Bring a little bit of nature into your home with these easy-to-create DIY moss wall art pieces. These are my version of the Terrain framed moss that sells for $98 a piece!
Framed Moss Wall Art (Terrain Lookalike)
The biophilic design tries to connect us with nature in our spaces by incorporating natural elements in our homes. You’ve seen how the houseplant craze has taken off in the past few years as we all spent more time at home.
I have completely embraced this too! I’ve noticed myself being drawn to more and more natural elements and colors in my home.
If you have been around here before then you know that I love to find inspiration from the high-end catalog retailers and then I try to reproduce the look for a whole lot less…and show you how to do it too!!
So when I was scrolling the Terrain website and spotted their Framed Reindeer Moss I said “Woah, love it!” but then I spotted the $98 price tag!!
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Here’s the inspiration piece:
So next I had to figure out just how to go about making a lookalike version. The best price that I found for the wood panels was on Amazon. The 12 x 12-inch frames were under $20 for a pack of 4.
Since I decided that I wanted to make 3 frames to hang vertically I found 3 types of moss to use. A dark green reindeer moss, preserved sheet moss, and natural reindeer moss.
And because staining is one of my least favorite DIY tasks I grabbed one of the new Varathane Less Mess Wood Stains. When I was at a conference this past Summer I got a chance to try them out…so cool and easy to use! It has a sponge tip applicator and is perfect for small DIY projects.
Steps To Make The Moss Art
Stain The Frames
For this project, I went with a dark walnut stain but you could stain or paint your frames whatever color works with your space.
There is no need to do the back of the frames unless you want to display the moss art on a stand but make sure to get the sides!
To get in the tight corners I did need to use a small paintbrush because the sponge applicator just wasn’t reaching.
Adding the Moss
Here’s my #1 tip for making these and sticking to the 1 bag of moss for each…
Make sure you tear the reindeer moss into small pieces, yes, you will be tempted to glue on the big chunks but you will run out of moss before you cover the frame!
Apply hot glue to the bottom of the wood frame and then place the moss. Since my toxic trait is always managing to burn my fingers at least 4 times a project I used the back end of a paintbrush to adhere the moss in place.
When I tell you that the bag of green reindeer moss barely filled in the frame I am not exaggerating, I even had to fill in a couple of tiny spaces where I could see the stained frame with small pieces of the green preserved moss.
You could always grab another bag of moss but if you are trying to keep the price as low as possible than just take the time to rip the puffy moss into smaller chunks.
The frame that I made using the preserved sheet moss was the easiest and quickest one to make. I did rip the moss into chunks but I had plenty left over after I was finished filling in the frame.
Working with the sheet moss was a tad messier than the reindeer moss so put down a sheet of newspaper or cardboard.
Finished Moss Wall Art
Overall, this is a quick project! All 3 pieces of art took less than an hour from start to finish including the few minutes that it took the stain to dry..and that is with stopping to photograph.
How To Hang The Moss Art
These frames are super lightweight even after the moss is on them. There are a couple of ways that you could hang them.
Either with Command strips on the back or what I did was use picture hanging nails and nail right through the frame at the top center.
I don’t think you could use a sawtooth picture hanger on the back because the wood is so thin that the nails would pop through the other side.
One other important note is that you should keep the moss art out of direct sunlight. The sun will fade the moss over time.
Thanks for stopping by today! Please sign up for my email list so you can stay in the loop! Lots of great decorating ideas coming up in the next few weeks!!
See your projects featured! If you are inspired by this or any of my other DIY projects I would love to see them and add you to the Reader’s Spotlight gallery. Send a photo to me at jennifer@cottageonbunkerhill.com
xo, Jennifer
fake it ’til you make it
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Is the moss “alive”? Will is grow some?
No, it’s preserved so it won’t grow anymore. I love this project, and mine still look the same after a couple of years (just keep them out of direct sunlight). If you do make this please send in a photo to add to the reader’s spotlight page. send to cottageonbunkerhill@gmail.com
Just wondering if this should be kept misted or not!!
Hi Serenity, I don’t mist mine but do keep it out of direct sunlight.Send me a picture if you make it!!
Love this! I want to try it. I have a question….what size bag of moss did you use for a to get the full coverage.?
Hi Colleen, I used the 2 ounce bags (80.75 Cubic inch). The moss that I linked from Amazon was what I used but I’ve seen it at Michael’s too. The secret is really tearing the moss into small pieces to cover the frame, if you use big chunks you will run out quick! If you make them I would love if you sent me a photo to share!!
Thanks for the inside intel. I’m anxious to give it a go
Great wall art, Jennifer! Perfect for the fall or any season. Love it!
I have had success glueing on the sawtooth hangers.. nails would have been too long as you stated! I used the TightBond (that IOD sisters have made the go to glue). I would be tempted to use it to glue the moss. No burned fingers and longer work time.
I love your results!!!!
That stain in an applicator bottle is amazing!!!!
BB
I’ll have to look into that! Oh, Betty, I manage to get my finger on every project!! I tried those silicone finger covers before but they are so bulky!
Jennifer, I love this project and what a huge savings! Another beautiful dupe, well done!!
Thanks, friend!!
Such a great idea. It looks beautiful!
Thanks, Renae!!