DIY: Faux Succulent Wreath

Antiquing

I have three amazing sisters. Each one visited me at a different time this last year and each requested to go visit Waco, Texas. When in Waco visit the Dr. Pepper museum, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Magnolia Market at the Silos, and you for sure need to do some antiquing.

I found an amazing set of blue glass dishes that I love while with my youngest sister. On the second trip with a different sister, I hit an entirely new set of antique stores. This time the treasure hunting mood was set with a light rain. While sporting rain boots and colorful umbrellas, my cute preggo sister and I ran across some old neon letters in a pile on the outside of the antique store.

They had a letter N. Perfect! As I looked it over, I noticed that the front plastic and metal cover could be removed and it left a three-sided letter box with the light in it. Well that neon light might not have been working, but the light bulb in my head went off. I wondered if I could make it into some kind of cute wreath for my front door? With confirmation from my sis that it was a good find, I made the purchase.

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Building Up The Supplies

Over the next few days I decided that I should fill the letter with succulents. I thought real succulents would be awesome but I reconsidered once I realized how heavy it would be when I watered a wreath full of dirt, mesh and plants. Faux succulents it is then. The one set back is that artificial succulents are dang expensive! I started hunting for sales or purchasing one at a time with a “40% off on one item” coupon. Consistently stopping in at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s any time I passed one, I would pick up another succulent for the collection. In the meantime, I filled my table’s centerpiece box until enough plants were accumulated. The more realistic looking succulents were my go to and that included varieties of color and texture. Buying succulents that came in a bunch so I could break up the bundle and use them individually, helped save money. It’s like 25-30 minutes to the nearest craft store so this was a slow process.

If you’re thinking, that isn’t very stylishly arranged and her tablecloth needs ironing, you’d be correct. I didn’t really care at the time because I was just collecting fake succulents and living life. Plus I have three boys that have lots of friends…that are boys. They pretty much don’t care how things look, they just hope you have food in your house when they stop by. I’m tinged blue, remember? Sometimes that attitude rubs off onto me as well and I forget to care.

Alright, enough about me. Here’s what you will need for the project. I didn’t plan a meal for this project because I just slipped it in here and there when I had some time. It is an easy one to put on pause. If you need a meal idea, check out the recipes here.

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SUPPLY LIST:

 

• Wreath base

I used the light box letter “n” sign

• Rags and water to clean off the sign
• Screwdrivers or crescent wrench

Tools will vary depending on how the sign is assembled

• Wire cutters or pliers

Pliers that have that little sharp part near the axis to cut wire

• Fishing line or picture hanging wire
• Beads 

I used these to tie the ends of the fishing line so the knots wouldn’t ever pull through the holes

• E6000 glue
• Old towel

or something to protect your work surface

• Felt

to put on the back side to minimize any damage to a door or wall if it rubs. I used some of those adhesive felt dots that go on the feet of furniture.

• Dry foam, or floral foam, in rectangular blocks

I purchased mine in blocks of three and erred on the side of having too much since I wasn’t sure what it would be like to work with.

• Scissors
• Moss

I chose American moss because of the neutral color. I didn’t want the color competing with my succulents.

• Collection of succulents in various sizes, textures and colors

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INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1:

Remove the lid of the light box. It will not be wasted. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the cover or lid of the light box, if applicable. The sign was originally displayed outdoors and was also stored outdoors so there was some accumulated dirt. Lovely.

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STEP 2:

Use your crescent wrench and/or your screwdrivers to remove any protrusions on the back side of the letter.

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STEP 3:

Remove the neon light inside by carefully clipping the wires holding it in place. Next, remove any little bits that stick out, if you’re able. This is mainly to keep from being poked when wiping out the dirt. Using a damp cloth, wipe out the dirt and probably a few dead bugs. It may take a few rags to clean it out depending on the severity of the grime.

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STEP 4:

String your picture wire or line through the backside of the box. The cut ends should be on the inside of the box so it creates a taut line to utilize as a hanger. Tie one end around a bead larger than the hole and do a few knots. I used the E6000 to glue the end of the nylon line to the bead for added security. Once the first side is strung, measure out how long the wire or line needs to be when hanging so that it hangs at the correct level and isn’t too long. The clear line stretches slightly when holding a significant amount of weight. Once measured, pull the cut end through the back side of the box so the cut end is inside the box. Proceed to tie it around a bead. Secure with glue like you did the original side. You can try hanging this part of the wreath up to double-check the length of the wire or line before adding the foam. 

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STEP 5:

Add the felt to the backside of the wreath to prevent any wearing or scratching from the metal box against the front door. Place it along the edges or anywhere you think the base will rub. I may have gone overboard but I had a lot of felt on hand and it reminded me of having a sticker collection once upon a time. Ah, memories.

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STEP 6:

Now it’s time to add the dry floral foam. This stuff is kind of weird to work with and oddly satisfying. It is very easy to get the correct shape. Just push it down into the space and the edges of the sign will cut away what isn’t needed, or at least mark it so you can use scissors to cut away the excess. Attempt to fill as much of the letter as possible because this will become the base to insert the faux succulents into later. Tip: my box was pretty deep, so I put the foam in so that it covered more depth than it did width. In other words, I put it in long ways and on its shortest side.

 

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STEP 7:

Now glue down the smaller pieces of foam with the E6000 glue. Just put a blob on the back and push it in. I used a lot of the cut pieces to fill in, as well as, cutting up an additional block(s) to get the curves all properly filled. Remember that it doesn’t have to look pretty because no one will see this once the moss is covering it.

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STEP 8:

Glue down the moss with the E6000 glue. Keep the moss condensed as it’s pulled from the packaging. I neither wanted it too fluffy, nor did I want to make a huge mess. That moss stuff gets everywhere! Squeeze the glue out onto the top of the foam and then pushed the moss down onto it. Continue until foam is completely covered. I underestimated how much moss would be needed and had to purchase another bag. FYI, it doesn’t expand once removed from a bag like a salad kit does. Nearly three bags of moss were used. Who knew it would take so much? Apparently, not me.

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STEP 9:

Now cut the tags off of the faux succulents and separate any bunches so that they become single flowers. Is that even what a succulent section is called? I don’t know, probably not. Discovering that it wasn’t necessary to trim the green rubbery part of the stem off, I later trimmed the stems with the wire cutters to be shorter than the depth of the foam.

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STEP 10:

Add glue to the stem and underside of the succulent. Begin gluing the largest succulents first, spacing them around the “wreath.” Spread out the colors and textures, starting with the largest succulents and then working to the smaller, filler succulents. The small rosette looking ones are great for filling in. This is where it gets really exciting! It is so fun to see things pulling together and the colors complementing each other.

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STEP 11:

After you get all of the succulents glued in, let it sit on a flat surface overnight to give time for the glue to harden. This is the tough part. It is exciting and you want to hang up your work of art. Resist the temptation. You want this wreath to be secure, so the glue must have time to do it’s thing. In the meantime, you can clean up your project mess. Yeah, I know. Cleaning up isn’t as fun but it is necessary.

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Hey, hey, hey! There you have it! Your project is complete. Now go hang it up to be viewed in all of its majestic and creative glory…ok, fine. It most likely won’t cause any car accidents on the street due to distracted drivers. But that’s a good thing, right? Just settle for compliments from neighbors and friends that visit. What a great way to make a statement when a visitor first walks up! This project definitely hit it out of the park for me when it came to making a house a home!  I can hardly wait to see your front door DIY succulent wreath projects. Please share! 💙

Eas Love the blue with the succulents!

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