It’s Fall, so it’s time to put out the Jacked-Up Topiary. Frank and I made this the first year we moved to our house in 2002. Don’t have a Jacked-Up Topiary? Here’s everything you’ll need to make one of your very own.

~ 1 decorative pot
~ a wooden dowel
~ floral foam
~ styrofoam ball
~ straight grapevine or small branches
~ rope
~ dried leaves
~ Spanish moss
~ glue gun
~ *Jack Daniels
~ coke (optional)

Mix your cocktail or take a shot. Every time you use the glue gun, take a drink or a shot.

Shape the floral foam so it will fit in the decorative pot. Put a hole in the middle and insert the wooden dowel. Use a bit of glue to secure it. Stick the grapevine or branches around the dowel to make the trunk of the topiary.

Dig a hole in the styrofoam ball, then cover it with Spanish moss. Put the ball on top of the dowel and glue it down. Glue each individual leaf on the ball.

Wind the rope around the trunk and glue it to the bottom of the ball. Arrange more Spanish moss around the bottom of the trunk in the pot.

*Jack Daniels is necessary for this craft project as glue guns are of the devil. You will burn your fingers. Stringy stray strands of glue will cover the leaves and the Spanish moss. Huge globs of the stuff will squirt out of the gun,  hell-bent on ruining your hard work. Trust me: you’ll never finish without Jack there to get you through it to the end.