Another Ballard’s Knockoff! Inspired by their latest Olive Topiary, I saved $70 by making one myself and you can too with this Easy DIY Faux Olive Topiary tutorial! Affiliate links provided.
Do you ever fall in love with a decor piece, only to immediately change your mind once you see the price tag?
That’s what happened to me when I saw this stunning Olive Topiary from Ballard Designs.
source: Ballard Designs
I loved the twiggy stem, the burnished pot with the beautiful spray of Olive branches.
But the price! $89 for the 26 inch tall plant – too rich for this momma of hungry boys.
So I thought I’d shop around and found this one from World Market.
source: World Market
At $40 – it was still to expensive for my liking, so I set out to DIY one for a fraction of the price. I loved how it turned out and had to share how easy it is to make one for yourself. Let start with the supply list.
Easy DIY Faux Olive Topiary
Olive Tree Stem Bundle – Hobby Lobby reg $12.99
Terra Cotta Pot – $2.50 – wait until both of these are 50% off!
Brown Floral Tape – Hobby Lobby $2.99 (I used a 40% off coupon)
Foam Floral Disc – $1.99
Stick – free
Mulch – free
Before you begin, clip each stem to create individual sprigs to work with. You can clip them with scissors, but if they are wired, then you may need wire cutters.
Next I took a stick I found from the yard and started to wrap each olive branch with brown floral tape around the stick.
It’s best to find a stick that has a Y shape to allow room for the olive branches to spray out like the one from Ballard.
Simply layer and vary each olive sprig on the branch. It’s perfectly fine to overlap the floral tape.
As you can see, we’ve got some awesome progress happening! I worked up and down the stick to mimic real branches.
Finish off the plant with a final wrap of the floral tape to secure the final sprigs.
Place your floral foam disc into the pot and insert your stick. I added mulch from my yard to hide the foam, but you can use raffia or moss if you like.
Isn’t that the cutest thing ever?! I love how simple this was!
And what I love even more was the final price. The total cost of my DIY Faux Olive Topiary was $8.94 – that’s a saving of $70!
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The best thing about this fun project is that I was able to recreate something that I thought was out of the question for my home. Now I have a beautifully styled corner of my living room!
So will you give this DIY a try? If you do, I want to see it! Send me a pic of what you create!
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Pin this Easy DIY Faux Olive Topiary to try later!
This is amazing. I love Ballard but they are WAY overpriced. Such a great idea!
I completely agree! I swoon over their catalog every time it arrives in my mailbox, but simply can’t afford the prices. At least they inspire me! Thanks for taking the time to comment – I truly cherish each one!
Absolutely amazing! I’ve been wanting a little olive tree forever but just couldn’t justify paying such a high price. I think I will try this out for sure, thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much Angela! I hope this encouraged you to try to DIY one! Have a wonderful weekend!
Love this, Jen! My set with Lambs Ear is almost done! ☺️
OOH! I bet it’s gorgeous with Lambs Ear – one of my fav plants!
Love this knockoff! Topiaries are ridiculously expensive. Yours is just as pretty or more than the Ballard’s version. Way to go!
Thanks Stacey!
I love this! I can’t wait to try to make one for myself and the price difference! Wow. Thanks for a great tutorial
Oh my, this turned out lovely! I know what you mean, I saw a tiny “money tree” at the store today for $13…I just though, well I will probably kill it anyway and let it go 😉
Love it! I made a wreath like that similar to one on a high end website, using lemons, olives branches, and topped it with a yellow bow.
Those always catch my eye too and after checking the price, I walk away.
This is so clever! I LOVE IT!
It looks so real:-))) Good Job:-)))
Lovely! I think i like yours better and NOT because of the price. Love the pot, did you do the finish?
This is an amazing knockoff. I like Ballard a lot but never purchase anything because of the price tag. Thanks for sharing a great idea with us at #HomeMattersParty
Your’s looks WAY better than Ballard’s! Thank you for sharing it with us at the Homestead Blog Hop!
That looks totally amazing Jen and what a bargain price too. Don’t you love it when knock-offs turn out this good. I’m putting this one on my To-Do list for sure…. love it!!
Thank you for linking up at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring your faux olive tree at tomorrow’s party and pinning too.
I’m so happy this inspired you! Thanks for taking the time to comment – it means so much!
This made me giggle! Glad to know that fellow black thumbs are out there! LOL
I am wanting to make a lemon bush next! Heading over to your site for the inspo! Thanks for your kind words!
I find myself in soooo many stores, loving their decor and thinking of ways to DIY one for my own. I can rarely justify the retail price!
Thanks Nitka! That means so much!
Thank you Jauquetta! I purchased that pot at Hobby Lobby, but I think it could be achieved easily with craft paint!
Thank you Donna! I always enjoy linking up and finding inspiration at your party!
Best compliment ever! Thank you so much!
Jen this is such a great way to achieve the same look for a fraction of the price. I love my olives too but they are not worth that much money. I also love that pot with the patina.
Thank you so much Kerryanne! Your kind words bring a smile to my face! Thanks for the feature!
Sweet Mary – you are always so kind! Thank you friend!