Gumball Terrarium

Once upon a time I found a treasure at Goodwill.  A red metal gumball machine (a reproduction, not a vintage one), and it liked me and needed to come home with me. 

It came home and sat in my closet for a month or two, until I started redoing my son’s room with accents of red.  You may have seen it on his dresser, although nothing was in it!

I don’t know how it happened, but one day inspiration struck!  I swear I heard a whisper on the wind…"I want to be a terrarium!”

When I was a little girl, my mother had a terrarium that was one of those big glass jars turned on it’s side and made to look like a pig.  I used to think it was so cool!  But a gumball machine…even cooler!

I started by taking everything apart.  At that point I was committed, because I couldn’t remember how to put it back together.

I raided my kitchen cupboards for something with which to make a waterproof bottom.  The likely candidates:

The whipped topping container won out!  I cut it down, drilled a hole in the middle, and squished it into the bottom of the gumball machine.

I used waterproof silicone sealer to seal the edges and the hole in the middle.

Next step was to fill it up!  I put a layer of small gravel on the bottom, followed by activated charcoal (apparently it inhibits mold growth and odor—both big pluses in my book).

Next came the dirt, and the plants!  I searched on the Internet for low-light terrarium plants, and then got some help at a greenhouse to find them.  My son’s room doesn’t get a lot of sun on the best days, and in Seattle, there aren’t that many bright days period! 

I could have spent a lot of money on cute little accessories for my my son’s terrarium.  I found all sorts of cute miniatures meant for fairy gardens that wanted to come home with me!

I limited myself to one small turtle on a rock.  My five-year-old thought he was real, and then she wanted a terrarium of her own!

I think his dresser looks much happier with a touch of green, don’t you?

 

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Linking up here:

Domestically Speaking	Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper	Thrifty Décor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic	The Scoop!
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off
Beyond the Picket Fence	Coastal Charm
Knick of Time	My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect	No Minimalist Here
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	A Little Knick Knack