Freebie Friday

Last week I posted some cupcake liner topiaries I created for Teacher Appreciation Week. This Friday I would like to offer a Freebie Friday, May 9, just leave a comment along with your email address in the comment section anytime between now and May 15th and I will choose one lucky winner and send them one of my topiaries. I will mail out the free topiary on the following Friday. They could be used as party decoration or I'm thinking about removing the Super Hero adornments and using the rest as 4th of July centerpieces. Thanks, and GOOD LUCK!

This is what you will get: Topiary with spidy adornments, mat, and bunting!

Here's the original post:

I'm having so much fun coming up with ways of making the teacher's lounge pretty for Teacher Appreciation Week! We are using Superheroes as our theme. I saw these and had to make some for myself. I love them! We're going to put one each on the tables in the teacher's lounge.

Here's a quick How to:

Materials:

Pot (I bought regular terracotta pots and then painted them with crafter's paint.)
Foam insert that fits snuggly in the pot that you choose
3in Balls to create your topiary
75 cupcake liners
Shredded paper
Dowel
Hot glue gun and glue 
Ribbon
Popsicle sticks and paper figures if you want them

1. Start by prepping your pots. Paint them if needed and allow them time to dry.
2. Insert your foam into the pot. Add a bunch of hot glue to keep it firmly in place.

3. Poke a hole through the 3in foam ball using a dowel stopping just before you poke through. Remove the dowel and spurt some glue down into the hole. Return the ball back to the dowel and hold in place until the glue dries.

Hold off on gluing the bottom of the dowel into the foam in the pot until you have added about 1/2 of the cupcake liners.

4. Inside out your cupcake liners so that the color and the pattern are facing up.

5. Stick your thumb in the center of the cupcake liner and shape it around your finger. Add a bunch of hot glue to the center and stick it onto your foam ball. You can use a dowel to press it into the ball instead of burning your fingers :)

6. Repeat until you want to cry!
7. Then repeat some more!
8. When you get just past half done, it helps to glue the dowel into your pot for better handling. 
9. when you are finished adding all of your cupcake liners add a ton of glue to the front half of your foam then press the shredded paper filling into the glue.

10. Repeat for the other half.
11. Add a bow around the rim of your pot.

12. Use sucker sticks and printables to decorate further if you like.
13. Enjoy!

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