Saturday, April 16, 2011

Mossy Decor Balls

Sorry I've been AWOL for these many weeks. Finishing chemo, starting radiation, selling our house and moving have totally wiped me out! The good news is that in the next couple of weeks our life will settle down once more and I can start posting all the great ideas I've got piled up in my brain.

For now, here is one of my favorite springtime projects which I posted last year. I plan on making more of these mossy balls, and soon. Enjoy!




I wanted something fresh and natural looking for my living room and I knew I wanted to incorporate the bright green color of moss with weathered wood and stones. Unfortunately, the natural moss on our hillside is already turning brown and rusty, so I got to thinking how much I loved the color and texture of the Dollar Store moss rocks I had used before. I had looked at their sheet moss and it was too gray and drab for me. I want emerald mossy green!


I gathered the moss rocks I had on hand and 3 different sizes of plastic Christmas balls. After spray painting two a nice brown and leaving the other it's original silver, I planned to slice the curvy parts of the moss rocks off so I would have a bunch of moss covered shapes to hot glue to the balls.

Eww, I did not like it! It looked dumb! So I was talking to my visiting teen age grandson about this and he suggested peeling the moss off the styrofoam "rocks." Who knew the moss peeled off???? He proceeded to show me.



I told him he was a genius and he had saved my project! As you can see the moss peels off in irregular pieces, but you want these shapes for the best results. I used a razor knife to start the process but the moss peels off surprising easily. And if a bit of the white styrofoam sticks to it, it is okay, because you do not want the balls to be totally smooth anyway.

I just used hot glue and started covering the balls. I put the glue on the ball a small area at a time and laid the moss on top, and also the other way, with the glue on the moss instead. It works equally well as long as you have your moss pieces handy because hot glue dries pretty quickly. If it does dry before you get the moss totally stuck it is okay, just add more glue. The extra layer of glue and some of the stuck on styrofoam makes the ball less "bally" and more like a natural shape you might actually find in nature. That is, not a perfect round and a bit lumpy.


Save even your smallest scraps of moss to fill in and cover the edges where they are too straight. You do not want this to look like a bad toupee, but a natural, moss covered surface. Be sure to glue any edges that are sticking up and smooth your joints down. Any hot glue strings that are left on the ball can be readily melted away with your hair dryer once you are done.


I arranged them in my wooden bowl which usually holds all our electronics remotes. (We have SIX!!!! What the heck??!? Ahem. The remotes are now in a basket to the side.) I added more Dollar Store finds, like the polished rocks and pretty gravel, plus a chunk of really interesting driftwood and my favorite feather and paper dragonfly. With just a few little mini spruce cones, this little display is perfect.


It now resides on my painted coffee table (which was a $7 auction find from 28 years ago!!! It is also another blog post!) and it just makes me happy to look at it. I love the brilliant green "moss" and the wood grain of the bowl and grey texture of the driftwood and the polished stones....it makes me smile. And the best thing? When I got done with it and was taking my pictures, our grandson took a look at it and said, "That looks cool, Gramma!" High praise indeed coming from a teenager!!

It took 3 bags of Dollar Store moss rocks to do this project so that is certainly affordable. I already had the 3 different Christmas balls on hand, plus the rocks and gravel. If you actually bought what you needed just to make the 3 balls you could certainly do them for under $6 and end up with a very fresh accent for your summertime home. How about some Dollar Store wiffle balls mossified and stacked in a cloche or glass hurricane? I am wondering how this would work on a couple of birdhouses for a bit of cool, mossy goodness? Hmmmm.

I'm linking up to the parties on my sidebar, please visit and see all the fantastic projects listed there! Thanks for coming by and leave a comment, if you will. I love and read them all. And check out my other posts, you never know what you will find!

15 comments:

  1. I love the moss balls. Nice to read you again. (I too have been gone for a bit.)
    I don't remember if I ever said how much I love all the blue things in your header.
    Kathy

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  2. I love it!!! I am now inspired : ) Have a great weekend : )

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  3. I am so glad you reposted this! I found a wooden bowl like that in a neighbour's trash (can you believe ?) and it will work perfectly.

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  4. Glad things are starting to settle down for you. That's a lot to handle. Thanks for reposting your project. I am going to try this.
    Have a good evening, Annette

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  5. These look great!! Using ornaments is such a good idea. I've been looking for sheets of moss and this is a great pocket-friendly way to go.
    I love how positive you are under the circumstances of undergoing chemo/radiation. My mother had breast cancer and went through all of that - I know how rough it can be.
    Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog. Now following you :)

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  6. Great to see you back! I hope things are much better for you now!
    Very clever to use the Christmas ball for the base of your moss balls...they are lovely! Have a wonderful Easter! Best, Vicki

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  7. I love this, moss is one of my favorite things.

    I gave you a "You Inspire Me..." award that you can pick up at http://mommamaven.blogspot.com/

    You really do inspire me, Thank You.

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  8. Very clever... love this project!
    Thank you for sharing :]

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  9. This is just lovely! I'm with you; I like REALLY green--especially in the spring/summer. Love love love the dragonfly.
    Thank you for your kind comment at Red Hen Home!

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  10. I love how green these moss balls are... they make perfect accents for tabletop decor. I think I've seen them at Dollar Store... thanks for all your tips. It's so wonderful of your grandson to help you out with a clever tip! Moss covered balls are all the rage nowadays and you did such a beautiful job with it. My prayers for you and I like your optimistic attitude to life and I admire how you are sharing with all of us the creative side that resides in you. Thanks for stopping by and visiting me....and helping me find you. Have a nice evening!~Poppy

    http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

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  11. Hi Ann, it's nice to meet you and thank you so much for dropping by and leaving such a thoughtfully nice comment. Happiness like that just makes my day. I'm always interested in expanding my blog reading world and you have a lot of creativity ~ those pretty green moss balls are just fabulous! My God bless you as you channel your strength into vital recovery! Ann I will keep you in my prayers. I have read that people who create have a more positive outlook on life. I'm so thankful, with what you have shared, that creativity is part of who you are. ~hugs~ Diane @ home sweet homemade

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  12. I love this idea! Did you get the green moss from the Dollar Store as well? I want to do this project very soon!

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  13. Thanks for posting a comment on my blog because I would never have found you. I LOVE your creativity and artistic talent. Now when I read that you have been busy recovering from chemo, you just made me realize how even more incredible you are... sheese woman! how are we lesser mortals ever going to compare to your amazing-ness? Now I'm going to grab an iced lemonade and relax while I enjoy looking through your wonderful blog.

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  14. oooh i love those moss balls. I found you through your cackle finish project in pinterest which led me to your blog. Your blog is so inspiring and i love your fresh take on projects. Thanks for sharing! Would definitely be back :)

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I love your comments and read every one. They let me know if I'm on a good track with my blog. Thanks for stopping by!

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