Green-ing up the Place

On one of my too infrequent, but fun and quick trips through Home Goods, I found this vessel for a mere $10.  I usually walk away, thinking I still don't need it, but I just thought I have seen these at other {overpriced} home stores and this is a great find.

It sat on the countertop until we came back from vacation.  I wanted to fill it with Michigan sand, but we hadn't snagged enough. E had collected some rocks, shells, and picked up some sea glass at a cute little shop, but he wanted it all in his room to remind him of our trip {sweet}. Time for a new plan.  After looking around the house realizing we have only 1 pet fish {sam the man} and no plants to water {thankfully}, I decided to make a terrarium.

Here is what we did if you'd like to make your own.  You can make it even more original by using an unexpected container.  In addition to the vessel itself, you'll need...
*sand, gravel, or both,
*soil preferably one that is good for indoors
*indoor plants, select the right type, i.e. low, mid, high-light
*accessories...rocks, shells, garden gnome :)

First grab a cute little helper. 


Next, fill the vessel with some sand/gravel mixture, or layer the sand and gravel to crate and base/filter.  You could also add some charcoal, we didn't have any so we skipped it.  

Then add your soil.  {make sure to use a really snazzy blue plastic shovel}

Plant your greenery.  Sprinkle in some extras, like the Michigan rocks E decided to lend to the project ;)


Add a small bit of water, put on the lid, and there you have it!

It's a fun project for kids too.  You can also discuss filtering water, they can help select plants for the right conditions in your home, etc.

All-in-all the cost of this project was less than $20...way less than what you would spend on the glass container itself.

Best of all, it looks beautiful and makes us happy.  :)