terrariums {a "green thumb" post}

I've been seeing terrariums all over Pinterest these days and thought they looked so beautiful. After reading a couple tutorials on building your own, I decided it would be easy enough. So. I loaded up my boys and off to the Rona garden center we went! 

I got one of those cool carts that looks like a car but is pretty much impossible to steer, especially through the tiny garden center aisles. 

I found succulents and cacti and some soil that said "cactus" on it but that's where my success stopped. Charcoal was listed as a MUST as was sand and I couldn't find either. I was late for dinner at my parents' so I took my cacti, checked out and headed off, thinking I'd be back to find my charcoal. 

Well. Let me tell you. After two more trips (both Jordan and I went looking) I was feeling like my cacti were a waste of money. 

I did a bit more research and found out that I'd been looking in the wrong spot all along. Charcoal can be found at ... Wait for it ... 

THE PET STORE. Are. You. Kidding. Me. 

So I whipped over to Petsmart and found it all - charcoal (cleverly disguised as carbon), sand, moss. Everything a girl could want to build a terrarium. 

I had the rocks and fish bowls at home. Should have checked the size of the fishbowls first. But it worked out OK. Jordan and I built three tonight while catching up on Blue Bloods and even though they're not exactly what I was envisioning, they're pretty cute. We will have to do the other two another time when we have another container but for now I'm so happy to have some live greenery in my house. It adds something special in the middle of winter. 

However, our basement carpet now needs a super good vacuum!