Ah, I hate that I’ve been out of the blogging loop lately. I miss it! I hope I’ll have more time now that I’m finished with the hard part of student teaching. Let’s start back with a fun DIY post about building terrariums, shall we?!
My original inspiration for a terrarium came from a Gussy Sews DIY post. I thought it was a really neat idea and eventually I just had to make one for myself. Gussy actually took a class on terrariums which would be super fun, but I just used her post and other research to make mine.
I decided to make a terrarium as a gift for our good friends Carrie & Todd and their new baby Simon- as I thought it’d be a great addition to his nursery or even their house. She had a ton of showers so I know she got lots and lots of typical baby things- which isn’t bad- but I wanted to give her something unique and handmade. Since I had the supplies at hand, I also made a terrarium for Ryan & I to put in our apartment. It’d make an awesome gift for any occasion – and they are very low maintenance!
First, I gathered my supplies. You can make different types of terrariums, but I went with a succulent one. Whichever you go with, you have to plant similar types of plants together so you can take care of them accordingly.
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- Succulents in different varieties
- A clear glass bowl (no lid – and big enough to stick your hand into)
- Soil
- Sand
- Activated Charcoal for plants
- Small rocks
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After I cleaned the bowl, I started layering. The order IS important for drainage, nutrients, etc. When I compared the instructions for terrariums from different sources, they were all a little different, so here’s how I made mine (by the way- they’re really fun to make!)
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- Layer of small rocks or pebbles (enough to cover the bottom).
- Layer of activated charcoal (1-2 inches)
- Layer of sand (1-2 inches)
- Layer of soil (1-2 inches)
- Dig small holes and plant your succulents! You can sometimes split them in two if there’s two plants in one. Don’t plant them too close together or too close to the glass. Leave room for them to grow.
- Water very lightly and place in partly sunny area. You don’t want to over-water or let the plants get too warm in the sun. Like I said, they are low-maintenance so just let them do their thing! Water just every few weeks or so, when the soil dries out.
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The result is a pretty, live decoration! And much cheaper than buying one from Anthropologie.
I had one plant left over, so I made a mini one for my Mom!
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