DIY Topiary

Paint the 3/8-inch-diameter wooden dowel brown with acrylic paint. Set the dowel aside to dry.

Glue the foam ball that was purchased to fit inside the cup in the bottom of the cup with a low-temperature hot glue gun. Shave down the sides of the ball with a butter knife if necessary to make it fit into the cup.

Stick the painted wooden dowel 1 inch into the foam ball in the cup. Pull the dowel out, squirt glue into the hole and replace the dowel.

Paint the 2 1/2-inch foam ball with acrylic paint in a color that complements the candy. Let dry. Stick the 2 1/2-inch foam ball onto the other end of the wooden dowel so an inch of the dowel is in the ball. Remove the ball, add glue to the end of the dowel and replace the ball. Let the topiary cool for 2 minutes.

Attach small individually wrapped candies to the top foam ball using dots of hot glue. Attach the candies closely together so the entire surface of the ball is hidden. Use seasonally wrapped candies if they are available to make a topiary for Christmas, Halloween or Easter. Let the topiary cool for 2 minutes.

Cut a 6-inch length of ribbon from each of the different 1/4-inch-wide ribbons you are using. Bunch the ribbons together and tie them around the dowel in a bow just below the candy-covered ball.

Fill in the rest of the teacup, covering the bottom foam ball with more of the candy.