Moss rocks to the rescue

I made this moss terrarium for my kitchen windowsill almost two months ago. I got the moss from the hillside outside the window which sports a deep velvet coat of moss and ferns this time of year. There must be a dozen shades of green on that little knoll! After a long, cold, winter I needed this little pick me up to remind me that spring is coming. I just love the little random things that sprouted over the next few weeks....tall skinny mushrooms, delicate grass, a bit of green leafy weedy pretty plant thing.

Fast forward two months....we had snow last week and today we had another hard frost, so winter is not letting go yet. We live at 2000' in the southern Oregon mountains so this is normal. The sun comes out during the day so things are sprouting but I won't plant anything new out there until the frost danger is past. I am itching to get out and garden, but for now I need more GREEN! Yeah, money too, but that's another post.


So I brought in this galvanized lantern which the grandkids had used for a bug house last summer, which explains the layers of brittle tape over the glass and covering all the cutouts. What a chore this was to clean up but I had big plans, baby. I knew a terrarium requires a layer of charcoal and gravel and then dirt for the moss and this lantern was not the ideal container, but Dollar Store has moss rocks! They are a gorgeous velvety emerald green and they don't look too awfully artificial, so moss rocks aye!


Here's the first incarnation of the idea in my head. The artificial but gorgeous green dragonfly looks perfect with the rocks, but I'm not happy with the proximity to the flame from the candle. I tried a battery candle in there and it glowed okay, but it looked very fake. Even at night when the light is subdued the fake candle looked....not right. So I took another tack and came up with this....


I took one of my painted butterfly rocks and surrounded it with polished pebbles, creek stones and moss rocks. I also added a few colored half marbles. Now we're cooking!



Ooh, am I so glad I have two cheese cloches now thanks to my daughter! I stacked one on top of a painted candlestick and did the butterfly rock, creek pebbles and moss rock combo in there and I think I am in love! Of course I was too impatient to paint the cloche plate to match the candlestick and I promise I will do that (and glue the base to the plate, really, I promise) but I had to see how this looks. I like it. I like it alot.

And here is the other cloche with the same combo. When I sit and read I can glance over and see this little display and it always makes me smile. So pretty!


And as the moss in my window terrarium faded, I just redid the display with the moss rocks. And that gorgeous green dragonfly has found a good home! I love having these little vignettes around my house and they will keep my gardening spirits up until I can get outside and dig in the dirt. Spring planting time, baby, it can't get here soon enough!

I will be linking up to lots of blog parties this week and I'll list them here. First is Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Check my sidebar for the buttons, thanks. And look, I've been featured at DIY Showoff. I'm just tickled pink!

Here's more!

Just Something I Whipped Up on The Girl Creative
The DIY Show Off
Monday at Making the World Cuter
Transform Tuesday at The Pumpkin Patch
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Living
Toot Your Horn Tuesday at Silly Little Sparrow
Talk About it Tuesday at Blogger Chix Designs
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm
Tip Me Tuesday on Tip Junkie
Woo Hoo! Wednesday at Always Nesting
Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts
Look at Me at Fun to Craft
100 Ideas under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence
Penny Pinching Party at Thrifty Home
Show & Tell at Blue Cricket
Hooking Up with House of Hepworth
Transformation Thursday at the Shabby Chic Cottage
All Things Dreamy at Sweet European Dreams
Friday's at Remodelaholic
Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming