Topiary Wreath

I have this secret love affair with topiaries....(shhh....don't tell my cloches!) I don't know what it is about them. I guess it's just that simple elegance and I love the GREEN!!! I also love this boxwood greenery from Hobby Lobby:
I have this stuff in various places throughout my house. La-HOVE the stuff, but I never pay the $7.99 price tag. I rarely pay full price for anything...not when there are sales and coupons to use! For those of you who shop Hobby Lobby, you know that the greenery and floral are on sale nearly every week! Good to know...

Anyhow~ I've made MANY topiaries in the past using different floral and greenery, but for some reason I never put my love of topiaries and the above greenery together. The boxwood comes off in little sprigs like this:
DUH... Why didn't I just put 2+2 together? It's so simple!!!

So, a few of weeks ago I went to work putting a topiary style wreath together using this boxwood greenery. I purchased a foam wreath form similar to this one (but green):I poked TONS of little holes in it using a skewer. I put a tiny little dollop of hot glue in the hole and shoved a sprig of the boxwood inside for security. (This keeps my little ones from easily pulling them out.) I left the very back of the wreath naked, 'cuz who sees that anyway? (Isn't that the same theory as hospital robes?) I got about 1/4 away from the end when I ran out of greenery. So, I took a little trip to Hobby Lobby, only to find they were sold out. I tried both locations near my home, and came out empty handed. For TWO WEEKS I was unable to finish my project, then finally they got a shipment of it in and luckily it was on sale! Anyhow~ I ended up using about 4 1/2 bushels of the greenery. Here is a breakdown of the cost:

Boxwood Greenery (Hobby Lobby) 5 @ $3.99 (50%off) : $19.95
Green Foam Wreath Form (Michael's) $3.59 (w/40% off coupon)
Hot Glue: Had on hand
Total Cost: $23.54

Not the cheapest project I've ever done, but if you have ever purchased a custom wreath, you know they are upwards around $50+. I prefer to do things like this on my own because it is so satisfying to see the end result! Look how pretty it turned out!
I made the flowers using a roll of muslin fabric used for waxing that I had on hand. Yes...waxing...as in legs, armpits and brows. :) I switched to using synthetic strips for waxing my clients, so I had this stuff lying around. It made some lovely flowers and I didn't have to spend extra money for the fabric.
So purdiful! I love how simple and classic it looks. I used some long pins to secure the flowers in place. This way I can take them out and put something else on the wreath when I want to change it up for Christmas and the like. Huzzah!

For those of you who don't feel like they can "craft", I'm tellin' ya, if you can poke holes in styrofoam... you can make this wreath! This beauty is gonna look great hanging up just about anywhere!

Do you love topiaries too? What are some that you've made/found?

I'm linking up to these fabulous parties!