DIY Terrarium Tips

    A friend at craft night once mentioned wanting to host a terrarium night.  I knew little about terrariums at the time and when she moved away, I forgot all about them. A couple of months later I was at a town market and saw a booth with many gorgeous terrariums.  I saw fairy gardens and Cinderella's horse and carriage in both open and closed terrariums.  After seeing the beautiful things that could be made, I wanted to host a class.  Luckily the ladies of Simply Marvelous Creations in the Augusta, GA area held what they called "DIY terrarium parties".  I booked one and a month later we were making them!
    Some of the things I learned:

First Terrarium

1.  Moisten the soil before you put it in the terrarium.  A tip given to us was to use a 5 gallon paint bucket and put your soil and water in and turn with your hands until evenly moist.  A good soil to use is soil for violets. Don't use soil that has the round foam balls (they have a name but it escapes me right now!).   
2.  Use rocks that have been washed and use dyes that are colorfast.  Washing them prevents mold and mildew.  Also, dyed rocks, like those used in fish tanks have been colored and may not withstand the humidity.
3.  Make sure leaves are not touching the glass container you are using, the humidity will make them wilt.
4.  If you are making a closed terrarium, make sure that you watch it for the first few weeks.  A little condensation is ok, but if your glass is weeping on the sides you should take of the lid for a couple hours and let some of the water evaporate. 
5. If you are going to decorate your terrarium make sure your decorations are color fast (You may find cute decorations in your craft stores miniature house section).
6. Keep your terrarium out of direct sunlight, indirect sunlight and fluorescent light are good. 
7.  Try not to buy moss, it can be expensive and if you go for a walk near creeks or in  a forest you will find if free. 

In a future post, I will post the steps to making your own terrarium.   I just did not want to forget these very helpful pointers.  I know the ladies at my craft night thoroughly enjoyed making them and I hope this sparks your curiosity too!