The stockings haven't arrived to hang by the chimney yet, but the moss balls on the fireplace mantle are holding court until they do. You can make these giant mounds of moss in a few minutes.
These moss balls were first seen in this year's Christmas House Tour. Since then, a few days ago, they've grown several inches.
To get this kind of rapid growth from my amaryllis, all I had to do was buy 2 new ones. So I fertilized the originals with a little $30.
Table of Contents
materials
- Preserved sheet moss
- Chicken wire (floral chicken wire is best)
- Snips
- Work gloves
Instructions
These instructions are for half sphere moss balls that can be set inside pots.
- Donning work gloves because chicken wire is unfriendly*, mold a square of chicken wire into half a sphere. Just place the chicken wire over an upside down bowl the size you want your ½ sphere to be and press it into shape.
2. After you've formed a half sphere place it inside your planter and cut a hole in the top centre, pushing the cut wires out of the way. You only need to do this if you want a stem to be able to grow through the centre of the ball.
3. Pick your sheet moss gently, keeping it in one piece as much as possible and place it on the chicken wire. Press it into the wire slightly, covering all of the chicken wire.
4. You can further shape and smooth it by pressing down on the moss with your hands.
Hint: *after making these balls and stabbing myself a couple of times, I ordered the pvc coated chicken wire florists use. It's much more comfortable to work with for projects like this. I'm hoping it won't rust in vases the way regular chicken wire does.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Preserving Moss
You can buy preserved moss, but I made mine. I foraged an area in a gully nearby that I know has a lot of sheet moss and I peeled off enough sheets for 2 balls.
To preserve the moss, you soak the moss in a solution with a bit of food colouring for 15 minutes, let it dry for a day and it's done. The moss will stay green and soft for years.
Preserved moss drying
I can overcome the guilt of stealing moss from nature by knowing that because I preserved it, I'll never need to be a moss thief again.
One of the first posts I wrote was on how to preserve moss so if you really want to know how to do it read that post.
At the end of the season remove the moss and store it in an airtight container until you want to use it again. The forms can be stacked on a shelf until next year. If you want to leave the moss balls out all year, you can do that too.
TIPS
These are for indoor use, not outdoor.
Don't wet preserved moss or let it get rained on. Water will reduce the preserving solution and your moss will go dry and crispy.
Raro
Gentle reminder. Please be mindful about collecting wild moss. Only collect from your own property or with permission or where it’s allowed. Moss is an important member of its ecosystem. Some species of moss grow very slowly and its removal in large quantities could also leave an ugly scar in natural areas for quite some time.
Cara
Lovely 2023 House tour. I hate to nag but when will we see 2024? So many details enhance your space. Many tricks to look for to make the room glow. Thank you for your hard work and sharing what you do: which is more than just "things". I'm so happy to spectate on how your brain works in the loveliest of seasons.
Karen
Hi Cara. 2024 was published Friday night. https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/a-special-christmas-house-tour-2024/ ~ karen!
🌵Las Vegas Pam🌵
Karen,
You’re making up for my zero Christmas decorating this year. I just don’t have the will to be festive. First time in at least 30 years that I’ve not made a heroic effort. IF I WAS DECORATING, I’d for sure drive up into the mountains and brave the snowy creek beds to forage for moss.
My Christmas wish for all who read this blog, to the people I feel I know through this place is for all of you to have the good fortune, in your lives, to know a hero. This is about mine.
It’s a little long but it’s from my heart. I’m preparing for an exotic trip to the south. Way south. I’m taking my adult son to Tasmania to finally see my other child. Ian’s younger brother, Aiden. Ian, 25, is my bff and I am so very thrilled to be able to get him out to see a bit of the amazing planet we share. We are so excited to visit Ian’s brother who is just a year younger.
Aiden is kind, intelligent, honest & a hard worker. He’s on the last leg of getting his permanent residency visa, which is notoriously difficult to accomplish in Australia. As a type1 diabetic, his immune system is compromised. Type1 is accompanied by sneaky conditions that cause all sorts of immunocompromised problems. At 24, he has arthritis in every joint and psoriasis with eczema which cracks open and is so uncomfortable. Yet, he still plows through difficult manual labor in the hospitality industry. That kid has never complained no matter the situation. He’s been hospitalized several times in Tasmania for diabetic problems and undiagnosed mystery sicknesses. He’s had surgery twice on a wrist and until he earned enough for an old beater car, he’d stand in the freezing rain to wait for a bus to shuttle him within a half mile of his job, then he’d walk in the rain where he would work, pulling heavy loads of hotel laundry from giant washers, then into industrial dryers and then later that day he’d be running the ironing machine to press the sheets. He still hauls heavy loads of clean laundry up to rooms where he still cleans each room and still gets on his swollen arthritic knees to clean bathtubs and toilets, make beds, scrub other people’s messes then do it all again.
I swear I’ve never, ever once heard that young man complain. He moved about the continent of Australia, in the blazing heat then back to the amazing island of Tasmania to earn that visa. He’s made a wonderful life there with his boyfriend. Both of these young men are disabled. Joey, Aiden’s significant other, will have a leg amputated in the next two years. He works as a restaurant manager and is like my own. I truly am fortunate. Joey, what a sweetheart, has a heart condition which his twin died from when they were small. These kids are the best!
If I could paint a picture of courage and kindness it would be one of these two young men, who after work, volunteer to help “at risk teens” who are struggling emotionally. These guys are unflinchingly devoted to their community and no matter the circumstances, make the 2 hour drive to Hobart every month to volunteer at a community center.
My son & Joey are my heroes. They are exactly what I wish I could be. Selfless and honest. Hard working and supportive. Aiden and Joey are good people. That’s what I always wished for my family. I didn’t have crazy expectations. I wanted happy, honest, kind and good. I win. There are many good young people. They are inheriting our mess. I hope I have instilled a bit of that goodness but maybe that son is just good on his own. I can’t take credit but I did try to be a better than average mother. Maybe a teensy bit of credit.
Some days are bad for me but I can call from the other side of the globe and he cheers me up. I don’t think I’ve ever missed anyone as much as I miss this child.
Aiden is a gifted artist and musician. He plays several instruments but he managed to take his beautiful guitar, that I bought for him while he was in high school, across the oceans and bought himself a decent keyboard. I can’t wait to have my kids together so they can play their guitars and sing. It’s been so long.
Ian is such a great friend and son. We are simpatico. Traveling is where you find out, just how much a person can stand. I’m guessing I will want to scream into a pillow because I’ve done a lot of world class travels which is why I know, this is where we can really be tested.
I love my sons so very much. (I haven’t forgotten how I didn’t sleep for years when they were babies and I was in my mid 40’s.) wtf.
Someone on Reddit made a cool map that I am stealing❤️
Chris W.
Dear Pam, you are doing your holiday decorating in the very best way possible - bringing your family together on this wonderful trip. That far surpasses any bright lights and presents I can think of. I wish you and your sons the happiest of holidays. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate. You and your sons are so lucky to have each other. Safe travels...