Moss Terrariums

Hello Friends! :)

One thing that I do not do is make living moss terrariums.. I used to however and would like to share with you on how to make them beautiful and inexpensive. They can cost quite a bit online, and they are so simple to make, I will save you a lot of money and your terrarium will have much more meaning to you when made by yourself~

Things you will need:

* A glass jar (mason jar , candy jar, .. any glass container with a top that you like!)

* Moss - I highly reccomend this seller on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/teresab123 A LOT of moss terrarium sellers buy their moss from her! Or you can always find your own moss around your yard, out on a walk in the park.. Just keep your eyes peeled and searcing in shady areas will provide most useful~

*Soil - Again, I reccomend the shop above, she also sells a great soil mix. Otherwise, take a little handful of the soil under the spot you find your moss. If it grew nicely there, then the soil is good.

* Activated Charcoal - This is optional, it can be found at most pet stores for aquariums. It can be pricey, but it really does help with the smell that can build up in a terrarium..

Last but not least - Small pebbles or little stones


Ok, now that you have your supplies, here is what you do.
Take your glass jar and place a handful of pebbles in the bottom, just enough to cover the bottom and provide drainage. I'd say about 1/2" to 1" worth in the bottom. Now, take around 1/4 Cup of activated charcoal and place that on top of your pebbles. Now, add your soil, about 1/2 cup. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so don't worry and just have fun! :) Just layer after layer, nothing has to be perfect~
Now comes the crowning jewel, the moss!
Spray the top of your soil layer with a gentle mist of water. I reccomend distilled water, or even water that has been boiled and cooled is great. Then take your moss and gently press it down into the soil using a gentle twisting motion from left to right. Give it a little mist of water (not too much, just a little), put your top on and enjoy! Place it in a place where it will not get direct sunlight. Sunlight will scorch the moss turning it brown.

For mere dollars, you juts made a special terrarium! You can spruce it up with many little decorations. There are many little clay objects you can find on Etsy by using the search term "terrarium accessory". Beware of using anything porus such as fabric or wood, it will grow mold in the terrarium.

Water your terrarium every 2 weeks using your distilled water by gently misting the top of the moss. It will last a long time if you take care of it :)

Happy Terrarium Making!!

Easy Fairy Doors

Another request I often get is "Do or will you make fairy doors?" and again, the answer is no :) Why? Because there are too many out there and I tend to take the road less traveled with my creations. But what I can do however is tell you a few ways to make them wither for your own personal use or for your business.

Method 1~ The popsicle stick door

supplies: 8 or 9 popsicle sticks, tacky glue, wood stain, an 8mm gold bead, black paint, various 6 to 8 mm pebbles, piece of paper toweling, wire snips or heavy duty shears, clear coat paint or clear spray paint.
(hot glue gun optional)
Ok.

Take your wood stain and lightly stain your popsicle sticks before you do anything else (do not dip or drench them in stain, just lightly brush it on enough to cover the sticks but not to saturate them). Allow them a few hours to soak in the stain and also press them with a paper toweling to ensure that there is no extra stain on the surface.
Now, take 5 or 6 of your popsicle sticks and lay them side by sideso that they touch eachother. Take a paintbrush with some glue and coat the backside of this little "raft" like layout. It can be messy, but just have fun! :) After the glue is dry, flip it over and take 2 more popsicle sticks and coat the back of each one with glue. Lay them horizontally across the fairy door one near the top and one near the bottom. Let them dry. This will be the front of the door.
Now you have this raft looking thing with two sticks across the front. Now is when you will cut it to shape. Some may find it easier to cut the pieces before gluing, but I like to do it after gluing because I find it easier for me. So anyways, take your "raft" and cut the top into a rounded, half circle type of shape using your wire snips or heavy duty shears. This is the time when you will need to put some muscle into it. If any of it breaks, just glue it back on, no need to get upset :) Basically, what you are trying to achieve by cutting it is an upside down U shape for the whole door. You will also have to trim off the excess wood from the two sticks you laid horizontally. Your raft should now look more like a door! Paint the whole door with clear paint or spray clear coat onto it. Let it dry.
Now to embellish. Take your pebbles and glue them along the whole perimeter of the door for added beauty. You may want to use hot glue for this.
Now decide where you would like to place the gold bead for the door handle. When you decide, use a little black paint to paint a keyhole right under where you will glue the handle. You can also paint two black hinges on the left side of the door. After the paint dries, add a little dot of glue above your keyhole and place your gold bead in the glue. Now you have a fairy door!
You can glue a sawtooth picture frame hanger on the back for easy hanging or a magnet to attach to a fridge or ant other metal surface~

Another option is to buy a concrete mold for a fairy door for unlimited use! Here is a good place to start right on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/15501732/fairy-door-mold-set-of-2-reusable

Terrarium Necklace Tutorial

Ok, I recieve many convo's through my Etsy shop asking me if I will ever carry terrarium necklaces. I always have to very politley say no. The reason why is because first of all, I never copy others and second, I think the market is too flooded with them due to people copying others!

What I will do is tell you how to make them and what you will need.

First, gather these supplies:

Small corked glass bottles
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48561973/

Dried moss ( I can never talk about my secret moss, but you can use sheet moss, it is ok for this type of use)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/39480775/fresh-oregon-green-sheet-moss-gallon?ref=sr_list_7&ga_search_query=sheet+moss&ga_search_type=supplies&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Or live moss for those who want a living necklace
http://www.etsy.com/listing/38607294/pillow-moss-small-bag-assorted-sizes


As well as soil
http://www.etsy.com/listing/39347205/organic-soil-for-moss?ref=sr_list_1&ga_search_query=soil&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6702988

Some silver chain
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48547512/18-inch-sterling-silver-italian-box?ref=sr_list_31&ga_search_query=18%22+silver+chain&ga_search_type=supplies&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title


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Now that you have your supplies, all you need to do is very simple!

Open your glass bottle, pinch a little moss off of your dried moss (be sure to choose the greenest parts) and stuff it in your bottle.
* For a living moss necklace, first put in a little soil with a couple drops of water. Then add a small amount of moss on top, root side down into the bottle.

You can press it down in using a Q-Tip with one end cut off. Press it firmly into the bottle until it is full to your liking. Put the cork top back in, make sure to press it in really good. String it on your chain and that's it! For merely a few dollars, you have a moss terrarium necklace that was made by you :)

My milk snake brings all the neighbors to the yard

Today I noticed something very odd.. many people in cars were stopping right in front of my house, peering down at the road and driving off. I finally had enough when a high school jogger girl went jogging by only to stop dead in her tracks in front of my house to scream. I finally had enough. I grabbed the baby, put on my shoes and walked down the driveway to see what it was. I was shocked to see a brown and white stripeyish snake laying there squished in the street. I never seen anything like it! I am afraid of snakes, this one gave me the creeps so inside I went to google this thing. Sure enough, it was an Eastern Milk Snake. They say they are not poisonous but have a painful bite. What is up with all these snakes lately!

Here is a link to the photo:
http://www.reptilesweb.com/reptiles-section/snake-world/eastern-milk-snake.html

Little Toadstool

Here is one of my latest creations using a little tiny bluebird atop a tree. It is so funny how I get attached to these creations, I get sad sometimes when I send them off :)

Obviously, I do not do this to get rich. If I did, I would charge a lot more and hustle my work on all the networking sites. I do not have a Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. I do it not for the money, but because I LOVE doing what I do! I make them at my leisure, when I can and when an idea hits me. ALL of my ideas come from my own mind. That is what I love, I follow no one :)

Toad Houses

Yesterday, my husband decided to close the front window because it was hot and we thought it would be a good idea to turn on the air conditioning. As he was closing the front window, he looked down into the garden and noticed a snake.. The snake was burrowing it's head into the loosened dirt of our freshly planted hydrangea. He yelled out to me "Do snakes dig holes?". I replied, " I think they do live in holes.." . Just as I replied, he witnessed the snake pluck a sleeping toad from under the dirt by the foot and attempt to quickly coil around the little guy. Now, I know, nature can be cruel, but there was somethng gratifying about being in that moment and being the hero for the toad. My husband (who is as sensitive as I am) ran out and shooed the snake away from it's unlucky victim. The snake slithered away hungry on to another destination for lunch. This time I hope he caught a big spider instead.. :) My husband took the toad and placed him in the shade near the garage. The poor little guy was fast asleep and woke up to not only a snake trying to eat him, but then a large human creature lifting him 5 feet into the air and moving him to a new location. The poor little toad must have been in shock! He was a good size toad too, about the size of a large walnut.

I thought about it all day. And I kept thinking about toad houses and how if I had one for the little toads in the garden, would it be a cozy home or a death trap? Would it be a slither in lunch spot for hungry snakes or a safe haven for toads. I think I will leave nature to nature and let the toads find their own homes. I don't think I could live with myself if I set up a buffet for snakes and didn't know it.

I am glad my husband was there to save him, but understand that nature must be allowed to do it's thing, no matter how cruel it may seem. But for one little toad, yesterday was his lucky day :)

Cobblestone Fairy Houses

Here is a photo of my very first fairy house. I made this out of concrete and pebbles. I actually made up my own method (like we always do here) and tested it outside for a whole year before selling a similar one. I actually have one still outside, it has lasted through 2 summers and a whole NY winter and is still strong as can be. I am contemplating making tutorials for these. I will if I come across a demand for them. But right now, it is all in my head :)