I Made the Moss Table Numbers of My Dreams!

Ever since I started my nature themed wedding I have been admiring the moss table numbers on Pintrest and Etsy. I did not want to pay the prices for the numbers so I decided I would DIY them. I understand why they are expensive to buy.  The cost of the moss adds up and they take time to make.
The DIY moss table numbers were worth it in the end. Continue reading for step by step instructions and tips on how to make them.


So how did I make the moss table numbers for less? I shopped at Michael's Arts & Crafts and used some coupons. It still was more costly than buying or making paper ones, but I did save some money by making them myself. Here is how I did it.

Materials Needed:

• Wooden Numbers The Size of Your Choice
• Wooden bases. Small for single digits and large for double digits.
• Preserved Moss Matt or Table Runner with the Mesh Backing
• Glue Gun
• Glue Sticks. LOTS of Glue sticks!
• Newspaper to protect the surface you are working on.
• Scissors
• X-acto Knife or Utility Knife
• Tooth Picks or another object to poke the moss with to prevent burning your fingers
• Bucket of cold water with ice. I will get to the reason why later.

Before we get started, some things I want you to keep in mind. This project will make a mess all over your floor. The moss is messy and sheds. I suggest doing this in a low traffic area, it will fall and track all over your place. Also, hot glue can and will burn you. I burned my self several times bad enough to blister. Please use caution when working with hot glue. This is why I listed a bucket with cold water and ice above. After burning myself pretty bad, I started to keep the bucket next to me to dunk my finger into. This cools down the hot glue so the glue hardens and you can get it off yourself quickly with out burning your other hand. It also helps the pain with the burn. After the first time I also started using toothpicks to press the moss down. They have less surface area for stuff to stick too and they worked wonders in tight spaces.

Now onto the good part!


First, I bought all of the supplies and started working! I will list the amounts of wooden numbers, wooden bases, and moss I bought based on 15 tables.

8 ones
2 twos, threes, fours, and fives
1 six, seven, eight and 9
9 small bases
5 large bases.
3 small moss matts
1 moss table runner
2 bag of 30 glue sticks (I still have a few left over)


I started by cutting the moss to size for the numbers leaving enough of room to overlap and cover the number.

Making the numbers the way I am explaining, and attaching the numbers directly to the base, you will want the entire bottom of the numbers bare wood. So make sure you line the bottom of the moss up so that the bottom is completely exposed, or cut off the excess so that you can get good contact between the number and the base.


 Next, cut the moss to make it easy to fold over the number and glue. Some numbers like the 1's are easier but the numbers like the 2's 3's 5's and 8's will need more slices made to bend into the curves. I took pictures of a few different numbers to show how I made the slices for different numbers. You can make them how ever you want.

Next, I dabbed the hot glue along the edges first then the front where one piece of moss at a time. Using the tooth pick to push the moss down. The glue goes through the moss so be careful!

For the spots that you ran out of moss for you can use scraps. I used scraps for some whole numbers and it worked out very well. You can't even tell and it saved us money. For the number 1's you don't have to make the slices. When I wasn't using scrap pieces I just glued each side on at one time.

I then made sure all of the edges I did not get were covered and pushed completely down. Below you can see how I did it step by step. This is how I did each number that had open sides with out pieces bent. I either over lapped them or used small pieces of scrap moss to cover the edges. You can not tell the difference with the finished product.

See how you can see the edge in the photo above? That is why you need to make sure you push it down good to blend in the moss. I will explain later how to cover it better.

If you have not already noticed in the photos above of the numbers, you can still see the wood through the moss. That is because not all of the moss mats are very thick. One half of the mat may be nice and thick, while the other half is completely see through.There is a very easy fix for this.

You will notice when you open your moss that chunks fall off. Some may also be on the bottom of the mat sticking to the mesh on the wrong side. Peel that moss off and keep it to the side! Do not throw any of it away. You will use it!

 For any spot where you can see wood, put a small dab of hot glue, and grab a chunk of the loose moss big enough to cover it well. You can cut it down to size later once it is glued on.

Above you can see through the moss. The wood is very obviously visible. Below you can see how I started to cover the bare spots and the number looks all fuzzy. That is OK. It will be nice and full and look great once it is trimmed down.

Now you can see the finished number once the bare spots are filled with the loose moss and it is trimmed down and ready to be glued onto the base.

The wood bases are quite easy to cover. I started by cutting the rectangles just big enough to overlap some on the bottom. I made slices the same way I made them for the curvy numbers and glued the moss on with hot glue in sections.

When you are gluing the moss to the top make sure you only put glue along the edges and too the sides. Do not put glue in the middle. You will be using an x-acto knife or utility knife to make the cuts into the moss for where the numbers will be glued to the base. If there is glue in the middle it will make it very difficult.

Once the moss is glued to the base and the glue is dried, it is time to make the cuts for the numbers to sit in.

I used a utility knife, but an exacto knife would work just as good or better. Hold your numbers on the base first to make sure they are centered. I then put the knife where the number was sitting and made the first cut so I wouldn't lose my spot then lifted the number. All of them except for one are almost perfectly centered by doing it this way. It ended up being the last one number 15 because it was 3 am and I was very tired.

Next, put a good amount of hot glue onto the bare wood on the base and place the bare wood on the bottom of your number to the hot glue on the base. Hold the number straight until the glue dries. This will take a few minutes with hot glue, but is much faster than waiting for wood glue to dry.

Cover any bare spots on the base the way you covered the numbers, and you are done!

It took some time but I was able to finish the numbers by myself for a more affordable price than buying them, and I am very happy with how they turned out. I can't wait till my guests see them on my wedding day!

If you have any questions on the process please don't hesitate to ask. I am always glad to help.


Thanks again for reading.