Making Model Railway Trees from "Old Man's Beard"

This is an absolutely amazing technique that Tommy and my husband, Peter, developed for making trees for a model railway. It helps, of course, that we live on Cape Cod - where the moss called "Old Man's Beard" is everywhere. But if you have a similar moss available, you've got to give this technique a try.

You need:

1. twigs


2. plenty of Old Man's Beard Moss


3. glue


4. hammer and nail


5. base in which to stand your trees (we have a papier mache mountain, part of our model railway)

Here's what you do:

1. dip the twig in glue


2. glue a tuft of moss to the twig


3. allow to dry


4. use nail and hammer to punch a hole in your base (of course, if the base is cardboard you won't need the hammer)


5. Put the twig into the hole


6. Put a little more glue around the outside of the hole

You're done!

Here are pix: