Neiman Marcus Espalier Knock-Off

When I saw this Florence de Dampierre faux greenery from Neiman Marcus, I was in love...but the $675 price tag left much to be desired.

So, I decided to get crafty and make my own :-)

This is how I made my version...

I started out with an old Christmas arrangement from the thrift store that cost 50 cents.



The stems of blossoms cost $4.50. I was hoping one stem would do, but as you can see there were not enough branches on one to get the desired effect. So I started by taking the larger flowers off the stems because the scale was too large for the size of the Espalier and then I cut and pieced together the branches...and hot glued them onto the main stem. I used brown floral tape to cover and strengthen the joints.



The vase was too stark for my taste, so I added some instant patina with a few drops of Valspar Antiquing Glaze.



I brushed it on and wiped it off with a rag until I got the desired look.



Here is the completed knock-off...



Here are the two Espaliers side by side. Doing it myself I saved about $670. I think it was so worth the $5 that I put into it! What do you think?

I am linking this to...