DIY: A very succulent & living wreath :)

Hi friends!  Most of you probably don't know this, but one of my passions of all time is decorating the home.  "Passion" here is the key--I'm not particularly great at interior decorating, but I have a penchant for it, and perhaps more than clothes shopping, I can be found in home decor stores often, probably looking confused/inspired/in awe, or all of the above, at the same time.  

This Christmas season, I started out very ambitious and thought I would make everything myself...well, ambitions, ambitions.  Heh.  One of my goals this year was to de-clutter our living room, particularly near the fireplace...and it really doesn't help that we basically do all of our shipping in this room.  And designing.  Oh, and cutting samples.  It also doubles as an Easter egg hunt room for June (year round.  Yes you read that correctly).

When I think about the mantel, I really wanted to make it festive.  Plus June would have fun helping me decorate.  So...a wreath came to mind, and I googled some and found some of these succulent wreaths to be completely out of my price range -- $250 for one!  I decided to try my non-green thumb at making a wreath out of succulents.  I came across this awesome blog and decided to give my own take on it (probably did some shortcuts so praying it'll stay intact haha).  Total cost was around $11 for this wreath. :)

P.S. Funny side story (a tangent), when I first lived in the United States, my parents' house had these succulents that at the time we didn't know what they were.  We kept trying to kill them because they were so unsightly.  Well, 20 years later, I guess they are pretty trendy, and I actually like them now. ;)

Project Time: 45 mins
Best for Ages: Any age can have fun! 

Supplies List:
• a 12" wreath frame (about $4)
• potting moss for orchids ($7--you don't need a full 1lb of it. I bought too much!)
• a bucket or container to soak the moss
• water
• beading/fishing wire
• a variety of succulents you can find! (I scavenged for these around friends' homes, neighborhood paths...shhh...don't tell!)
• pencil

Step 1: Cut the succulents
You can break them off easily, but I used scissors for a clean cut.  Let the cut edge have a chance to dry up before "planting" in the wreath.  Also trim off any small growths for a clean "stem" for planting.

Step 2: Soak the moss in water for about 5 minutes
It should be not dripping wet, but just enough moisture and pliable enough to work with.

Step 3: Pack the moss onto the wreath frame from the back first.
Pack it in tightly, so it's very dense.

Step 4: Wrap fishing wire around to secure the moss.  Then repeat on the front side of the wreath.
Step 5: Using a fat pencil, stick holes into the moss where you plan to implant the succulents.  Then fill the wreath with succulents! 

Tip: You may find it helpful to secure the plants with bobby pins, especially as the wreath will get pretty heavy and until the roots grow out and the plants secure themselves onto the wreaths.  I didn't do this yet because I'm too lazy. 

Step 6: Have fun with it!  Make sure to leave some breathing room between plants as they grow and take over. 

June helped to finish planting and had lots of fun!  She wants to make more now...;D
Here it is again, in all its glory!

Tag us, we'd love to see your version!  :)