Moss Covered Letters | Spring Home Decor

I fell completely in love with moss covered letters after seeing them for sale in a few different places. They are unique, add an earthy touch to home decor and happen to be PERFECT for spring.  (They also make great gifts!)  The only problem?  Each letter is pretty pricey – often around $40.  Yowsers.

Have no fear.  You don’t have to park your moss covered monogram dreams just yet.  Just DIY!  I knew I could make one of these beauties for myself and, now that I’ve finished a few, I have NO doubt that you can do it, too.  They turned out flawlessly.  Really.  It takes a little time, but it’s soooooo easy.  Oh, and really inexpensive, too.  {score!}

Here’s what you’ll need:

• wooden letter(s) of choice
• package(s) of sheet moss (one package is more than enough to do a letter similar in size to the one pictured below — about 10 inches tall)
• favorite all-purpose crafting glue (be sure to use one that you know dries perfectly clear – I use Aleene’s.)
• embellishments, if any

Yes, that’s all.  Now, first things first…a few notes about materials:

I’ve used two different types of sheet moss: Super Moss Instant Green Moss Cloth and another brand that just says Floral Moss Mat (pictured above).  Given a choice, I would totally choose the Super Moss brand.  While both get the job done, the Super Moss brand was easier to work with, was more forgiving and seemed to have less bare spots that needed patching.  That said, they both produce a pretty fab end result, so you’re golden either way.  (FYI: The Super Moss link above takes you to an Amazon listing where the package price is $14.  I only paid about $7 at JoAnn’s.)

Also, if you can’t find a wooden letter in a size/style that you like and/or you prefer a less expensive route, you can cut your letter(s) out of foam board.  Just print and cut out a large letter in the font of your choice, trace it onto the foam board and cut it with an exacto knife.  This option would be ideal if you were spelling a name or word, as one piece of foam board would likely yield all of the letters you need for the price of just one wooden letter.  That said, if you plan to hang your letter outdoors, you might want the added weight of the wooden letters.  Just a little food for thought…

Okay, onto the process.

1. Unfold your sheet of moss, cover the front of your letter with a generous amount of glue and press it (glue side down) onto the sheet moss.  Give it a second — okay, minute — or so to take hold.

2. Cut off any unnecessary excess moss.  (Leave enough so that you can fold the sheet moss over the back side.)  Keep your excess — you’ll need it later to cover gaps/holes.

3. Begin to fold the sheet moss over the backside of your letter.  I prefer to start with the inside, if there is one, and then work my way around the outer edge.  But I have no good reason as to why, so start wherever you’d like.  (If your letter has rounded edges, you’ll have to cut slits into the moss to wrap it over.  At this point, DON’T WORRY about parts of the wood that are showing.  Holes and gaps are super easy to cover up.)  Continue wrapping the moss over the back until you’ve finished.

4. Go back and fill any gaps, slits or bare spots.  For bigger gaps and holes, cut a small piece of sheet moss the size of the hole, from your pile of scraps, and glue it down into the hole.

5. For the smaller spots or slits, pull a small bunch of moss away from or off of the backing of a scrap piece and press it into a dot of glue in the hole.  (If you try to cover small holes with moss that is still attached to the backing, it will be very noticeable.)

– Examine your letter carefully and make sure you’ve gone back to cover any exposed wood or foam board.  Let it dry for a few hours. –

6. To keep the letter from shedding like crazy, dangle the letter from a paperclip (or some other type of hanger) and spray the entire thing (front, back and sides) with Krylon Matte Finish.  (I’ve never used it, but Krylon makes a UV-Resistant version of this spray, too, which might be handy if you plan to hang your letter in direct sunlight for a prolonged period of time.)  Whatever you do, DON’T use a spray glue like 3M Spray Adhesive.  Trust me, I ruined my first letter thinking that the glue would work best.  It became a thick, white, gooey-coated mess that never dried.  Yuck!

7. Embellish your letter to fit your taste/style/occasion.

For the letter I put on my mantle, I simply tied a piece of burlap around the leg.  Simple.  Easy. Perfect.

For the letter I gave as a gift, however, I was a bit more creative with the embellishments.

I glued a small (strong!), circular magnet to the bottom left corner of the letter.  Then I cut pretty fake flowers from their stems and glued a magnet to the back of each of those.  I stuck the magnet on the flower to the magnet on the letter and, voila, produced a fun, seasonal piece of home decor.  ”Yay!” for changing out the embellishment and making it something to be used year round.

Really, the possibilities are endless with these moss-covered lovelies and, truthfully, they look pretty fabulous without a single embellishment.

Go ahead, try it!

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XOXO

Linking to: Sugar & Spice at Seven Thirty Three, Show Me Extraordinary at The 36th Avenue, Hookin Up With HOH at House of Hepworths, Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence, Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple, Weekend Wrap-Up at Tatertots & Jello