The one thing I hate about plants is my inability to keep them alive very long (I’ve sent many helpless vegetation to flora heaven). Talk about frustrating! The other day I was making these tissue paper pompoms for my friend’s baby shower and thought to myself, these remind me of oversized dahlias…I should make them into little topiaries. A project was born and I ended up with these pretty gals. Here’s how I did it:

What you will need:
*Eight 8”x12” pieces of tissue paper (makes the larger one; you can make yours any size, but try to keep the dimensions around 2:3)
*Thick floral wire (in gold)
*Floral foam
*A container (I used a small pot, but you can use just about anything, from tea cups to paper cartons)
*Scissors
*Optional: dried moss

Step 1: Folding Your Tissue Paper

Stack your pieces of tissue paper together with the short side on top, and fold them accordion style with 1” folds. Make sure to press down hard on the folds to make a nice crease.

Step 2: Creating Your Bloom

Take an 18” piece of floral wire and twist it around the center of your folded tissue paper. Twist it all the way down to make one thick “stem”.

Cut either rounded or triangle edges on the sides of your folded tissue paper (rounder will produce more of a rose effect, while triangle looks more like dahlias).

Step 3: Unraveling Your Tissue Paper

Gently pull the different pieces of tissue paper apart and shape it with your fingers until you are satisfied with the appearance of your bloom.

Step 4: Create Your Base

Cut a piece of the floral foam and place it into your container.

Stick the twisted wire securely into the foam and add some dried moss on top.

That’s all it takes to have a beautiful, everlasting topiary! Change it up as often as you like with colors that coordinate with your room.