Terrarium DIY

 

As you have probably learned from some of my previous posts, plants are not my forte. I do love having some greenery in the apartment to add some life and to prove to my self that I don't kill everything (it's only the start of the summer so I'll get back to you guys on that one.) There has been a huge rise in the popularity of cacti and easy to care for but still beautiful arrangements or terrariums that they are called. Having seen some incredible ones at Market Collective and ones made by fellow bloggers and istagramers like Ryan from ImMrFabulous and Lori of theoriginal10cent it's hard to resisted trying to make one myself.

So with a few supplies it was pretty easy to create my own terrarium.

What you will need:

2-3 cactus's (you can also use succulents, and like me I used a small aloe plant) these were purchased from Wal Mart for $3 each
A variety of mosses - My package is from Michaels and is $10. They almost weekly have a 40% online coupon for one regular priced item. So I used the coupon and paid $6
Extra potting soil - I reused the soil that the plants came in along with a bit of soil left over from the plants re-potted earlier in the season. 
Glass container - This one is from Homesense for $15 and is the perfect bubble shape that I was going for. You can also try so many other shapes like apothecary vases or a large wide bowl. 

Extras: only if you want too..
Drift wood,
Rocks - for decoration or for extra drainage depending on the type of plants you choose
Sand - also for decoration or if you want something lighter instead of soil - but remember what kinds of plants you are using not all cacti will survive in sand.
Silly's - that means things like plastic toys, a hobbit paradise, anything to make it yours. 

Adding everything up my terrarium came to $27!

I've also been left with a huge amount of moss.. so there will likely be other projects and/or gifts to friends being made will it.

DIY Copper Planters

The good weather has put me in a mood to start cleaning up the patio and add some plants. My one problem is that I'm a plant killer. Everything just dies and when I say everything, no joke. Everything! It's mostly because of neglect. I'm often running around busy with friends, blogging, events, work.. and so many other adventures that watering my plants isn't a 1st priority. So many friends have suggested cactus's and succulents (I killed mine last year) but here's to another chance. Maybe these will survive or my lovely roommate will water them occasionally for me. I've already been stabbed by the cactus twice so this maybe a sign that this will not go so well. 

Enough of me talking about killing plants. This post is about is the planters. As usual i've been pinning like mad and come across so many variations of copper planters that are so lovely that they simply needed to be DIY'd. I've amassed a collection of glass candle jars (these are the bath & body works 3 wick size) When they go on sale, I buy! lets just say they go on sale often.

What you will need:

Glass jars, tins, old vases

Copper spray paint - this one is from home depot. The colouring is darker for this version which also has a bit of the hammered texture. You can also try Walmart or Michaels for a lighter colour.

News paper/ card board - something to protect the surface around what you are spraying

These were pretty simple to do, but remember to spray them in a well ventilated area. Like a patio or open garage. For the best results spray them with 2-3 light layers and 30 min in between to avoid drips for the best even coverage. 

The cost of this project was about $20:
3 plants from walmart - $10
Spray paint from Home Depot - $10
Glass Jars - reused from finished candles