How to Make a Moss Heart Mini Topiary
Moss covered hearts are 'planted' in vintage teacups, milk glass and ironstone. These neutral topiaries can be be tucked into any nook or cranny!
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My
DIY Valentines decor
has been more neutral this year and I'm enjoying the softer side of hearts
this time of year. The great thing about these sweet mini heart topiaries is
they can be kept out all year because they're not season-specific! In fact,
their moss-covered tops herald Spring and could even be used for patriotic
decorating.
Click
here for my full Valentines library of free craft ideas.
Let me show you how easy these moss topiary hearts are to make!
I have a short
video tutorial here
that will show you all the steps but I also want to include some additional
tips below so you have the most success making your own moss topiaries!
I found a few things out as I made these, and I'll share these tips below.
How to Make Mini Heart Moss Topiaries
Please note - to keep prices down, check your local dollar stores, Walmart
and craft stores! Amazon links are included here for your convenience.
Supplies:
- foam hearts *(I found them at PopShelf)
- foam crafting balls, various sizes
- wood skewers
- moss
- brown floral tape ** (see options below)
- thin grapevine garland pieces
- hot glue
- small terracotta pot, teacup, or other small vessel
- narrow rustic brown wire for wrapping heart
*I love to repurpose and recycle. I originally found the foam hearts a
couple years ago at a local store and used them to make
patriotic yarn-wrapped hearts. I reused some of these hearts for this topiary project, first cutting off
the yarn.
**If you don't have brown floral tape, you could also simply paint the skewer
with a
dark brown craft paint
to mimic a real stem (or even use narrow branches from your yard!) However, I
do like the matte look of the floral tape, it gives an authentic look to the
topiary trunk.
Please watch
this video
to see how these moss heart topiaries come together and then be sure to read the helpful tips below.
Tips for success:
- when inserting the skewer into foam, try to only do it once, otherwise the hole will expand and the skewer won't be a tight fit (you can insert a little hot glue into the hole to help hold it securely in place)
- if the foam ball doesn't fit tightly in the container, secure in place with a little hot glue
- the foam hearts lose their shape quite a bit once covered in moss; to help that, press and squeeze the foam heart to make the top indent a little deeper and more defined before adding the moss
- small pieces of moss will look better than large ones; go ahead and tear large moss into smaller, even flatter pieces
- go easy on the hot glue, just a little dab or two will be enough (it's difficult to hide dried hot glue blobs - ask me how I know!)
- once heart is fully covered in moss, wrap the heart tightly with some narrow craft wire to help hold the moss in place; this will also define the heart shape a little better (avoid shiny wire or it won't blend into the moss)
- don't forget to hide the foam ball with a little moss too, another variety makes the topiary more interesting
I tucked my moss heart topiaries into a small milk glass sugar bowl as well
as a vintage ironstone egg cup. Get creative with your vessels, if you can't
find anything, Dollar Tree has a package of small terracotta pots that would
be the perfect size, or try vintage teacups, mini creamers or even painted
mason jars!
I love a cute topiary, check out this
olive topiary tree
I made last week using 3 olive branches from Hobby Lobby. Making your own
topiary is a great money saver, I don't know why they're so expensive to
purchase!
In the close up image above, you can see the craft wire wrapping around the
moss heart. Don't go crazy with it, or you'll cover the moss, just wrap about
4-5 times around the heart, tucking the ends into the foam to secure.
Pin to save and share
Additional heart crafts you may enjoy:
bringing beauty to the ordinary,
Oh goodness... these mini moss topiaries are darling! Especially your selected bases for them. And a new use for skewers... who knew?! Love them Cindy, and they look beautiful wherever you decide to tuck them!
ReplyDeleteThank you Donna, it was a fun way to showcase some of my vintage pieces 😉
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