How to Create DIY Terrarium Using Thrift Store Supplies

Hi Instructables friends! If you want to bring a touch of nature and vibrant greenery into your home, a DIY terrarium is a wonderful option. These charming little gardens can brighten up any room and are surprisingly easy to maintain.

I was inspired by the terrariums that The Watering Can was selling, they were gorgeous but kinda pricey. So, I decided create my own and got an idea to transform these thrift store candle holder/lanterns into Mini-Terrariums.

Here's the supplies I used:

Thrift Candle Holders 

White Lightning Cleaner

Shop Towels

Potting Soil

Decorative Garden Rocks

Small Plants or Succulents

Black Spray Paint

I started by disassembling the candle holders and then cleaned the metal body with TSP and with a window cleaner for all the glass.

Once they were all dry, I wrapped off the other lantern with grills with painter's tape.

To achieve a uniform look for the lanterns, I chose a single paint color. I applied two coats of spray paint designed to prevent rust, ensuring a durable and cohesive finish.

Be sure to equip a mask ideal for spray painting and I suggest working outdoors is the best.

We bought different kinds of mini plants at the nursery. Be careful when choosing plant combinations for terrariums.

Pair the plants that need the same amount of sunlight, water, and moisture levels.

We also picked up a bag of potting soil and decorative rocks from Home Depot for just $5.99. It’s a great deal compared to the dollar store rocks, although they do need a quick rinse to look their best. Despite this, the large quantity makes it a fantastic value for our DIY terrarium project.

Now it’s time to design your DIY terrarium! We used a 1/3 ratio of rocks to soil—rocks for drainage and enough soil to support and cover the roots of the plants. After setting up the rocks and soil, we chose our terrarium plants. Odd numbers tend to look more appealing, so we initially started with three baby plants. Ultimately, we opted for two baby plants and little sprouts, resulting in a total of five plants for a charming and balanced arrangement

It’s incredible to see such a charming transformation and how they’ve come to life in such a beautiful way.

You can brighten up any space in your home without breaking the bank!

These terrariums also would make cute presents for plant lovers!

For the the original blog post and links to tools & supplies~

https://salvagedinspirations.com/how-to-make-an-easy-diy-terrarium/

Here’s the full step-by-step YouTube tutorial.