{thrifting 101: planter with a twist}



This is a double duty project – DIY and thrifting. I came across this huge glass jar. I didn’t know what I was going to do with it but I knew it was great so I scooped it up. 

It would make a great home for the start of a new or current collection (wine corks?) and it would make a fabulous terrarium but I’ve really been into leafy plants lately so I decided to make it a planter. The twist is that I decided to make it more interesting by adding some layers that you could see through the glass. 

I found these great stones & coloured sand at Ikea for a few dollars each as well as the plant. I had a bunch of soil left over from my patio planting last summer. 


So here’s an example where not everything always goes to plan. This was a bit of an experiment and overall it turned out well but there’s a few things I would’ve done differently. 

First I started off with stones on the bottom. I would actually put a small layer (3″) of soil down first if I did it again. Use both packs of stones for a layer above that. 

Next step: put some more soil and on top of that your coloured sand. Make sure you spread it nicely and pack it down a bit.  Lastly put some more soil and your plant. Super easy!


I got a little carried away with the soil but you may want to make the coloured sand layer lower so that there’s more empty space left at the top. In my case I needed to add a bunch of soil to cover the plant and it went right to the top. 

Overall I’m happy with the result and it fits in nicely in my new favourite green corner. 

Oh and look, there’s another great thrifting tip – you can use an old suitcase as a much more interesting and decorative way to store your vinyl collection. It invites people to take a peak instead of having them hidden in a cupboard.  


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