Styling Secrets: D.I.Y. Moss Placemats

I recently did a wedding where the bride wanted all the decor to include moss. The picture {to the left} was my inspiration for the place settings and when I presented it to the Bride - she LOVED it!

So my next task was to track down a tutorial. If you've ever found a brilliant idea - in the form of only a picture - on Pinterest and then tried to locate any type of instruction on how to re-create the look - you can understand my frustration to begin the search. Sometimes it's like finding a needle in a haystack. However, this time I got lucky and found a {fabulous} tutorial within minutes!

Photo courtesy of happywed.com

Ashton - over at Bespoke Decor Rentals - did a great job with D.I.Y. Instructions for Moss Covered Placemats. Check out the instructions here.

So what's the Styling Secret? Well, I'm all about saving money yet still getting amazing results - so - instead of using the placemats {that are $2.99 each} that Ashton recommends - I used 12" round cardboard bases. That's right - head on over to your local craft store and pick up an 8 pack of 12" round cake bases for about $6. Use a store coupon and get them for even less!

Let's say the pack is $6 and you use a store coupon for 40% off - you have just scored 8 placemat "bases" for $3.60 {not including tax, of course}. Now you're only paying $0.45 per Photo courtesy of bespokedecor.ca

placemat "base" versus $2.99!

Save even more by buying in bulk. My initial research showed that you can get cake bases for as low as $0.17 a piece. It's definitely worth buying in bulk if you are making placemats for a large crowd.

Now for the moss. You can pick up moss "mats" at your local craft store. My favorite size is the 18" x 48" for about $20. Remember to use a store coupon to get a discount. The 18" x 48" sized mat should produce {4} 12" round placemats. If you use a 40% off coupon - it will cost you about $3.00 in moss per placemat. Add that price to the $0.45 for the placemat "base" and you're looking at almost $4 for one placemat {versus about $6 if we use the materials listed in the tutorial}. So we're doing good...we've saved approximately $2 so far. Want to save even more? Buy your moss in bulk.

Visit the helpful folks at Green Moss Products who are ready to work with you to give you quality moss at a great price.

Be sure to calculate quantity and pricing before buying to ensure that you are getting the best deal.

Photo courtesy of Green Moss Products

Check out the pictures below of my moss placemats turned out.

My Moss Placemats:

Thanks for reading Styling Secrets. More styling tips and advice coming soon!