Contractor Chandelier Terrarium

I posted on instagram a picture of one of those contractor grade glass brass chandelier that I scored from Habitat ReStore for $15.

I had a completely different idea for it when I bought it...

Terrariums have become very popular over the past couple years, they are popping up everywhere, magazines, pinterest, in stores. They are a great way to add a little green into your home.

Better Homes and Gardens

Real Simple

I don't have much of a green thumb, anything I touch usually dies within days. Plants are just not my thing I either over water them or forget completely. But terrariums, they are great for beginners or people who don't have alot of space. You can make terrariums out of practically anything.

Pinterest.com

Pinterest.com

pinterest.com

We have been working on our porch for what seems like forever now, its one of those projects that gets pushed off and we just add to it when we get around to it. 

Well this past weekend we finally had something to add. 

I knew when I saw the chandelier at the ReStore that it would be perfect for a terrarium to put on the porch. 

Jeffrey has a HUGE green thumb and can make any sort of plant look loved. So, the plants and gardens around the house are left to him. 

He was excited to take on the challenge of taking apart the light and create our largest terrarium yet. Of course the kids wanted to help...

We purchased our succulents at Lowes $2.99-$3 a piece and also picked up special cactus/succulent soil $5.99. Just like any living thing they need water, but cacti and succulents are desert plants that are made to live in dry climates. Cactus/ succulent soil allows for maximum drainage. A soil that remains wet for long periods of time can quickly kill most succulent plants. 

P.S- I forgot to mention that the top of the light, which for the terrarium we made the bottom, since it was made to hang the top part was enclosed with just holes for the wires. So, it will allow for the water to drain out the bottom of the terrarium.

We love the new addition to the porch. The porch needs alot more work but just like anything, it will take some time.

 

Do you have any terrariums around your house?

E

  

Summer Time

Hi,

Geeze, sorry its been so long. Ya know when school lets out life is just so different. My kiddos are only in preschool but they still have the summer fever. We have been so busy over the past couple weeks and I apologize that I haven't been here updating you. But when you have two little kids there are just some things that have to be put on hold! Here is a snap shot of our life

   

So this totally happened with this little girl, and I wish I could use this as my excuse for why I haven't been around, but this was probably the easiest potty training I've had to do. She was ready which makes all the difference and within a week we were accident free and finally free of DIAPERS!!!! I really wish i kept track of how much we spent on diapers, I probably would of given myself a heart attach.

 

A carnival came to town which was so much fun. The kids had a blast and we were able to get in a few pool days.

Jeff and I were able to get away for a night from all the chaos that goes on around our house. The kids got Jeffrey Phillies tickets for Fathers Day. It turned out to be such a great night.

So, back to the night stand....
This weather we've been having was not the greatest for painting. I was able to get quite a bit done on Sunday Thank God, it was beautiful and 70..

There were a few spots on the front around the drawers and doors that small chips of the veneer had come off, I just went ahead and filled it with some wood filler and let it dry than sanded it down.


I finished priming the whole piece, we decided that we were going to keep the inside the nice dark wood, since it didn't have any damage or distress to it.

My absolute favorite primer would have to be Zinssers Cover Stain its around $18 a gallon at any hardware store, this stuff lasts forever, plus it comes in a spray!!!!

 Its a oil based primer, which means it gets the job done without any sanding, and it covers anything from drink stains to strong odors, as well as blocks from any other staining.
 This stuff is the bees knees!

 I recommend using a disposable foam roller to apply this, because since it is oil based, its thick and very hard to rinse out with just water. .....I've ruined a couple nice brushes using this stuff...

I applied two coats for the primer just to make sure that I got all the cracks and crevices.

Once the second coat was dry, I started painting. I used Ultra Bright White Behr paint and applied two coats then put a top coat of clear gloss polyurethane.

Here she is!!!!
We are going to put the doors back on, we had to do a little more work to them because after I painted them and sealed them, they wouldn't go back on as easy as they came off... I will post a pic when we finally get them on.

What do you think? We realized half way through that she was not going to fit next to our bed, so we need to find a new home, maybe in the hallway for linens... who knows

E