How to Make Moss Topiary Kits

You can use dried moss to make topiary kits for gifts or for sale.

A moss topiary is a graceful addition to a mantel or sideboard. By creating do-it-yourself kits, you can package the moss topiaries for gifts or for sale, and they will include everything needed, including detailed assembly instructions. All supplies for the kits can be found at craft stores. The topiary kits also would make charming favors for attendees at wedding or baby showers, or for guests at an outdoor wedding.

Things You'll Need

• Decorative 6-inch-diameter planters (no drainage holes)
• Gravel
• Plaster of Paris
• Wooden dowels, 1/2-inch diameter
• Saw
• 6-inch-diameter Styrofoam balls
• Dried moss
• Floral pins
• Computer
• Printer
• Computer paper
• Pint-size plastic zipper bags
• Clear cellophane wrapping paper
• Silk ribbon

Instructions

1. For each kit, fill individual plastic bags with a cup of plaster of Paris, 1 cup of gravel and 2 cups of dried moss, and zip the bags closed.

2. Compose moss-kit assembly instructions on the computer -- instructions to place the gravel in the bottom of the planter, mix the plaster of Paris with water and pour it over the gravel; stick the dowel an inch or two into the plaster; and place the Styrofoam ball on the end of the dowel. The moss is attached to the Styrofoam ball with floral pins and layered over the gravel in the planter.

3. Print out the instructions. Place the zippered bags in the decorative planters.

4. Cut the wooden dowels 8 inches long with a saw. Place the dowels in the planters.

5. Cut a 24-inch-square piece of cellophane wrapping. Place a planter, the Styrofoam ball and the instructions in the center of the cellophane square; pull up the ends and gather them at the top, holding them closed with a 1-foot length of ribbon tied tight and formed into a bow. Repeat for all moss topiary kits.

References

• "The Ultimate Crafts Compendium"; Joanna Lorenz; 1998
• "Art Fun!"; Kim Solga; 1997