My Terrarium FINALLY exists!

For years now I've wanted a terrarium and Eric has never been on board. Well, I finally took matters into my own hands.

While at the Habitat Restore I found this amazingly ugly chandelier. Why would I be excited about an ugly chandelier? Well, it had potential as a terrarium, of course! So yes, it was hideous as a light fixture but perfect for another purpose. So I bought it, only to find it was 1/2 off the price, so I paid a whopping $5!!! I took it home and it sat in my garage forever, waiting for my magic touch. Last fall I removed the lamp part and caulked in a metal bottom in hopes of sealing the area to keep in moisture and stop drainage. Then I let it sit for the winter in the garage again. About a month ago I brought it in, I caulked the seams on the bottom rung and then bought the clay rocks and small plants (the small plants were bought at Bruce Company in Middleton for about $3.99 each. I used 3 bags of the clay rocks, which were $2.99 each. We had the small amount of potting soil already on hand). Eric designed the "landscape" in there as I know my talent is NOT in plant design. (Plus, he does this for a living, so why wouldn't he be better at it than I?). Anyway, we put water in and despite my caulking jobs, it leaked. Oh well. It's not awful, it's slight, so I'll deal with it. We just put a small capture plate underneath to make sure it didn't ruin anything.

Anyway, it's been successful for close to a month now (if not a full month) and I think it's safe to say it will continue to thrive. A few winters back we made a really great terrarium for a friend as a gift and the plants died very quickly. We've now learned that you need to use unsoftened water (or distilled water). So now that we know that integral piece of information, I'm confident that we've set ourselves up for success!

So I declare, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!