A couple of weeks ago while watching TV with S, I got the idea to do a terrarium (or two). I started looking for all kinds of different bottles and jars to use. Every piece of glass suddenly became a candidate for a terrarium. I searched every nook and cranny of the house and garage. I dove into the web looking for examples and tutorials.
I found one site that used a tabasco bottle, this gave me the idea to try one for S in a Bud light lime bottle. He also has a cool Jim Bean bottle that I plan on using in a future project. A Yankee Candle jar is on my list (once I finish burning the candle), and I picked up another candle at Target over the weekend just for the shape of the jar. After a disappointing trip to Pier One (they had lots of nice jars, but most did not have a lid), I searched the web for wide mouth jars, preferably one gallon or larger, and also posted on freecycle.
I ended up getting a response from a local free-cycler not too far from my house that was willing to part with (3) 1-gallon jars. I was tickled to go pick them up and start working on a concept. For the Bud Light bottle, I oped to use seeds (as they are easier to plant than small plants in the narrow opening). He has this bottle next to the window on his desk. A few of the seeds are starting to sprout and I will post pics when they have grown a bit more. Then I headed to Lowe’s to look for some tropical plants to arrange in one of the gallon jars, which look like old pickle jars. I was excited to come home and get started. It is amazing how small plants look at the store and then how big they really are in the jar.
I ended up using a nice tropical center plant, a couple succulents, ivy and a rock accent. I am happy with how my first attempt turned out. See more pics here. And I look forward to trying different things with more jars down the road. I got another idea today to turn an old 15 gallon aquarium into a terrarium, maybe even make it tree frog friendly.
The one thing I am really interested in getting for future projects is moss. I have done some research online and found a few places to buy spores, but need to learn more about them first.
If anyone has information about terrariums or moss, please post a comment. I would love to hear from you.
PS Here is an incredible site I found. She has the most amazing terrarium creations! http://www.paulahayes.com/terrariums/