hello everyone! it’s meighan from ml4u. this week i got a bit of a terrarium bug! they’ve been the rage for awhile, and i’ll admit i have totally bought into the little microcosm eco-world. i have always wanted to make one, but never found the time. so over the weekend my good friend, rae and i took a terrarium workshop class at workshop. it was all rae’s idea, and i am so glad she signed me up. it was so much fun and surprisingly calming and easy! i am fully addicted to making terrariums now, full stop. if you aren’t in the bay area and can’t make it to workshop. here are a bunch of images and links to help you with your terrarium needs. along with my final product. also, if you know of other faves, feel free to comment!

the botany factory offers terrariums at a few stores in san francisco or you can commission and pick it up yourself. katie goldman macdonald takes such special care in making her terrariums they look like little worlds unto themselves.

i like the idea of a family of terrariums. they come in so many different sizes. the slug & the squirrel has an amazing array of all types of terrariums. you could probably find one for everyone you know. the glass they choose to work with is really lovely and has such character, from vintage to modern. each one has such a great look.

the ladies who run twig terrariums have such a sense of humor and mischief with their work. i hope to get to see them next time i am in brooklyn, if not i may have to mail order a kit. too fun and a great gift to boot!

wendilands minimalist terrarium kits are both beautiful and pretty funny. perfect for your black thumb and ‘serenity now’ moments.

paula hayes living art pieces are so amazing to me. i really love that she has brought the terrarium into the galley space. her pieces are truly living beauties. be sure to explore her whole site — she brings plants to a whole new level.

and lastly, i want to share my little guy. mattie and megan of far out flora, who taught the class at workshop definitely ignited a new passion for me. so excited to explore more terrarium building endeavors in the future!

i hope you all have a lovely holiday season. until the new year you can find me over on tumblr, twitter and facebook. also i’ll be posting back on ML4U starting january 3rd. see you there or here and until then, be well!

best.
meighan

my love for you is a stampede of horses.
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beautiful chemistry, via ethanollie.

i’ve been looking for some new, but vintage, accessories for the house, and i remembered a lot of wonderful industrial-like glassworks i’ve been seeing in the vintage etsy shops and around the design blogs these days. i love the contrast of the somewhat sterile, industrial looking glass partnered with some pretty flowers, single branches, and even terrariums. here’s a few of their wonderful glass finds i’m loving right now.

via emmas design blog.

Vintage Laboratory Centrifuge Tubes, via ethanollie.

fairy garden terrarium, via doodle birdie.

antique oil jug, via lucky little dot.

a lovely example of arranging via design*sponge.

vintage pyrex beakers, via cottage farm.

terrariums made by kat geiger at design spunk.

a boiling flask never looked so pretty, via trampoline.

terrarium diy project, via poppytalk.

I love the look of old glass – from unique bottles to vintage cold cream jars, I love their beautiful thick glass, and old tin lids. I re-purpose bottles for a variety of uses around the house, and if they’re attractive enough, like Sophia Coppola’s shapely Rosé bottle, I use them on my dining room table to serve chilled drinking water to guests. Or, I add a stopper and put my best olive oil in them. Things just look nicer when they’re poured from pretty glass.

I also use old jars to store kitchen condiments and tea in, as well as my daily bath products, like q-tips and cotton swabs. I can display them decoratively, and yet still have them handy for every day use. I also use old kitchen jars to store all my pens & pencils, vintage postcards arts & craft supplies, old twine, paper clips and push-pins. They look organized and clutter-free, plus I can always see what I’m looking for through the lovely glass. Glass jars and bottles aren’t just for the recycle bin, they’re wonderful storage containers for an abundance of objects around the house. So, take a good look at your empty glass containers before tossing them, or look for inexpensive vintage finds at your local thrift shops, flea markets, or on eBay.

Terrariums are back in a big way, and artist Kat Geiger makes really unique and beautiful wee gardens under glass. Kat has an upcoming show, this Saturday, April 18 from 2-5pm at Urban Indigo in Oakland. Each of Kat’s terrariums are like little living works of art, miniature gardens planted in re-purposed glass bottles and pretty jars. You can also find Kat’s beautiful terrariums at The Gardener in the San Francisco Ferry Building and in her etsy shop, Green Under Glass. Stop by the show for a peek at Kat’s terrariums, some live music and refreshments.

Urban Indigo
3339 Lakeshore Ave
Oakland, CA 94610
510.419.0451

BoMo (def): Bohemian Modern.

I got this rusty old rolling table at the Former Russian Hill Antiques on Polk Street. It was just $15 buck-a-roos. Again, it has served many purposes: TV table, garden table, a book stand at the foot of my bed. When I find something I like, I just go with it and don’t always know what its ultimate use will be. This nugget’s latest incarnation is my coffee table. I wanted something unique, something one wouldn’t see everywhere. So I had a piece of glass cut for it at my favorite, local glass-cutter man (Star Glass on Pacific @ Polk), lugged the heavy sucker home and da-da!! Coffee Table a la unique. Any kind of unique piece can translate into a cool table once you add the glass. Do be sure and get a nice thick piece – so it’s stable and doesn’t shatter when possible inebriated guests bump into it!