DIY this tiny terrarium and macrame hanger easily with this step by step tutorial and limited supplies!
What you’ll need to make a tiny terrarium
- 6 oz baby food jar, washed
- Moss Fern (Selaginella pallescens) or moss with soil attached
- Tiny garden decorations (optional)
Just an FYI before we get started. Moss Fern is neither a moss nor a fern, so its name is a bit misleading. Regardless, it is a good choice for a project like this because it likes moist/humid conditions and partial to full shade. You could also use plain old moss you found growing on the sidewalk. Or any other shallow-rooted, small-statured plant that likes things moist and shady.
1.
I found my Moss Fern in a 4 inch pot in the houseplants section of the nursery. Since this is way too big to fit in a baby food jar, the first thing to do is divide the plant into smaller pieces. Using a clean, sharp knife, cut a piece of the plant (including the roots) that is about the size of a silver dollar. Wash away as much of the soil as possible so that you’re left with a mound of soil and roots that is smaller than a ping pong ball.
2.
Place the small division of Moss Fern on top of the baby food jar lid. Arrange all the tendrils of leaves so that they wrap around the plant mound of soil and roots, or poke straight up. If you’re incorporating some garden art, now would be the time to get it into place.
Carefully place the jar over the Moss Fern and screw it on to the lid without inverting the lid. Easiest terrarium ever, right?
What you’ll need to make a macrame hanger
- 8 yards of thin cord or string
Now to make our macrame hanger. I’ve linked to a YouTube video for each type of knot in case your knot-tying skills are a little rusty…
1.
First, cut 8 pieces of string that are each 36 inches long. Hold all the lengths of string together and tie them together using a slip knot so that you form a loop at the top (this will be the hanger when you’re all done).
2.
Hook the hanger on to something sturdy and separate the strings into four groups of two strands. Starting approximately 12 inches below the slip knot, tie an overhand knot using the first pair of strands. Repeat with the remaining three pairs of strands.
3.
Now take the left strand from one pair and join it with the right strand from a different pair. Make another overhand knot with this new pair approximately 3 inches below the overhand knot of the original pairs. Repeat with the remaining three pairs.
Repeat this process again, three inches below the second round of overhand knots. To finish your macrame hanger, bring all the strands together and tie one big overhand knot, about 1 inch below the previous round of overhand knots. Trim tails if necessary.
4.
You can now place your terrarium inside your hanger!
