I know topiaries are not very crafting rebellious. I am somewhat of a contradiction. I like pink leopard, have bleached platinum hair, sport some tattoos, (you get the idea) and yet I like old school decorating like chinoiserie, and damask. I like that mix of old patterns and new ones, and I have always loved topiaries. I saw the paper mache deer at Michaels at 50% off and decided I would use them as topiary forms. I wanted an English garden look so I purchased a package of sheet moss, and figured with glue gun handy I would whip them up in no time flat. I soon discovered they were not very fast to complete (except the cone was pretty fast), and quite messy. You definitely want to create these in an area that can be cleaned up easily, or outside. The moss stinks, but luckily the smell fades. The topiaries were just as cute sitting on the tabletop before staked into planters, so that is definitely an optional step. I purchased LED ultra slim wire lights so they would be lit at night. The LED lights caused the project to get a little pricey, but they are definitely the way to go if you want your topiary lit. The wire and lights are so thin they blend in with the moss. Even after the mess and time involved I was pretty happy with the topiaries. If I see any other interesting paper mache animal form I may make another moss topiary in the future. Just not too soon as I am still sweeping up.

For this project you will need:

Sheets of moss. I used a bag of sheet moss from Michael's labeled "Moss Table Runner"

Hot Glue Gun

LED Ultra Slim Wire Light Set (optional) These battery operated lights are on very thin green wire and have a 6 hour timer. I used Martha Stewart and Starlite brands bought at Home Depot.

Start by deciding if your paper mache animal needs any fixes to it. I felt the antlers were too short on the ones I purchased so I hot glued cut straws to make them longer.

Start hot gluing moss strips in sections. I noticed the glue dried so quickly that I couldn't do much larger than 4 or 5" strips.