I don’t exactly have what you’d call a green thumb; despite the best intentions, my apartment has become a sort of last stop for plants on their way to the great greenspace in the sky - underfed, overwatered, too much sunlight, not quite enough (an entirely separate case: the time I tripped down the stairs and took a potted plant with me). 

That said, I love indoor greenery. Amid a small living space, the sight of a green house plant set in the afternoon sun is nothing short of apartment therapy.

So how to reconcile your love of green with your license to kill?

Try a terrarium!

Whether you’ve been wanting for some greenery of your own or are on the look out for a lovely last minute gift idea, terrariums are wonderful for the DIY-inclined. 

Getting Started - What You’ll Need: 

- a glass container

- pea gravel

- potting soil

- charcoal

- hardy type plants for a medium-moisture environment (pathos, ferns, moss, ivy, bromeliads)

Doing It Yourself:

Pick a glass container large enough so that you can easily fit your hand through its opening. Spread the gravel an inch or two thick, and layer a small amount of moss or burlap to stop soil from seeping into the bottom of gravel. Spreading a quarter inch layer of charcoal will help prevent and absorb odors, over which you can then lay an inch or two of potting soil. Place your terrarium plants in the soil as you see fit, and you’ve just created your very first microenvironment!

Mist the terrarium sparingly, but make sure it is kept moist. Take a minute to tell yourself that You go, Girl, before deciding whether or not you’d like your tiny tree home to be lidded or left open. Keep in mind that a terrarium without a lid will require a few extra daily mists - moisture will more quickly evaporate.

Maintenance, via Apartment Therapy:

• Water 1-2 times per week, watering only the live plants and avoiding mosses and dried flowers. For an open terrarium, the soil should always remain barely moist, never bone dry. 
• Closed terrariums should almost never need watering.
• Prune back dead foliage or overgrown plants as needed to prevent rotting.
• Terrariums thrive in natural, indirect light. Avoid placing in direct sunlight or other hot areas as you can actually cook the plants or burn foliate that is touching the edges of the vessel.
• Mist your terrarium daily to provide ample humidity.

(On the flip side of the coin, perhaps you’re too busy to create your own microclimate, or you don’t quite trust yourself after the last time you fell down the stairs with a potted plant - Etsy is awash in terrarium kits. I love the miniature forest and tiny sheep farm).

- Maggie

Last year, we spent several months renovating our soon-to-be headquarters before moving in. Walls came down, doorways were widened, hardwood floors refinished. We even built our work tables and desks from basic building supplies (with a ton of help from master craftsman, Sean Wrafter). I love the satisfaction that comes from DIY projects because they’re one-of-a-kind and you get to live/work in/around the fruits of your labor. 

This Apartment Therapy post is one of the most impressive DIY projects I’ve seen. 

-Brandon