Designer Katie Christensen of Miss Katie’s Garden recently conducted a fun workshop at Weidner’s Gardens nursery in Encinitas, CA. Katie showed a simple technique for making lovely, long-lasting, succulent-adorned headbands and art-to-wear items. Such easy-to-make succulent-embellished adornments are perfect for weddings, May Day celebrations, Mother’s Day, garden events, and parent-child projects.
“If you can glue moss to it,” Katie said, “You can glue succulents to it.” Her method is based on the “moss and glue” technique pioneered by designer Laura Eubanks of succulent-topped-pumpkin fame.
Such wearable art pieces will last a couple of months; spritz occasionally to hydrate the moss. Cuttings may root through the glue into the moss. Remove and plant them, if you like.
Materials:
Flat-surfaced headband, cuff bracelet, etc.
Several dozen succulent rosettes (1/2-inch or less)
Trailing succulent such as string-of-pearls or string-of-bananas (Senecio radicans).
Dry moss (available at craft stores)
Glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors for trimming moss
Chopstick for pushing items into place
Optional: Tiny seashells, dried flowers, and/or fresh succulent flowers. Those of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (supermarket kalanchoe), a Weidner’s specialty, are especially colorful and long-lasting.
Method:
Glue a layer of moss to the headband, stopping several inches from each end. Trim with scissors.
Chose a focal-point succulent rosette. Glue it slightly off center (on the side opposite your part).
Add several stems of a trailing succulent. Have them dangle from the main rosette past your chin.
Conceal and secure the tops of the dangler’s stems as you glue smaller rosettes around the main one.
Fill in the rest of the headband with rosette succulents, seashells and/or flower clusters.
Want to watch Katie demonstrate her technique and see more lovely examples? Watch my new YouTube video, “Succulent Art-to-Wear for Weddings, May Day and More” (4.43).
Hunting succulent cuttings online? Try The Succulent Source.
May you have a happy May! – Debra
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