a couple weeks ago, the girls and i spent a day making terrariums together.

 we shopped the house for glass containers, then got a couple large ones from target.  we used vases (short and tall), mason jars, and lidded containers.

 then we hunted around the house for small objects to accessorize our terrariums:  shells, twigs, tiny bird cages, rocks, sea glass, tiny trinkets and memorabilia.

 terrariums typically begin with a stone base, but we had a huge bag of sea glass that i thought would be a fun twist!  lots of our glass was collected, but you can also buy inexpensive bags of sea glass at walmart.

because we were trying to do this on the cheap, we used supplies and made do with what we had lying around, or stored deep in forgotten cupboards.  these polished stones had been weighing down some vases, and were great for a variety of base material (other than the sea glass option).

 we started out with our base material (stones or sea glass).we needed at least an inch at the base.

 for terrariums with lids, we needed to add a good handful of activated carbon (also called activated charcoal).  the charcoal helps to fight off mildew issues with the covered terrariums.  another tip is to try to keep the leaves from touching the glass, which can also cause mildew.

the charcoal can be found at pet supply stores in the fish tank section.  i think ours was around $5?

 because i didn’t want to use all of our sea glass for the base, i just used common gravel stones for the center and surrounded the sides with the glass.

 then we added the charcoal.

 we also made 2 batches of soil.  we added the rest of the charcoal to the soil for the enclosed terrariums, and a regular batch for the other terrariums.

 we used a mix of tiny succulents, grasses, and mosses for our containers.

 i also got this really pretty fern for an old concrete urn in the house.  and i’ve already killed it.

 we added the soil with charcoal to the rock/glass base.

 then we played!  i used a chunk of petrified wood, a small glass bottle from a trip to paris,  all mixed with the plants.

 i even planted a little succulent inside a footed cup that my sister sent me from london.

 gracie used a tiny wire birdcage and tucked a succulent inside.

after we finished them all, we lightly watered them until the soil was saturated.

we made so many that we were able to make a little garden on our coffee table, some on our mantel, and another on our window sill!

i love the silverware the girls tucked into their creations!

these weeping grasses are a fun contrast to the curvy shells and soft moss.

the kids are loving the succulents.  can you see the tiny pony that has found a home there? ;)

so far, all of these bad boys are still alive (yay!).  i’ve been told that i should water the succulents once i see that the water has dried up from the rocks and sea glass below.  if you have any great tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.  thanks friends!