mini landscapes

A while ago I inherited a pot of my late grandmother's African Violets.  They needed to be repotted.  I've also been wanting to make a terrarium for the longest time but haven't found the right container.  I checked out a couple of books on the subject and decided I didn't actually have to enclose the plants to get the effect I've had kicking around in my head.  This week it all came together and here are Grandma's violets in my style.

I like seeing the cool drainage elements of a terrarium; the layers of pebbles, moss, sand and whatnot delight the want-to-be geologist in me.  I used some moss and succulents gathered from the yard, oolitic sand from the Great Salt Lake and shells from San Diego to give the violets a little landscape to live in.  And remember this post about gluing glass pieces together?  Well glass bowl + votive holder + glue = my new violet container.

S used the glued together apothecary jar from the previously mentioned post and made a more traditional terrarium with a lid.  She put in a purple crystal, a couple of rocks with fossils in them and a tiny fairy charm in hers.  She stuck a bright yellow flower on the lid and so far it's super happy by the window.

I found a lovely lidded glass jar that was already on a pedestal that I thought I was going to use for the violets, but it turned out to be seriously too small.  Instead I did another moss & sea shell-scape for the top of the piano.

S and I collaborated on filling another lonely glass vase with basically the same soil strata as the violet bowl.  S contributed the fossil and twisted bit of root and I added the wee tiny bird.

It turns out that when photographing these glass containers it's nigh to impossible to NOT get a self portrait.  Can you spot me in this one?