a rad fad: terrariums

on Saturday, i sat in a San Bruno coffee shop sipping on my red velvet latte when i decided to research how easily a novice could create a terrarium.  it didn't seem too difficult, so i added it to my long list of eventually-let's-do projects and figured i would get to it at some point.

interestingly enough, making a terrarium didn't stay too long at the bottom of my project list... i happened to pass through Renegade Craft Fair (which deserves a separate post altogether) on Sunday, where there were terrariums in a number of crafters' stalls.  i must have taken too much of the Renegade or hipster air in, because i felt inspired to do something creative.  i acted on my carpe diem spirit and went to Lowe's later that same night to buy supplies. 

here's to my first set of terrariums!


I got all the supplies you see here from Lowe's for $37.  Being the overly ambitious crafter that I can sometimes be, I ended up getting more plants than I really needed.  I didn't use the cactus or the aloe plant this time around.

I followed the directions on Storm the Castle's website to create a terrarium.  The video tutorial was very easy to follow.  The terrarium pictured here is made from an empty 6-oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts.  It was the easiest to make and only took about 5 minutes!

But alas, there were some casualties :(

Being a city dweller, I don't have my own backyard.  Otherwise, I would try to save these.  I read online that you can propogate succulents.

A top-down view of my succulents.  For those of you who grew up in a Korean household like me, this might look familiar.  It's an old jar of kimchi being put to good use :)

The finished goods.  12 o'clock - old kimchi jar.  4 o'clock - 6-oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts. 8 o'clock - my roommate's bud vase.

Should I add miniature garden gnomes?  Thinking about it...

Trying out different plants to see which one looks the best... the African violet wins!

As pretty as it is, my African violet is in need of a good bath. ;)