Moss Art

Hi Dabblers! I often get ideas for dabbles when I’m shopping on Etsy, and this is exactly where my moss art dabble came from. I really like the look of these and thought I would try it myself by just figuring out how it’s done. I have no idea how others make these but I decided to get some supplies and try a few wall hangings. You can see some of these below.

A few supplies

If you want to dabble in moss art, first - obviously - you will need moss (and probably much more of it than you think you’ll need). It’s surprising how many different colors moss comes in. I suggest you get a few shades of green to start with. Other than that, you will need a strong glue and something to glue the moss to, and that’s it!

The last item was where I struggled the most. I started looking around my house for things to use as the base (something with sides and not just a flat surface). I chose a small IKEA box frame that wasn’t being used, but I had to flip it over, which worked fine except for the visible staples. (I later painted the back side so that they couldn’t be seen as much). I learned a lot from this first dabble so my next bigger moss art project was more successful.

A messy first try

Although not shown, I also used a plastic flower pot saucer for an early attempt. This worked very well because it was a good size but not too big, and was lightweight. I didn’t think about how I would hang it later, so after the project was finished, I had to add a hook to the back.

Moss Art in a plastic plant saucer

Regardless of the size of the project, I started by arranging the moss on the surface in a way that I liked. I did check out a lot of photos of other completed projects online, and it gave me some ideas. For example, the colors can be applied in gradients, used in any design, and even manipulated to make the final piece of art 3D. You will see that a lot of moss art also incorporates bark or branches. Even though I bought all of my moss from either Amazon or Etsy, I did collect and use broken branches and fallen bark from my local forests.

Once I had arranged all the moss and placed it where I wanted it, I began removing sections and placing them exactly as they were, on the table beside the project. Then I would add a lot of glue to the now-empty space and replace the moss I removed. I went around the whole surface doing this, working on small sections at a time.

I had mentioned in an earlier post that some dabbles might become things you want to do again. Moss art was one of these for me. I enjoyed the process so much that I decided to try a really large project for my dining room wall. (That’s the one you can see in progress above and finished and hung below).

For this surface, I used a wood tabletop I had in my basement. This size was great, but it did make for a very heavy final project. I also incorporated sticks and bark (and tried to make some moss 3D) in this project too. Working on it off and on, it took several weeks.

I have since been asked to make others for friends who have seen the above on my wall, including a request from my 20-something son, which I consider the highest compliment :) His gift is shown below.

The Dabble Deets

What I liked about this Dabble: Arranging the moss and gluing it into place seemed almost meditative (or maybe that was just the fumes from the glue:)!

What I didn’t like or didn’t plan for: The moss had a little smell and it took a while for it to air out enough and go away. Moss art can also be messy and take a while, so having a large surface to leave your work in progress is necessary.

Would I do it again? Yes. I really enjoyed it and would consider making these as gifts.

What I will do with the results: The first of my large moss art creations is hanging on my dining room wall and the second is in my son’s apartment. The smaller ones have all been gifted.

Note: I did a previous moss-related dabble (kokedama) a few years ago. You can check that one out here.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear how you are dabbling this week! Please comment below.

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