Terrariums - part 2 - A Gift

I am fortunate to have a very sentimental husband who saves my hand made cards and will keep every little bit of nature, from a brightly colored feather to a tiny sea shell, that the boys or I give him.  With that in mind, I set out to make him an anniversary gift.  I thought of many things ranging from paper craft to fiber arts, but decided on something that would represent our love for nature: a terrarium.

A few weeks ago I posted about a tiny terrarium that I made and mentioned plants I purchased at the Philadelphia Flower Show.  I've had the plants waiting for an inspired moment and this was it.

To begin, I gathered a jar (ours is one given to us for our wedding), pebbles, potting soil, moss, Tillandsia (air plants), gemstones we found on vacation in North Carolina, shells from Ireland, and various other natural treasures from time spent together.  I also used a piece of scrapbook paper and toothpicks to include a special message.

 I began by filling the bottom with 2 inches of pebbles to allow water to drain. If you do not have pebbles nearby, you can purchase a bag for a few dollars at craft stores. 

On top of the pebbles, I added about 3 inches of potting soil and the moss.

 

 

 Next, I wrote out a message to go in the terrarium. (Song of Solomon 3:4) I was going to type the message, but then decided hand-written would add to the sentiment.  If you include a message, be sure to seal it with packing tape so water will not warp the paper.

 

I added the Tillandsia plants, and placed the rocks, shells and other natural treasures all around the moss and the message - taped onto toothpicks - in the moss.

 That's all there is to it.  The only maintenance from here on out is to mist it with water every few days.

 

 

It was easier than I expected and now I am thinking about making one to represent our whole family, a kids terrarium (I'm sure lego minifigures will be involved.) and perhaps a fairy garden terrarium.