had to laugh at the beagle... :)

how about some eucolyptus (Spelling??) to 'work with the smell"-??

I sometimes have found it in the wild and I don't remember it having a smell like the beach. It sounds like something that happened in the processing or packaging.
I would try rinsing one clump of it in clean cold water. Don't return it to the packaging, maybe put it in a paper bag once it has mostly dried so that it can continue to dry a bit without getting brittle.
Good luck! Post a pic of your centerpieces.
Kathy

I kinda like its earthy smell! It does seem to dissipate after being out of the bag awhile.

The scent IS lessening. I've spread it out in the laundry room, so the air can dry it. Two weeks to go.

I did use the moss, but I ended up spraying it with an apple-cinnamon air freshener (it seemed like the Christmas-sy thing to do), and then leaving all 9 of them in the garage for over a week.

No one seemed to notice the scent. I blogged about how I made them, in case you want to see pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: How I made the topiaries.

That is cute and easy.

Are you trying to sell a house right now? Good luck on that.