winter topiary is ready.
Step 2. In order to disguise the original color of the base, you can paint it with a dark brown paint or simply wrap it with brown paper, such as kraft paper.
Step 3. When the paint on the cone has dried or it is completely wrapped in paper, proceed to gluing the cones. First glue the first row of the largest cones to the bottom of the base.
Step 4. Cones of the second row start gluing in an upside down position (with the tops down) and observing the chess order (see the photo on the right). This is necessary to ensure that the gaps between the "needles" are minimal. Continue to stick the bumps on the same principle: alternating rows and from inverted and untrimmed cones and observing the chess order between the rows.
Step 5. If the gaps between the cones are too noticeable and you do not like it, then you can supplement the topiary with chestnuts, acorns, artificial berries or dry moss.
Step 6. It remains only to install the tree on a massive candlestick or "plant" in a pot.
In the next collection of photos, we present other interesting ideas for decorating the New Year's topiary with cones in the shape of a Christmas tree.
- The cones of this topiary are fixed to the base not by glueing, but by means of "pins". Their role was played by toothpicks tied with threads to the bottom of the cones
Christmas tree of small cones
Composition of a pair of Christmas trees
This tree has no foundation, it was lined with glued together cones. The downside of this method of making topiary is the increased consumption of glue and its visibility
Topiary of acorns
Topiary of nuts and cones, covered with gold paint
Topiary from nuts, cones, berries
Read also: How to make a topiary from coffee