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Last year, after I killed all the plants in my Trellis Garden, I purchased some fake succulents off Amazon to put in the pots instead. Since then, I’ve moved across the country, and while I brought the succulents with me, the large trellis got left behind. Thus, I’ve had these cute little succulents sitting around for awhile, and this week, I finally came up with a project for them!
How to Make a DIY Succulent Terrarium
Materials
- Succulents– Make sure they’re small; there is not much space between the frames. I used the three smaller succulents in this set.
- Two Thick Wood Picture Frames– Make sure to pick frames that allow a decent amount of space between them when pressed together. These ones worked well for me.
- Clear Glue– I used this Quick Grip adhesive that Beacon kindly sent me a sample of. It dried quickly, and is barely noticeable, which was exactly what’s needed!
- Decorative Sand– I used some black and white sands that I had around the house, but similar products can be purchased at any craft store.
Step 1: Remove Metal Brackets From Picture Frames
Like all picture frames, the ones I referenced above came with metal brackets to hold the glass in place. However, since I wasn’t going to put in a photograph and the brackets would be visible, I removed them. Some pliers and a little force was all it took to pull the bracket out from the wood.
Step 2: Glue Glass to ONE Picture Frame
When I first had this idea, I was a little concerned about how I would hold the glass in place. Glue was the ideal method, but most glues, even those that dry clear, are super visible behind glass. Then Beacon sent me some glues to try, and their Quick-Grip glue worked perfectly!
Only a little glue is needed to hold the glass in place, and the more glue used, the more visible it will be. Thus, a small outline around the edge of the frame is sufficient. Also- this glue dries super quickly, so work fast!
In the above photo, the glass is glued into place. You can barely see the glue, which is exactly what I wanted!
Step 3: Glue the Frames Together
I used wood glue to attach the frames together:
Since I didn’t want the glue to squeeze out the sides and make a mess, I took a paintbrush and brushed the glue smooth before attaching the frames. (I don’t have a picture of that, sorry!)
I let the glue dry for 30 minutes; afterward, my project looked like this:
Step 4: Add Sand and Succulents
I added the sand and succulents, then dry-fit the glass on to see how it looked standing up.
Step 5: Glue Final Glass Piece in Place
All done!
It looks super cute on my bookshelf. I’m terrible at decorating bookshelves, so it’s nice to have one thing that looks nice and is easy to place.
If you think you might make this, go ahead and save it to Pinterest so you can find it later!
