Make a Giant Tussy Mussy for Summer Roses

It's ROSE TIME!  They are growing and green and buds are forming and I cannot WAIT for fresh garden roses! 
(Until then, the grocery store will have to do!)

Portions of this post have been previously published on Crafts Unleashed.

To celebrate these queens of bloom, today we are going to be making an over-sized, outdoor, tussy mussy of sorts.  Typically, a tussy mussy is a small, triangular, metal vessel designed to hold flowers.  Sometimes they are used in weddings to hold bouquets or placed on doorknobs in the home.  This chicken wire version is a monster sized reconfiguration of the idea, meant to add an outdoor "vase" for your garden.  These could also be really fabulous at an outdoor wedding to line the aisles!

Supplies Needed:

• 18" Metal Easel
• Craft Chicken Wire Netting
• Wired Sisal Vine
• Mossy Twig Vine Garland
• Wide Burlap Ribbon
• Large Bowdabra (optional)
• Craft Wood Pennant Set
• Vinyl Cutouts, Walnut Stain, Spray Paint
• Birds (optional)
• Flowers
• Scissors or Wire Cutters

The first thing you will need is a frame.  I found that the smaller size (18") metal easel is the perfect size for the chicken wire.  

These easels are meant to hold wreaths but they fit our purposes perfectly, just upside down.

(They also work REALLY well to stake plants!  See HERE!)

See how perfectly the lengths line up?

Step 1: Open the frame up into a triangle. Stretch the chicken wire around the frame and cut the wire to make an upside down pyramid.  Your cuts will leave open pieces of wire that you tuck into the form to secure it together.  You might want wire cutters and gloves for this part, but I used my bare hands and basic kitchen scissors.

Step 2:  Once you have the form secure, add the wired garland around the rim. Twist and weave, tucking pieces of metal into and around the garland.  You don't want to have free pieces of metal sticking out everywhere!

Step 3: Once you go around the rim once or twice, loop the garland making a handle.  I made my handle with four "arms." One of each point of the pyramid and one at the back.  Three would also suffice.

Step 4: Add a little color by twisting your mossy garland around the form.  This gives color and movement and you could stop here or add a smaller bow if you so desire.

 If you do want to make a bow, I can't recommend the Bowdabra enough. 

 It takes seconds to make a perfect bow in any size, even with mammoth burlap.

To make my potting bench even cuter, I added a little pennant banner.

I cut vinyl pieces with my Silhouette - clouds, polka dots and some ampersands, then added walnut stain directly over the top of both.

I left it at one coat because I liked the look of the wood grain showing through and the way the stain faded along the edges of the vinyl pieces.  I had actually planned to peel them off leaving the bare wood silhouettes, but I really liked the look of the stain over the vinyl. If you don't have a cutting machine,  you could certainly use vinyl cutouts, stickers or hand cut vinyl shapes.  I crafted for years without one!

Finish off your chicken wire tussy mussy and banner with a few fresh flowers or cut blooming branches from the garden.