If you live somewhere with a lot of Spanish moss hanging from the trees, this is a really cool way to create a DIY Christmas wreath!
Wreaths are one of the classic Christmas decor items you have to have.
So, this year I decided to make one that would go with my Coastal Christmas theme. Nothing is more Charleston than spanish moss – so I knew that was where I had to start.
How to make a Spanish moss wreath
Making a wreath out of Spanish moss is a really cool project and a great way to use natural items from your home.
Start out by gathering moss from your trees or around your neighborhood. We gathered a ton of Spanish moss out in the neighborhood.
We pulled it off trees and stuffed it into plastic grocery bags. We got 2 bags worth to make our wreath.
Step one: clean the Spanish moss
Spanish moss actually has a lot of little red bugs in it. So, we brought it home and immediately killed the bugs.
How, you might ask? By boiling it! We brought a large pot of water to a boil, then added a bunch of moss for 60 seconds.
Then, we laid it out flat on newspaper to dry. It dried over night (and look at how yellow the water turned! Though it actually smelled really good!
Step two: apply wire and glue on moss
Once it was dry, we started to make the wreath. First, I wrapped some floral wire around the foam wreath form. I made a small figure 8 with a loop to hang the wreath from.
Then, I used white glue and a foam paintbrush to attach the moss to the wreath.
Paint on the glue, stick on the moss, and then push with your hands to get it to stick well.
You want to make sure you’re putting on a lot of glue and that the moss is all making contact with it. Otherwise, it will fall off.
Step three: let dry
I let it dry overnight, flat on the table. You don’t want to try to hang this quickly or the moss could slide right off onto the ground.
We couldn’t hang it outside, because we didn’t want to take down the Panthers wreath, so we hung it on the bedroom door! I love it inside!
Step four: decorate
To make it a bit more Christmas-y, I added some small red ornament balls. I added them to the wreath using small straight pins.
What kind of wreath are you hanging this year?
How to make a Spanish Moss wreath
Curious about what it takes to make a spanish moss wreath? Here is how to make it - and how to clean the moss to be sure it is free of red bugs!
Materials
- Foam wreath form
- White glue
- Paint brush
- Spanish moss
- Floral wire
Tools
- Pot of water + stove
- Tongs
- Scissors
Instructions
- Add moss to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 60 seconds. Set on paper or towels to dry completely.
- Wrap floral wire around the wreath to create a little figure 8 loop to use to hang wreath.
- Use paint brush to spread white glue over foam. Add moss and push with your hands to get to adhere well.
- Let dry flat on a table overnight.
- Optional - add small ornaments. You can use straight pins or hot glue.
Notes
If you buy spanish moss, you don't need to boil it. This is just if you harvest it from outdoors.
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Hello, I’m Morgan, half of the creative force behind CharlestonCrafted.com! With a passion for DIY that dates back to 2012, I’ve transformed three homes and now I’m dedicated to helping others craft their dream spaces. Let’s turn your house into a home together!