CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- ESPRESSO BEAN TOPIARY

Today I’m repeating one of the crafts that appeared last year when the blog was in its infancy and had far fewer regular readers. The Espresso Bean Topiary is a quick and easy craft that produces a finished product that looks anything but quick and easy. Try substituting dried beans for a slightly different look and color scheme or make several topiaries using a variety of different sized pots and foam cones. -- AP

ESPRESSO BEAN TOPIARY

Materials: 3” x 6” craft foam cone; 6” cinnamon stick; dk. brown acrylic paint; satin finish acrylic sealer; ¾ cup espresso beans; tacky glue; 3” clay pot; floral foam; Spanish moss; 1” foam brush; 4 strands raffia in color of your choice.

Note: Allow paint, glue, and sealer to dry between steps.

1.  Poke a hole for cinnamon stick in bottom of cone.

2. Paint cone with dk. brown paint.

3.  Glue cinnamon stick into hole in bottom of cone.

4.  Beginning at bottom edge of cone and working up, glue beans side by side in rows around cone.

5.  Apply sealer to beans.

6.  Glue Spanish moss over floral foam.

7.  Tie raffia into a bow and glue to front of pot.