Succulents on the Mantle

My husband and I go to an arboretum called Chanticleer. The entire property is beautifully kept with interesting outdoor art sculptures and garden artistry. Below is a fireplace in "the ruin garden" with a live succulent piece on its mantle. My daughter and I fell in love with it and she proclaimed that we would be making it for her home... Yikes!!!

 My sister who lives in the south let us know that Hobby Lobby carried plenty of plastic artificial succulents. She proceeded to send us what you see here.

 We bought floral foam, cut it in long pieces and doweled it together for our inside form. Some shaping was also done on the foam.

 Then chicken wire was cut to provide the outside planting structure, same as the one at Chanticleer.

 Many bags of the moss we liked went on the foam form and was wrapped and wire tightened together. The succulents were poked through the holes.

It came out better than we could have hoped. It's fun doing projects with my daughter!