Yup, I’ve gotten sucked in to Pinterest again. This time it was in search of ideas for my ugly and suffering indoor plants. I’d like to boast that I have a green thumb, but the truth is I kill the hardiest of plants. So, when I saw images of gorgeous hanging terrariums, I groaned with envy. I have the perfect spot in my house for that, but there was no way I’d keep them alive with my track record.

After a few day of chewing over it in my mind, I decided to make a faux terrarium with paper mâché and $20 worth of stuff from Michael’s!

Rustic Hanging Terrariums DIY

Step 1: Find a design idea to inspire you – you can google hanging terrariums or find one on Pinterest – or, of course see images of my own creations.

Step 2: Collect materials. I used 3 latex balloons (use as many or few as you want, but I recommend an odd number) only slightly inflated, a recipe for paper mâché (half flour and half water) newspaper torn in 1 – 2 inch strips (enough for 3 – 4 layers on each balloon), moss from a craft store (or collect your own if you live near woods – which I do), packing peanuts (I’ll explain later), string, tacks, glue, brown paint, a screw for each pot, real or fake plants of your choosing. I’ve purchased real succulents here and they all turned out great.

Step 3: Assembly. Paper mâché the balloons leaving a hole for the flowers at the top (or paper mâché the whole balloon and cut the hole later). Let dry for a day. Paint the outsides brown and pop balloon then pull it out leaving the shell/pot. Glue moss to the outside of the pot. Wrap string around the pot at random then tie it off. Stuff pot with packing peanuts then stick your plants down into it to secure them. Use moss to hide the peanuts on top.

Now for the tricky part…

Step 4: Hanging the terrarium. I ended up pushing a long screw into the middle of the plants and tying the string to it then wrapping it around the tack and pushing it into the ceiling. The pots are fairly light, so the tack seemed to work for me. I’m sure there are many ways of hanging them… Find what’s best for you!

Voilà! A beautiful, inexpensive, and maintenance free terrarium that your friends and family will love!

Written by Jaimè Bell