DIY Spooky Eyeball Topiary
I always feel like, somebody’s watching meeeeeeeee. It’s that time of year when I try to creep out my kids and give them a little spook. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to watch super scary movies since I was in college and I just can’t be too gory, cause ew, right? I might be a sugar puff when it comes to Halloween, but I love to add a fun dose of spooky with hilariousness. I am always on the lookout for cute little details to DIY or add to really amp up my Halloween décor. This year I finally feel like we have a good collection of decorations, it has taken a few years to get here. The best holiday décor is collected over many years. Last year, I found a cute bag of eyeballs at the dollar store and I used them in bowls and a tall vase. I also took a picture with the eyeballs in a faux hedge and had this DIY idea. A DIY eyeball topiary.
I snagged some really cute boxwood balls at Home Goods, they have the best prices around, $7.99 so snag them when you see them. I also got some cute urn planters from Michaels because they were a soft pretty grey, great for all seasons, and they were on sale for 50% off.
First, my boys and I tried to just stick the eyeballs in the topiaries, and it kind of worked. But some really angled spots just wouldn’t hold and you’d hear a ping pong ball bounce, bounce, bounce and roll around in the middle of the night. NOT the kind of spooky I was looking for. I couldn’t give up easy because this DIY I knew was going to be awesome, I came up with a solution. It is super simple and anyone, even non-crafters can do it, I promise.
You will need:
supplies: topiary ball, urn planter, plastic eyeballs, floral wire
tools: hot glue gun, wire cutters (kitchen shears work in a pinch)
I had 18” floral wire so I needed to cut them in half first. I used kitchen shears, but please be careful cutting them in half. I don’t do blood for Halloween. You will need about 7-10 pieces.
Fold each 9” wire piece in half, and then twist the cut ends into a circle.
Bend the circle down 90 degrees from the handle, so it forms a flat place for the eyeball to rest.
Run a fat bead of hot glue around the circle of the wire and press to the back of the eyeball, in the center. Hold in place until cool and set.
Once all of your eyeballs are prepped with wire backs, we are essentially making floral picks out of them, bend the wire slightly to form a hook shape. This shape will help hold the eyes in place when we poke them into the boxwood ball.
Place the topiary on the urn, and start inserting the eyeball picks. Try to evenly distribute them around the topiary, but keep in mind where this will be on the mantle or on display. Confession: I didn’t do eyeballs in the very back because these are going in the bottom of my fireplace and nobody would see the blank spots ever. Feel free to cheat like I do, it’s more fun that way.
Easy peasy, right?
I’ve basically been doing DIYs all my life, I am one of those people who always loves a challenge and thinks, I could totally make that. I’ve created tons of projects right here for you to make or modify to make it your own style. I’d love to see it on Instagram so tag me @howtoloveyourhouse, or email me a picture and I’ll share them on my stories.
If DIYs give you anxiety, I totally get it. I can have too many ideas, some are too complicated and some are just not worth the effort involved to have something you are just going to throw away. I understand. I want to make DIYs less scary, more doable and still fun. Want to join me? Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to get updates about new collections, fun DIYs and free printables!