The idea for doing an Ethnicity Topiary came to be as soon as I can across Make It With Micah on Instagram where in one video she showed off a DIY project for a Valentines Day themed topiary using items from the Dollar Tree. This also serves as a tie in of an Ancestry DNA test I took for myself in 2021, where I go to learn more about all of the other ethnicities that I may have been hiding within the sample I have sent it. Despite knowing that 40% of my background has been represented by Eastern Europe and Russia, I wanted to give this piece a more “back to basics” approach as I show off how I made this topiary that displays my top 3 main ethnicities I know off prior to Ancestry DNA! Those represented came from my parents. You can do the same too depending on the main nationalities you have within you!

Supplies

At least 3 wooden heart stakes
a small flower pot
one or two foam blocks
glue gun or E6000
acrylic paints
small rocks and faux leaves

Step 1: Flower Pot Prep

To start, prepare your flower pot by gluing your foam block or blocks into the pot.

Step 2: Disassemble the Heart Stakes

Take apart one wooden heart stake and assemble the heart on another. Here I am measuring the placement of the hearts (with the words Sweet Heart on the front) because in reality, you are going to flip them over to show the backs of the hearts where you will then paint them.

Step 3: Paint the Hearts

From here, you are going to paint the hearts white. You will need about 2 coats for this one so that the colors can pop out. You can use regular white acrylic paint or a can of white spray paint for a faster application.

Step 4: Add the Flags

Now it’s time to decorate the hearts with the flags. Depending on what ethnicities you have and how many, you can paint them in. Here I am using my top 3 main ethnicities which came from my parents including Puerto Rico, Germany, and Poland. My mother was from Puerto Rico and my father was German Polish yet he was actually from Germany.

Step 5: Assembly Time

From here, it’s assembly time! So, you are going to stick the stake into the foam block and from that point, you can add on some small rocks and faux leaves to make it look like an actual plant or topiary in this case.