Drive-by events are now the new normal. And knowing me, I embrace whatever hurdles and completely let my problem-solving creativity run wild.
My older sister is having our FIRST niece or nephew (they have decided to wait until birth to find out the gender!), and this called for no small occasion!
I'd seen countless photos of drive-by events with balloon arches and wood-panel backdrops, but I wanted something else.
Through my research of floral statues and installations, I decided on a plant-covered elephant for several reasons:
1) The drive-by shower spanned 2 weekends (each day 8am-8pm) so cut flowers would not survive multiple weeks in LA heat.
2) I wanted a structure that would also serve as a photo spot and organically space guests 6 feet from my pregnant sister. This is also why I didn't like the idea of an arch or backdrop, because people are awkwardly standing far apart in pictures.
THE INSPIRATION:
THE PROBLEM:
Most giant topiary frames were going for $400-1,000. And that's just for the frame! Never mind the cost of greenery to cover it!
THE SOLUTION:
+ Zip Ties (all structural supplies found at Home Depot)
+ Patches of Sheet Moss: I searched endlessly online, but everything was WAY too expensive. Just one 11'' x 11' sheet was selling for ~$15, and I knew I needed way more than that. I asked everyone at the LA Flower Market and found a very sweet vendor who helped! She sold me whole boxes of moss patches for $35 each. It took me 2.25 boxes to cover the entire elephant and the "B-A-B-Y" letters. Message me and I can provide more details on the vendor!
PROCESS:
Sketch your vision (if that helps you)
I wanted my baby elephant with the trunk going UP so it looked playful.
Cut and shape each piece of your animal. For me, that was body, arms, legs, head, ears, & trunk. Reinforce each piece with the annealed wire because the chicken wire is very flimsy.
Weave the annealed wire within the chicken wire and try to border each shape to provide the best support. For example, weave the entire circumference of the head with annealed wire. That way, you have a very solid mechanism for attaching the joining piece (the ear for example). If you attach chicken wire to chicken wire, it doesn't matter how many zip ties you use, it'll still be floppy.
Attach all the pieces using the annealed wire and zip ties.
I learned the hard way to wear plastic-coated gloves to protect from the chicken wire! :(
Once your structure stands and is generally shaped how you want, turn that guy on it's back and stuff it like a turkey!
I filled plastic bags with crumpled newspaper.
Begin the laborious process of covering it in real moss.
Building the frame took me in-total 7 hours (I would work on it a couple hours at a time after work). The moss was a different story! I knew I had to do it within 1 "go" because real moss browns over time! This meant, starting 2 days before the first shower.
I spent 6.5 very dehydrating hours (98 degrees that day) hot-gluing moss to this elephant. I've run a marathon before, but this took endurance!
When every inch of wire is disguised, you're done!
WEEKEND 1 OF BABY PALOOZA:
Photography by Spencer Mar
As you can see, my sister still looks like a model even when pregnant. We can all hate her now.
LETTERS: simple yet elegant!
WEEKEND TWO: Elephant goes on a Rainforest Safari!
I made adjustments for this weekend because:
1) I needed tropical flowers that would survive a full day of heat and sunlight. (last weekend I took away the flowers from 11am-5pm and didn't want to deal with that worry again)
2) I couldn't find any tropical flowers in blue, so I changed the colors to green and pink. I purchased a new chiffon draping for $4 at the fabric district (!! super sale!), and added new details to give it personality. Luckily I've been making seat cushions, so I was able to add these cute pink ones last minute! I drew inspiration from Tarzan and UP: wood furniture, basket weave, & books.
In total, this elephant cost me about $120. That does sound like a lot when added up, but a fraction in comparison to upwards of $650! And my sister and brother-in-law loved it, which is all that counts!
Happy July <3
I hope there are things that bring you feelings of productivity, joy, and contentment during shelter-in-place.
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