This eco-friendly holiday wreath kit by Koray Ozgen can be reused year after year. You start with the 12 inch cork frame, then with the included pins, attach the natural moss to create the wreath. The designer doesn’t specify, but it must be live preserved moss, the kind that requires no watering or other maintenance. Available from the Ozgen Design Collection.

Photo from Our Little Box

Make Your Own Moss Wreath

Materials

• Straw wreath (12-inch)

• 2 bags live preserved moss (8 oz. each)

• Craft glue

• 1 roll floral wire (32 gauge)

•  Wire cutter or strong scissors

•  12 mini floral picks

•  Paper clip

The green wrapped straw frame like the one above, is available for less than $3 at most crafts shops.

1. Loosen the roll of dried or preserved moss. Pull the strands to create a large pile.

2. Apply glue to the front and sides of the straw wreath. Squeeze the glue onto the wreath in a zigzag motion, going back and forth clockwise and then counter-clockwise around the wreath.

3. Place a handful of the Spanish moss onto one section of the wreath. Spread the moss so that it wraps around the sides. Press firmly into place.

4. Place another handful directly next to the first and repeat until the entire wreath is covered with moss. Allow the glue to dry overnight.

5. Reinforce the glue’s holding power with floral wire. Wrap the rolled floral wire around and around the wreath in a clockwise direction until the ends meet in the back of the wreath. Snip off the remaining wire and twist the ends together tightly. Thread a paper clip onto the wire on the back of the wreath to be used as a hanger.

6. Fluff the moss as much as possible without pulling it away from the glue and wire.

7. Cover the stem of a mini floral pick with craft glue. Insert the stem deep into the moss at the12 o’clock position on the wreath. Place another stem directly next to it in the same fashion. Repeat, placing two picks at a time at the 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 o’clock positions on the wreath. Allow the glue to dry overnight before hanging the wreath.

Instructions by Monica J. Miller, eHow Contributor

Note: After this was posted, our friends at New York City Wildflower Week informed us that only 10% of mosses are sustainably harvested. We are checking into this. If any of you have any more info on this, please let us know!