How to Make A Terrarium on a Budget!

I loveeeeeeee a good DIY project and I love making handmade gifts for friends, however, DIY projects can get a little bit pricey if you don't know how to hunt down a bargain.. 

Luckily I am the bargain queen - so when my friends at The Reject Shop were looking for someone to help them out with some projects, I knew I could help out! Jesse and I are big fans of The Reject Shop because we can walk away with bags upon bags of things and still have money left in our wallets. 

There are so many awesome things in store, however, on our last trip we headed into the store with a project in mind - we wanted to make a terrarium! I'd seen millions on Pinterest and thought it would be fun to create one of our own to give to a dinosaur loving little friend - so we got to work! 

So let's take a look at how we put together our DIY Terrarium on a Budget!

First you'll want to choose a jar (or a fish bowl/vase etc) to use for your terrarium. You can use a small mason jar for teeny tiny plants or a huge fish jar for an impressive display. 

We chose this medium sized jar from The Reject Shop (in the kitchen section) because it was the perfect size for what we wanted to do andddd because it was filled with patty pans. At only $8 we got both a jar and cute cupcake cases to use for future cupcaking adventures (everyone wins!)

Next you'll need to add a layer of rocks. This not only looks great, but works as a drainage system for your plants and stops your jar from getting moldy. 

We used some natural stones from the Garden Section of our local Reject Shop, however, you can also use decorative rocks/stones. You'll find multicoloured fish tank rocks in the pet section or bright coloured and sparkly rocks with the candles and vases which would be perfect for a girly jar! 

Next you'll want to add in a small layer of charcoal. This helps to keep the soil moist and improves drainage. 

You'll find charcoal at your local garden store or hardware store (like Bunnings) and it may be called "Soil Improver" or "Horticultural Charcoal". We bought a bag from our local garden store for $7, however, we also found it at Bunnings for $7.98

Next you'll want to add in your soil/potting mix. You'll find dirt cheap (ha!) soil at The Reject Shop in the garden section (which is usually at the back of the store) which is great for this project. 

Quick tip: If you don't want your jar to fog up like ours did in the picture, open your bag of soil and let it sit to come to room temperature for a day before pouring it into your jar.

Next you'll want to get your plants ready. We picked up some baby ferns from our local garden store/nursery, however, you can also buy plants at hardware stores like Bunnings and Mitre 10. 

You'll want to use either ferns or succulents (apparently they don't make very good roommates) and you may also like to add some moss for extra decoration. If you're not sure what to buy, ask someone at the store for help! 

First, gently, take your plant out of the pot so that you can break it up to plant. 

Don't do what I did and scream and drop said plant when a bright red worm crawls out of the plant when you break it up.

Your husband will laugh himself silly and you will give yourself a heart attack.

I like to think of myself as this outdoorsy girl who loves taking hikes and walking through the park and enjoying picnics in the sunshine - but I don't do bugs. Especially creepy crawly icky gooey worms.

If you do find a worm, just pop him in your garden to live out his days as you don't really want to trap him in your jar ;P

Now that your worms are out of the way, it's time to get planting! We broke up our ferns and put them across the back of the jar so that our dinosaur could take centre stage! 

What you'll want to do is put a hole into your soil to pop the root of your plant into, then push the soil over the top (the same way you plant any plant, really) and continue until your jar is just the way you'd like it. 

Then add in your figurine or decorations. We chose to add a cute little dinosaur (there are lots of cute toys in the toy section of The Reject Shop that would be great!) and a few extra stones on top. 

Get creative! Think about adding a tiny little house figurine for a fairy garden, a deer or some farm animals for a child who loves animals, a fairy or princess for a little princess or some seasonal figurines (you could even change up the jar for the season - a Santa or little Nativity Scene for Christmas, an Easter Bunny at Easter Time and a Jack o Lantern for Halloween!). We're already thinking up ideas for other little jars we could put together!

Once your jar is done, give it some water and pop the lid on! You'll want to make sure the soil stays moist so that your plants will thrive. As they grow, they'll probably need a trim here and there so keep an eye on it!

And there you have it! One super simple DIY Terrarium Jar! 

For this project, you'll need;

• A jar/fishbowl/vase to use for your terrarium There are lots of different types available at The Reject Shop - and most for under $10!
• Rocks/Stones
  Available at The Reject Shop either in the garden section (for natural stones), the pet section (for bright coloured fishtank rocks) or with the vases/candles (for coloured or sparkly decorative rocks) 
• Potting mix/soil
  Available in the garden section of The Reject Shop
• Some gardening gloves and/or a shovel
  If you don't want to get your hands dirty! Between $2-$5 in the garden section of The Reject Shop 
• Horticultural Charcoal
  Available from your local plant or hardware store
• Plants to fill your terrarium
  Available from your local plant or hardware store - your best options are small ferns or succulents
• Decorations/Figurines
  Try little toys (available at The Reject Shop), stones, seashells, mini figurines or whatever you feel like adding in!

Our entire terrarium was under $25 and we were left with plenty of stones, charcoal, potting mix and ferns to create more terrariums! This could be a super cute party favour idea for a child's birthday - buy a set of canning jars from The Reject Shop ($7), some mini figurines and some ferns and break them up to use between all of the jars! 

But tell me, are you a craft/DIY fan? 
What's the best project you've ever done or what would you love to do one day?
And what would you put in your terrarium?

Pssttt: If you liked this post, be sure to check out our Cookie Mix in a Jar post and DIY Halloween Treat Bags posts also created for The Reject Shop!

This was a sponsored post for The Reject Shop. All opinions expressed in this post and the DIY How-To are completely our own and have not been influenced by the company in any way. If you're interested in working with Southern In-Law on a sponsored post, please contact us at southerninlaw@gmail.com for more information.