To make a Christmas Topiary:
- 2 bag of peppermints
- styrofoam ball (from Michaels)
- Hot glue gun
- Thick wood stick (Michaels)
- Metal tin or container
- green foam brick used for flower arranging (from Michael’s)
- sealant spray
The most time consuming part of this craft is unwrapping each mint. Once you have completed this step, begin hot gluing each mint onto the Styrofoam ball. You could spray paint the foam ball red first to peep through, but I like white. Keep a one inch portion without a mint so that you have room to attach it to the stick. I used a Sealant Spray to keep it from being sticky. This step also helped enforce the “No licking the topiary” rule. Then simply put one end of the wooden stick into the topiary. I would use a thicker one than the one pictured because the topiary was very heavy. Trim the green brick to fit into your container. Secure the other side of the wood stick into green brick. Hot glue around sides. Decorate it with a bow and green shredded paper. Now you have a cute centerpiece.
What do you get a parent when they have a milestone birthday? My father was turning 65 and nothing seemed right. What gift could possibly communicate how much he means to me? There isn’t one. When I began reminiscing of him in my life, I started laughing and then crying at my memories. So I started writing them down and before you know it, I had 65 of my favorite memories. They ranged from “When you would take us to the grocery store for junk food trips” to “Our fishing trip to the Bahamas”. I typed them, printed them on a really thick cardstock, and then cut them into stripes. I bought a neat leather and wood box from TJ Maxx and stuck them inside. After his birthday dinner, we went around and took turns reading them. It lasted hours as we reminisced together.