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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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April 11, 2018

Moss Ball Topiary

If you’ve ever lived with a teenager you know that receiving compliments from them is about as rare as a unicorn sighting and equally as magical.

So, when recently my son complimented me on some new home decor, I about fell over.

Am I dreaming? Hallucinating?

Could it be possible? I thought the elusive compliment from a teenager was just an urban legend.

And all it took was putting moss balls on a stick in an urn.

For some time now I’ve been on the hunt for new topiaries for the sofa table in our family room. And let me tell ya, it’s harder than I thought it would be. They were always either too expensive, too plastic-y looking, too tall, too short, too dark, too light. I was beginning to feel like Goldilocks.

But, on a recent outing to my local Real Deals, I spotted these moss balls. They were exactly what I was looking for. Except, they weren’t exactly topiaries.

Yet.

I remembered that tucked in the way back of a closet I had two urns that had been topiaries themselves in a former life.

So, I dug them out of the closet and while my son observed from his perch on a stool at the kitchen island, I simply put those moss balls right on the existing stick in the urns.

And as I was doing a little bit of cleanup I heard the words.

“That looks good mom. I like those better than what you had there before.”

Now, granted, this was a slight insult to the previous decor but who cares?! It was preceded by a compliment!

And about home decor no less!

It made those thrifty, DIY topiaries look like a million bucks and it made me FEEL like a million bucks.

And these days, with hormones running rampant through our household accompanied by eye rolls, big sighs and mood swings, I’ll take whatever I can get!

Would you like to see some more thrifty ideas and inspiration? I’m teaming up with my favorite Thrifty Style Team gals again this month and they’ve got you covered!

 

An InLinkz Link-up


Thanks for meeting me here today friends!

12 Comments Filed Under: Crafts, Decorating, Good Ideas

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bliss says

    April 11, 2018 at 7:01 AM

    Ah ha ha ha ha…. your opening sentence…..ah ha ha ha a ha!!

    Reply
  2. Michele says

    April 11, 2018 at 7:44 AM

    WELL DONE- on both counts! : – )

    Reply
  3. Cindy says

    April 11, 2018 at 8:54 AM

    Haha, this was a great read, Vanessa! I too am living in a home running rampant with teenage-itis 😉 Your DIY topiaries are brilliant!

    Reply
  4. Jan says

    April 11, 2018 at 9:22 AM

    Where did you purchase the moss balls? Very cute idea!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      April 11, 2018 at 1:03 PM

      Hi Jan! I found them at my local Real Deals store. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Deborah says

    April 11, 2018 at 11:22 AM

    A decor compliment from a teen boy = major score. Nice job and it’s not only perfect for your home but a nice spring touch

    Reply
  6. Jane says

    April 11, 2018 at 3:14 PM

    Such a cute post about your son giving you a compliment on your moss balls!

    Reply
  7. Michelle @ The Painted Hinge Farmhouse says

    April 12, 2018 at 9:06 AM

    What a wonderful idea! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Kristi says

    April 12, 2018 at 10:27 AM

    Impressing the teenager is definitely worth noting! These turned out fantastic.

    Reply
  9. Meegan Fast says

    April 12, 2018 at 12:26 PM

    Your home is always inspiring and beautiful. It is REALLY nice to receive a compliment after all of your hard work, isn’t it? Especially from a teenage son.
    Thanks for the inspiration, my friend.

    Reply
  10. Kristi @ Chatfield Court says

    April 12, 2018 at 11:57 PM

    You know it must be good if your teenager likes it. 😉 I always love what you do Vanessa! So pretty!

    Reply
  11. laura says

    April 14, 2018 at 3:46 AM

    ha…who knew moss balls would catch his attention. my 12 year old would be totally oblivious…just like his dad. what a cute idea vanessa.

    Reply

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