Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Coffee filter topiary tutorial

Hello everyone.  I finally had some time to post a tutorial of the coffee filter topiaries I made for a show that I had last week.

First of all, you're gonna need a pot, depending on the size of the pot, you will need a Styrofoam ball, the coffee filters add 3 more inches around to the ball, so make sure you get the right size.
You're gonna need hot glue sticks and a tree branch cut to the desired size.
In order for the tree branch to stay in place, I used a little bit of plaster of paris mixed with water, place your branch in the pot and add the plaster of paris, it only takes a minute to set if you don't add too much water.
Okay, too much chitty-chat, now let's get to the pictures.
When I bought this pot it was green, I painted it white and antiqued it with water based stain.






Here's the Styrofoam ball, make sure you make a hole for the tree branch


Here's how you need to fold the coffee filters, they need to be folded 4 times







Once folded 4 times, bend the tip of the filter and add the hot glue so it can stick to the styrofoam ball

Once applied the hot glue, hold the filter with your finger, pressing to the ball for a few seconds until it stays by itself



Continue adding filters one by one






Keep adding filters all around


Add more and more, this takes patience let me tell you.



These are used coffee filters, I rinse them everyday, let them dry and store them.


These are new coffee filters, the look of the topiary reminds me of a carnation



Almost there



Here it is finished, now put some hot glue in the hole you made to the styrofoam ball before gluing the filters and stick your tree branch
Mix your plaster of paris, put it in your pot with your finished topiary and ta-da!
I almost forgot to tell you, I filled the urn with shreded book pages.



I'm sorry, but this is the only picture I have of the finished white topiary.


This is the one I made with the used coffee filters



The look of the used coffee filters reminds me of a rose.
There you have it, I hope it isn't too confusing, I mixed the pictures of both so you can see how different the looks are with the new and old filters. Which version do you prefer, "the used" or "the new"?

If you have any questions please let me know.  I hope you like the "tutorial" 


Until next time mes amies.


Linking today to Faded Charm for White Wednesday &
Summer block party 
 
Ido


21 comments:

  1. This is amazing. I can see that it takes some time to create, but well worth the effort. The tutorial is really good...I'm going to bookmark it and put it on my list of things to do. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Wow, this is a fabulous idea! I love it!!! I don't know if I'd have the patience but I do have a bunch of coffee filters that don't fit our new coffee maker so maybe I'll give this a try!

    I love your blog, new follower:)

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  3. This is so great !!...years ago i make this with pieces fabrics......also very nice to do and see.....lovely day darling.......i think you can't buy that magazine in America...sorry !!...love Ria....xxx...

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  4. how fantastic of you to share something so clever and beautiful! how ever did you think of it!
    So lovely and recycling too!
    thanks,

    Karen
    on WW too...

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  5. I've always loved Topiaries and the one you created is stunning. I prefer the "old" version, but both are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your ideas and tutorial.

    Angie

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  6. Ido, thanks for sharing this fun and creative project. I just adore topiaries.
    Angela

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  7. That is so creative...and so beautiful!
    Happy WW!
    Rene

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  8. Simply gorgeous! I really don't think I would have the patience though, ha! I am a new follower!

    Hugs,
    Jacalyn

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  9. Very clever and pretty, Celeste, victoriantailor.com

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  10. Oh My Goodness! What a great tutorial! I've made something similar in the past, but my method was much more complicated. I'm thinking I may be making some of these for my daughter's wedding in July! Perfect!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Happy White Wednesday!
    Lori

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  11. STUNNING! love them

    Love Dawn xx

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  12. This is truly amazing!!!! LOVE EVERYTHING about it! Who would have thought a coffee filter could look so stunning????
    Blessings & Hugs,
    Karen

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  13. Fabulous! ... and I have a stack of filters ready to go!! ... I like the "used" ones ; )

    Thank you for sharing at Voila!

    xo
    Jill

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  14. Wow - they are beautiful. I really like the look of the used filters, as well as the eco-friendliness of them being reused. Your tutorial is very clear that I could even understand it LOL!

    I'm visiting from Vintage Inspired Friday and am your newest follower.

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  15. This is turned out so pretty! I love everything french!

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  16. THANK YOU for sharing this tutorial! I am so excited to give this a try. I am not very crafty and I am hoping I can pull this off!
    Have a pretty day!
    Kristin

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  17. Thank you for this tutorial. I love the "used!" Would you have any idea as to how many filters you needed (ballpark)? The container makes it even more special. Visiting from French Cupboard, and your newest follower!

    xoxo
    Kathleen

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  18. This turned out beautiful! great idea and thanks for the how-to! Thanks for linking up with VIF! xoxo Debra

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  19. Awesome tutorial Ido. The topiaries turned out beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing the how-tos with us. Wishing you a wonderful new week.

    Hugs and Kisses,
    ♥Ana

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  20. I found you from gaby Bee, I'm a newbie blogger from Northern Canada ,, your work and photos are beauriful,, wow, I'm your newest follower

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  21. I just can't get enough of these paper projects!! Love this.....!!
    Happy day!
    xojanis

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