Ornamental trees are considered a worthy decoration of the house. They are appropriate in any interior, you just need to think through the color scheme, which fits into the finished design project. Ornamental trees do not require special conditions of maintenance and care. They do not need to be watered, as they are artificial plants. These decorative items are freely sold in stores, but it is better to do topiary with your own hands. It will take some time to make it, but in the end you will get a unique decorative tree that fits perfectly into the existing interior of the room. And it is better to build topiary yourself, because according to the Chinese ancient teaching of Feng Shui, this tree brings joy to the house. Making a decorative tree, a person charges it. According to legend, topiary can bring happiness only to its creator.
Topiary: the history of appearance and significance in the modern interior
The word topiary or topiary comes from the term "topia" - an ornamental garden plot. The concept came from ancient Rome and meant carved from crowns of trees or bushes various figures. The ancient Roman civilization disappeared, but the Catholic Church picked up ideas to beautifully decorate the gardens. Then topiary entered the high life. They flourished in the 17th century: it was then that ornamental trees appeared in the residences of state rulers, incl. and in the Russian Empire. Then they forgot about them, but in the XX century topiary again became popular. Now they no longer decorated the gardens and walls of palaces, and planted in pots. Today topiary is no longer planted. They can be made from any material. Topiary made the most bizarre shapes and colors, often quite controversially combining materials. Differently they are called the trees of happiness, considering that they bring joy to the house. They can be made from:
- coffee beans;
- walnuts;
- spruce cones;
- straw;
- sweets;
- napkins;
- silk ribbons;
- plastic bags, etc.
How to start assembling wood
The assembly of topiary needs to begin with planning the appearance of the future tree of happiness and finding the right parts. The appearance of topiary is determined by the style of the interior for which it is made. For a start, there are materials needed to construct the base of the tree. In any case, you will need tape, glue, colored paper, foam, foam, etc. The list of parts is limited only by the imagination of the creator. After collecting the necessary things, you can start creating topiary. First, the trunk is assembled, because It is the basis of topiary. Moreover, it must not only be strengthened, but also coated with varnish or paint. Then one end of the trunk is attached to a pot, stone or sink, and on the second they hang a ball that will later become the crown of the tree of happiness. For bonding all parts of topiary it is best to use glue.
The foundation
To construct the basis of the tree of happiness, everything that is at that moment is at hand. To make a basis from newspapers, for the beginning they need to be thoroughly crumpled, and only then to form a sphere according to the given parameters. Newspapers crumple and tightly pressed, and then wrapped with tape. Also, the basis can be made from newspaper clippings, but in this case they should be folded in a plastic bag. If you need to make a small base of padding, first you need to tamp it in a sock or stocking, then give the necessary shape and tightly wound with threads for sewing. It is even better to make this foam base, taking ordinary packaging from household appliances. But the foam crumbles, it is inconvenient to roll it into a ball, so this foundation is not very popular. In addition to the above, the following materials can be the basis of topiary:
- polyurethane foam;
- Knitting thread;
- papier mache, etc.
Trunk
The trunk of a tree of happiness connects the base with the crown, so it must be strong and stable. In its role can act ordinary wire, fixed artistic tape, twine or plastic. For the realism of the product, this trunk can be made from a wooden branch or sliver. But first, this branch should be cleaned of bark, covered with varnish and stain. If a low topiary is made, then as a stem, you can take a stick from the popsicle, stapled together for sushi or wooden skewers. The color and type of stem depends on the base material and crown. For topiariya with coffee beans suitable white or brown. A curved trunk for a European tree can only be made from wire. You can also take any material that is approximately suitable for the topiary barrel, decorate it and pour in plaster.
Crown
For the manufacture of crown topiary fit absolutely any materials that are currently at hand. For this you can take paper napkins, corrugated paper, folded origami, nylon ribbon, etc. Then the crown must be decorated. To do this, take fir cones, real seashells, coffee beans, artificial flowers, etc. The crown is the main accent of the tree of happiness, so its design should be approached very seriously. The trunk and stand only emphasize the general theme of topiary, so it is advisable to first decide on the material for the crown, and only then construct the rest of the tree. But too large a crown topiary can not withstand, so it should not be overloaded. With some elements you can decorate only the stand of the tree of happiness.
Stand
As a stand for topiary, you can take an ordinary flower pot, a large flat stone or an iron bucket, decorate them nicely and put them under the crown. The decor of the stand of the tree of happiness can be any. It is decorated using decoupage technique, decorated with lace or bright unusual rags. On the stand you can stick stones, shells and artificial flowers. This element of topiary is the semantic continuation of the crown, so its design must be based on the existing elements of the decorative product. If the tree is designed in a nautical style, then seashells and multi-colored pebbles will be appropriate, and for the topiary in a romantic style, lace and hearts made of colored paper will be needed. The size of the crown of the tree should be larger than its stand, so that the composition looks harmonious.
Woodworking workshops
Doing your own topiary is easy. You do not need to have an artistic taste or a designer’s education. The ideal happiness tree is decorated intuitively from the available materials. There are many workshops on the Internet on this topic, some of them are presented below, but you should not follow these instructions step by step. By Feng Shui Topiary quickly and efficiently activates any sector of an apartment or house, instantly filling it with the necessary energy. But for proper operation it is necessary to decorate it with the necessary elements. To normalize family relationships, you should stick jasper or amazonite on the topiary stand. To climb the career ladder will help a tree with a tiger's eye, charoite or turquoise. And to improve the general financial situation, you need to decorate topiary with jet or falcon eye.
From coffee beans
For this topiariya it is necessary to take high-quality large coffee beans and stick them on the base for the crown, laying it down the center bar. The ball is pasted over completely. To do this, it is better to take an adhesive gun, although you can do without it, using ordinary glue from a tube. When the ball is fully sealed, a plastic tube is taken, which is glued along the entire length with double-sided tape, stepping back from both edges of 2-3 cm. A satin ribbon, cloth or corrugated paper of the desired color is glued to the adhesive tape. Then you need to dilute the alabaster and pour the mixture into a pot or an iron bucket. Then they insert the trunk into this mixture and wait for the alabaster to harden. After the mixture hardens, its surface is spread with coffee beans in 2-3 layers. On the trunk itself, a ready-made crown is glued on top.
The resulting topiary can be decorated with an elegant bow or jewelry.
Of cones
Topiary from cones is made by own hands according to a similar scheme. Small pine half-open cones are glued to the foam ball with small intervals from each other. If the gaps are too large, they can be filled with acorns or chestnuts. For additional fixation of elements, you can use golden or brown threads. For the manufacture of the trunk, you need to put together several (up to 10) bamboo skewers, wrap them with a thick white or brown thread, leaving open areas along the edges of the sticks. Then you need to dilute the alabaster with water or take the finished cement mixture, pour it into a flower pot and insert the trunk of a tree into the base. When the mixture hardens, it is decorated with needles or sisal, a fully decorated tree crown of happiness is fastened to the trunk, and the pot is decorated with satin or lace ribbon.
From satin ribbons and other fabrics
As a basis for topiriya from satin ribbons, you can take the foam sphere or a ball from crumpled newspapers, fastened with thick threads dipped in PVA glue. Then you need to take satin ribbons of any color, twist them into small rolls, pre-bending the ribbon at a right angle. It is necessary to bend the satin ribbon several times until its length is over. As a result of these actions should get a rose bud. At the end of production it is necessary to sew all the petals with a thin silk thread at the base. The number of such roses is determined by the size of the base. Usually requires 20-30 flowers. Then they decorate the crown of topiary. As a stem for such a tree, you can take an ordinary sprig, and use a clay flower pot for a stand. Stand and tree trunk need to decorate the elegant green leaves of satin ribbons or silk.
Corrugated paper
First you need to take a round foam ball. Then you need to make roses of corrugated paper. If they are very large, then there will be a lot of free space between the flowers, which will need to be closed with something, so it is better to make these roses medium. On one small topiary you will need 35-45 roses. To do this, it is better to take the paper of different colors in order to further alternate the shades of roses on topiary. The trunk for a tree of happiness can be made from traditional sushi sticks, and you can use ordinary foam plastic as a primer. Alabaster is hard to make, and polystyrene is easy to find. Only the barrel into the base of the foam should be inserted the first time. At the same time, it is necessary to decorate the crown, sticking roses in a chaotic manner. Then the crown is attached to the trunk and topiary is considered ready. If desired, the soil in the pot spread artificial grass, and the trunk of the tree is decorated with a bright bow.
Topiary in the marine theme
The sea tree of happiness can be made from materials brought from the sea: pebbles, shells, dried crabs and pearls. They should paste over the base for the crown of topiary. If the shells and pebbles are small, the space between them can be decorated with sisal, artificial starfish and handicrafts of salted dough on the marine theme. When performing a topiary barrel, it is better to take sushi sticks decorated with white, blue or sand satin ribbons. As a stand for the tree of happiness should take a white flower pot, which can be decorated with artificial pearls, lace and small figures of salt dough. Inside this pot you need to pour alabaster and insert topiary stem into this alabaster mixture. Sisal fibers, sea pebbles and shells can be put on top of the frozen fill.
Money Topiary from coins and bills
This topiary is usually made of counterfeit bills, but for the entourage you can attach real coins to the tree crown or stand. Of course, it is better to use not ordinary, but rare, ancient or foreign coins. To begin, each bill needs to be folded in half, slightly moving the edges, and then folding the envelope out of it, securing the uneven edges with double-sided tape. The number of bills depends on the size of the base ball, but traditionally requires about 20-25 bills. The trunk of the money tree can be made from twigs or sticks for sushi, and as a stand you can take a cache-pot. On the outside you can decorate pots with special self-adhesive paper with the image of money or lace. Alabaster is poured into the pot itself, the barrel is put into it and they are waiting for it to dry. After that, the soil of the topiary is laid out with coins, sawdust or decorative stones.
From dried flowers and natural flowers
Dried flowers tree is quite simple. You can decorate the base for the crown of topiary with dried flowers and yellowed leaves, but the flowers and leaves taken for this purpose must be strong and dense, otherwise they will simply fall apart during work. Dried flowers are fixed directly on the foam ball. They take a curved twig from the street as a trunk, and an ordinary clay pot turns into a stand. The pot inside is filled with alabaster, previously fixing the topiary stem. This trunk is inserted into the finished tree crown, and dried alabaster is decorated with dry leaves and flowers. Fresh flowers topicals are usually created by professional florists, but you can try to make it at home by yourself. To do this, take the buds of roses, chamomile flowers, lilies or chrysanthemums, properly and carefully cut off their seeds and attach to the base of the crown. The rest of the method of production of the tree of happiness and decor pot for topiary is similar to its production of dried flowers.
Beads, rhinestones and other crystals in the manufacture of wood
Before you start making topiary you need to draw a diagram and a picture. The crown of the tree of happiness can be an ordinary multi-colored ball or a combination of unusual textured products. The beads are very small, so it is not attached to the base for the crown one by one. For this purpose, a thin wire thread is taken, on which beads of a certain color and texture are put on. The wire is durable and can keep its shape, so that the top of the topiary can be turned into a whole flower bed of bead weaves. Rhinestones are also attached to the crown base on the ribbon. Bead and rhinestones should decorate the trunk of the tree (ordinary sushi sticks) and stand. As a stand, you can take an elegant flower pot, an iron bucket, a large stone, or just a plaster mass on the trellis, which is then painted in the desired color. Then the pot for topiary needs to be decorated with beads.
Making bonsai wood
Bonsai is an oriental art of growing decorated miniature copies of real trees. For cultivation in the form of bonsai suitable hawthorn, pomegranate, calamondin, etc. But for the manufacture, rather than the cultivation of an ornamental tree, it is better to collect or buy hydrangea inflorescences. The collected inflorescences need to be dried well for 5-6 hours. Then the hydrangea flowers need to be fixed on separate branches and snags, which are suppressed from the opposite side with a foam ball. These snags can be replaced with a three core wire. Then, in the container prepared under the tree (salad bowl, ashtray, pot) you need to carefully pour in the plaster. Then it is necessary to put a bonsai base in the middle part of the pot and fix the resulting composition with a mixture of gypsum and PVA (thick sour cream consistency), simultaneously securing the trunk and branches. After that you need to dry the entire structure within 24 hours. A day later, you need to paint the tree trunk with acrylic paint or ocher.
After drying, you can decorate the bonsai with green decorative elements.
Conclusion
Decorative trees with their own hands are able to decorate any interior. They can be made from any scrap materials: threads, satin ribbons, cones or shells. Also, happiness trees are made from fresh flowers, but such compositions are not always obtained by non-professionals. They are usually made by florists for weddings. After all, their design requires not only to firmly fix the crown of the tree of happiness, but also to properly prepare the flowers used. If you cut the flower incorrectly or arrange it with an unfriendly plant for it, it will quickly wither, and the topiary will lose its stylish appearance. Topiary or bonsai are suitable for decorating living rooms, bedrooms or children. They will complement the unusual design decisions and make these interiors cozy and calm. And according to Feng Shui, the correct location and stylish decoration of topiary will bring happiness, health and wealth to the house!
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