Centerpiece, Crafts, DIY, Spring

DIY Moss Branch & Sphere Arrangement: Foraged Nature Craft

There’s something magical about bringing the outdoors in, and this DIY moss branch and sphere arrangement does just that! Using foraged branches and moss, you can create a unique and eye-catching piece that brings the tranquility of the forest into your home. I’ll teach you how to add moss to foraged branches and create moss ball decor using foraged sweet gum balls for a sustainable centerpiece arrangement. The combination is a stunning rustic arrangement that adds a natural, earthy texture to any home style. So, gather your supplies to get started.

DIY Moss Branch & Sphere foraged Arrangement for sustainable home decor.

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How To Forage From Nature For Crafting

The first step in creating a foraged arrangement is to gather your nature supplies. I found these tree branches that have a very rustic nubby appearance. I’m not sure what type of tree this is, but the branches beg for moss to be added. In addition, I wanted to add moss spheres to the tree branches. So, I gathered some sweet gum balls to use as the moss base to make the rustic spheres. Moss ball decor is available for purchase if you don’t want to make your spheres.

To keep the project as sustainable as possible, I used an inexpensive thrifted vessel, and recycled plastic grocery bags to complete the project.

After gathering these foraged supplies, I used the suggestions in this Foraging Safety Guide to ensure I wasn’t bringing any unwanted critters into my home.

Foraged tree branches in a ironstone vasefor sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.
Foraged Sweet Gum for sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.

Additional Supplies

There are only a few additional supplies needed to complete this arrangement.

Moss, glue and sweet gum ballsfor sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.

Secure Branches In Vessel

After you have foraged your branches, you will need to arrange and secure them inside your vessel or vase. I am using a large ironstone vessel I thrifted a few years ago. It’s perfect for balancing the large branches. After arranging, I used recycled plastic grocery bags to pack around the branches and secure them inside the vessel. Continue to add more bags until your branches are steady.

pack recycled grocery bags around the foraged branches to hold them in the vessel for sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.

How To Make Rustic Moss Spheres With Sweet Gum Balls

Next, gather your sweet gum balls to make moss spheres. First, cut the stems from the balls and wrap them with a length of floral wire. Ensure that the wire is long enough to tie onto the tree branches.

wrap floral wire around the sweet gum ball and twist to securefor sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.
Create several wire wrapped sweet gum for sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.

Next, paint the wire-wrapped gum balls with regular craft glue. Paint a heavy coverage and add moss to the glue once covered. Continue to cover the ball by pressing the moss into the glue and forming a rustic sphere.

Repeat until you have the desired number of rustic moss spheres. My branches are rather large, and I used 14 spheres.

Paint the sweet gum ball with craft gluefor sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.
add moss to the glue covered sweet gum ball to cover and create a moss sphere for sustainable DIY centerpiece arrangement.

How To Make DIY Moss Branch & Sphere Arrangement

Now, you are ready to add moss to your tree branches. Randomly add a bead of hot glue to the tree branch and press small pieces of the moss into the glue. I didn’t want heavy coverage, so I added the glue and moss to the larger areas of the nubby branches, leaving smaller areas bare.

Sustainable Moss Centerpiece Arrangement - add a bead of hot glue to the tree branches and press moss into the glue.

Finally, add the moss-covered sweet gum balls to the tree branches. Use the floral wire to wrap around the branches by twisting the wire to hold the spheres in place. Place your spheres randomly on the branches for an organic arrangement.

adding moss sphere to the tree branch to create a rustic arrangement with sustainable materials.

Once you are satisfied with the balance of moss and spheres, fill the top of your container with moss. Then, you are ready to decorate with your moss arrangement.

Sustainable arrangement - moss branches and DIY spheres for a rustic moss arrangement.

Insider Tip

When working with large vases or vessels, I recommend filling your containers with recycled materials to take up as much space as possible. You will only need a small amount of moss to cover over the recycled materials. This will save the extra moss for another creative project.

Decorate With Moss Arrangement

I am using the rustic moss arrangement as a centerpiece to decorate my kitchen island for Spring. I love the branches mingled with the vintage light fixtures.

Moss Branches and Spheres in white ironstone vessel on kitchen island for Spring Decoratiing

The arrangement offers a natural, airy feel to the kitchen island centerpiece. The sparse branches allow you to see through the arrangement while still adding a rustic Spring vibe. How do you like this moss ball idea?

Moss Branches and Spheres in white ironstone vessel on kitchen island for Spring Decoratiing with dough bowl filled with moss balls, breadboards with lambs, and blue and white planter.

FAQ

Foraged materials are obviously budget-friendly because they free if you are able to find items in your own yard. They are eco-friendly and bio-degradable materials that can be returned to nature once you finish decorating with your project.

Any tree branch that has several limbs and is the size you need will work. I like to look for unusual textures and shapes for projects of this nature. Take a walk an look for fallen branches but if all else fails, you can cut the branches from a small tree. If you can’t find one large branch, use several smaller ones. My arrangement consists of three tree branches.

There are several options for making the sphere’s without sweet gum balls. The easiest option is to can make balls with aluminum foil and cover them with glue and moss. You can use the same floral wire for hangers. The aluminum foil will also allow you to make various sizes of spheres.

The other option is to use purchased moss ball decor. You will still need to add the wire hangers and I’d recommend attaching with hot glue instead of wrapping around the balls. Since the moss is already in place the wire will be more visible.

Yes, but the craft glue is quick and slightly less expensive to use. Plus, you don’t have worry about the risk of burning your fingers attaching the moss. You may also use the craft glue to attach the moss to the branches if you prefer. This method will require a longer dry time and some moss may not adhere if you don’t hold in place long enough.

The use of foraged materials is a eco-friendly and sustainable way to decorate your home. In addition, shopping second hand stores is a way to reuse decor in a sustainable way. The vessel is a thrift store find from a few years ago. You will notice notice that instead of using styrofoam, I used recycled plastic bags to secure the branches in the vessel. You can use other recycled materials such as recycling packing materials, use old and recycled pieces of styrofoam from previous projects or fill in the container with gravel to make the project as eco-friendly as possible.

Resources

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Here are some other sustainable and rustic arrangement ideas for your home decor.

Do you think you will try to project? I’d love to see your version and will share images if you provide them. Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you.

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