Encased in Glass

I have been experimenting with terrariums.  It all started after our poor fish, Fish, had to be flushed.  It was a sad day, and very difficult to pull that lever sending him to fish heaven, also known as the Chicago sewer system.  I now had fish rock, a tank and a castle.  While I wasn't sure another fish was a good idea, I do like to recycle as much as possible.  So, I created a little shrine to Fish.  

With a few seashells I picked up ages ago on spring break in Jamaica, a few succulents and some reindeer moss, I have a nice little seascape.  

An added bonus - while the cats also used Fish's bowl as a watering dish, which I am sure did not at all lead to his untimely demise, they leave these plants alone.  

After my shrine to fish, I decided to look around and see what other containers I had that could be repurposed.  I had this large glass vase that I never knew what to do with.  It makes a great container for this succulent.  I think it will continue to add interest as it grows into the container.  

I also had these glass balls that I had great plans for (haha), but could never find the right location or the right stuff to put in them.  After spending a little time hanging over our bed, I took them down and created three different landscapes.

The first one is a seascape.  I used a few petoskey stones I had collected and a plant my cats kept pulling out of the large succulent planting I did.

 For the second, I used a really colorful air plant.  It didn't need anything else.

For the third, I used a few chicks from my hens and chicks and a cool toad my dad got for me years ago.

Here they are together.  I like that they all have very different feels and yet a sense of unity among them.  I like the fact that these plantings become a shadow box too.

Jon's a big fan of the terrarium.  I think he likes the narrative they create as well as keeping my plants and their dirt enclosed and out of the reach of certain kitties that like to dig things up in the middle of the night.  It is great for an environment like ours with limited space.