Friday, July 30, 2010

DIY: terrarium

This weekend will be very busy for me-frantically putting together a dining room table and bookshelves for guests for a housewarming party-so I will blog like crazy and give you a fun project to do this weekend!
(I know its not really fashion related, but since I've moved I want to do all these things to make my nest amazing!)
Does anyone know what a terrarium is?

"A terrarium is a container which is designed to hold small plants and
animals in controlled conditions.The defining feature of a terrarium is that it is an enclosed replica of a natural environment which is in contact with the earth, so some sort of soil, sand, or rock must be present in a terrarium." -http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-terrarium.htm

A terrarium can have animals-lizards or bugs or what have you, but its not necessary.
I remember a while back, I saw some neat terrariums in that visually awesome film called Penelope (Haven't seen it? Have netflix? Its on instant watch and you should see it!).

You can see them on the right, how neat, yeah??
Anyway, so you are going to need:

-glass container (it will need a lid or you can use a pretty china plate or something)
-rocks or stones or gravel for drainage
-activated charcoal (found at petstores-this is to make sure your terrarium doesn't become smelly)
-potting soil (there is even such a thing called terrarium mix)
-small plants or moss (moss is a good thing to start with)
-little knick knacks for interest-shells, stones, a lego man, whatevers

1. You've got your container and a nice space to work with it on.
2. Hello charcoal! You're going to be in my terrarium!
3. Yo stones.
4. Moss babies! You can buy these online...I actually found mine in the cracks of sidewalks, gasping their last in this NYC heat. I stuck them in a ziplock bag with a soaking wet paper towel to keep them hydrated.
5. Potting soil. I intend to make this my new hobby, judging by this huge bag.
6. I want a moo cow in my terrarium!
7. lay down your gravel evenly.
8. put in your activated charcoal in a nice layer.
9. Throw some dirt on that bad boy, a nice thick layer, especially if you're including plants that will have some roots-moss doesn't need that much really.

Look at the pretty layers!
10. A jar with even layers looks a little boring. I decided to stick some stones halfway into the dirt to make hills and such. But its totally up to you!
11. If you are using moss, take a look at it and try to gently break up any huge pieces of clay that might be stuck to its roots. Thick of it as massaging its roots. You want it to be able to grab onto the soil/rocks of your terrarium. Then you will press those babies down into the soil so its tiny root legs can grow in easily.
12. The best thing about terrariums is that they are their own eco-system and you won't need to water them everyday. But you should get a nice spray bottle and spray it every few weeks. And once you are finished making your terrarium, give it a good spray before you put the lid on to start the process!
My moo cow is so happy in his new home! He is quite mesmerized by that large stone sticking up out of the moss.Enjoy! Don't forget to take care of it! Thanks so much for showing me how, websites!
Visit them if you want to learn more!

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