How to make your own Themed Succulent Terrarium

When a friend offered me this stunning bowl I could not say no.  My first thought was a succulent terrarium but I wanted to add a theme to make my succulent terrarium for appealing.

DIY Succulent terrarium

I was going through Pinterest looking for ideas and there seems to be a general theme that all the glass is plain.  Trying to be a little different from the norm I wanted to paint the glass for added effect.

How to make a themed succulent terrarium

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This shape of a glass bowl is perfect for a project like this, but I wanted to add a paint effect to the surface of the glass.

DIY Succulent terrarium

Prepare the bowl

To use the frosted spray-paint the glass surface need to be clean and free of any greasy fingerprints or the spray will not stick. You can use a dishwasher if you have one. To make the design on the glass surface you will need some thick rubber bands of various sizes.  Stretch the rubber bands over the surface of the glass bowl and overlap them for a nicer affect. You can keep moving the bands around until you have a design that you are happy with.

Use rubber band to create the design 

Once you have all your rubber bands on the bowl, try and straighten out all the bands and make sure they are flat against the bowl and not twisted or the effect will be lost.

Bowl sprayed with frosted glass spray paint

Apply the frosted spray paint

I used frosted glass spray paint and put the bowl face down so I would not get any spray paint on the inside of the bowl. The great thing about this spray paint is that it comes in a few different colours, so you are not limited to plain frosted colour. When you apply the frosted spray paint it works better to add 2 thin coats allowing the first to dry properly before you add the second.  Applying the frosted spray paint too thick will cause it to run.  Once the paint is dry you can remove the rubber bands.

Use frosted glass spray paint  

Add drainage.

Now for the fun part of this project. I went for succulents because they are the only plants that I have not managed to kill.  I think that is because you don’t really have to bother with them, and they need very little water.  They are also great because they multiply so quickly with no effort from me. Because succulents need good drainage you need to add a layer of stones to the bottom of the bowl first.

Stones added to the terrarium

Decorating the bowl

 I wanted the bowl to look good from the outside too, so I took some sand out of my niece’s sandpit and added a thick layer. Next, you can add soil suitable for succulents.

Succulents added to the terrarium

You can now add your succulents to the bowl leaving some room in between so they have room to spread. For a more decorative look, you can add another layer of sand to the top to resemble a zen garden.

How to make your own Themed Succulent Terrarium

I wanted to have a theme for my terrarium, but a fairy garden was not the look I was going for.  I had this miniature Monk /buddha it was one of my Wish purchases that was so much small when it arrived, but it was perfect for this project.  The turtle and the frog I have had for about 20 years, but they were too cute to throw away so sat in a drawer all this time.  (Think I am a hoarder).  I added a few white stones and some pebbles to finish the Succulent Terrarium off.

Back view of the terrarium

A close-up view of the inside of my Succulent Terrarium

DIY Succulent terrarium

DIY Succulent terrarium

I was so happy with the final results of this project, and it now sits in the corner of my bathroom vanity.

DIY Succulent terrarium

Update: The 2 succulents on the sides met an untimely death.  They did not like the fact that my bathroom got no sun.  So, I replaced them with artificial succulents because it looked so good in my bathroom, I did not want to move it. As an added feature I glued a few stones together to form a rock pile.

how to make your own succulent planter

More planter ideas

If you are looking for more DIY Planter ideas, here are some I have made.  This one was made using pallet wood.

DIY Planter

You can make these really cute photo planters using PVC pipe.

PVC pipe photo planters

Pin me

Succulent terrarium

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you.

Themed succulent terrarium
Make a themed succulent Terrarium
DIY Themed succulent terarium

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23 Comments

  • Reply
    Louise Shipman
    June 30, 2018 at 7:03 am

    This is so darn cute , I would love to find a bowl like this one but I think it’s one of a kind. You did so great with only a few things . Who would have thunk rubber bands and paint would make such a pretty planter. 🐢

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 30, 2018 at 9:19 am

      Thank you for the kind words, I was pretty proud of myself lol The bowl is not rare, I have seen them on Amazon if you want to copy the idea. The little buddha is also on amazon. Good luck and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.

      • Reply
        Carol de la Fuente
        October 20, 2018 at 6:10 pm

        Just beautiful!!! Excellent job!!!

  • Reply
    Michelle Leslie
    November 13, 2018 at 12:33 pm

    Anita, that’s just beautiful. Love the way the patterns on the glass bowl turned out and the little praying monk you added in between the succulents. Really cool idea

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 15, 2018 at 10:37 pm

      Thank you Michelle, It does look pretty cute in my bathroom.

  • Reply
    Linda G Harrell
    March 22, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    Anita,
    I am really into succulents and always trying to find different ways of displaying them. I really like the idea of the rubber bands and frosted paint. I go to Goodwill a lot so I think I’ll see if i can find a unique bowl and give this a try. I am really into frogs and owls so I’ll probably use them as a theme.

    Thanks for the great idea.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      March 24, 2019 at 12:19 am

      Goodwill is the best place to look or your budget stores. I know our local one sells some great glass bowls at a very reasonable price. I would love to see yours when they are completed.

  • Reply
    Terri Caria
    March 27, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    I have a round bowl very similar but the opening is much smaller and sits higher up on the side. I’ve been trying various ways of making it a succulent display bowl but have not come up with anything that makes me happy. Yours makes me happy! I LOVE the idea of frosting it using rubber bands! Beautiful from the front and the back! I’m going to empty the whole thing out and start over again! Thank you for sharing your creative mind!

  • Reply
    Kathy A
    August 4, 2019 at 10:13 pm

    Great project and even better tutorial. Thanx!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      August 4, 2019 at 11:37 pm

      Thank you so much, very kind of you to say.

  • Reply
    Dee | Grammy's Grid
    August 7, 2019 at 3:53 pm

    Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 3! Shared.

  • Reply
    Kerryanne
    August 8, 2019 at 9:46 am

    I love the frosted glass Anita and how absolutely sweet is this terrarium. It was the perfect project for this glass bowl.
    Thank you for sharing it at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring your terrarium at tomorrow’s party and pinning too.
    Hugs,
    Kerryanne

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      August 9, 2019 at 1:08 am

      Thank you so much, I was thrilled how it turned out. Thank you so much for the feature and for pinning my project.

  • Reply
    Michelle
    August 10, 2019 at 12:59 am

    What a lovely project! I love how your little terrarium turned out. The little Buddha is the perfect touch. Thanks for linking up to Creative Compulsions!

  • Reply
    Cecilia
    August 18, 2019 at 5:52 pm

    This is SO fun! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm! Pinning!

  • Reply
    Kelly of Mindfully Mad
    August 18, 2019 at 8:47 pm

    This is adorable! I’ve got some succulents that need a new home and this is the PERFECT idea. I love it!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      August 19, 2019 at 7:44 am

      Thank you, it looks great in my bathroom.

  • Reply
    T'onna | Sew Crafty Crochet
    August 24, 2019 at 3:36 am

    Your terrarium is really lovely! Pinned!

  • Reply
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