Flowers & Foliage
I source my flowers and foliage from local shops, parks, and my own garden. There are also some that I special order as needed. The drying process takes 2-3 weeks to complete, but I try to keep roughly the same items on hand so it’s easy to custom order if you’d like specific flowers or foliage!
1. Baby’s Breath: sincerity, purity and love
2. Red Fern: passion, reproduction and friendships budding into romance
3. Orange Baby’s Breath: joy and optimism
4. Orange Roses: fascination, enthusiasm, desire and energy
5. Eucalyptus: strength, protection and abundance
6. Wheat Stalks: fertility, bounty and resurrection
7. Wheatgrass: affluence, health and beauty
8. White Rabbit Tails: innocence, purity, childbirth and new beginnings
9. Poppy Pod: restful sleep, recovery and dreaming
10. White Limonium: sympathy and remembrance
11. Star Flowers: good luck and harmony
12. Oat Grass: good health, nutrition and improvement
13. Valentine’s Grass: powerful bond, friendship, prosperity and longevity
14. Papaver Shirley: beauty, magic and eternal life
15. Nigella: harmony and love
16. Lavender: silence, serenity, grace and calmness
Not pictured here: Preserved Forest Moss: renewal, resilience and interconnectedness of all living things.
Gemstones
I frequent many markets and local shops that sell gemstones. For stones that particularly call to me and are smaller, I’ll try to incorporate those into the themes of my terrariums. If you’d like to request a specific stone, I will do what I can to obtain it and use it in your custom order! Or, if you have a meaningful stone you’d like me to include, you can send it into me and I’ll work it into the terrarium. I don’t keep a catalogue of gems that I have on hand since it changes so frequently, but you’ll find in each terrarium there is typically at least one gemstone being used. As with my other materials, I try to only shop at sustainable businesses, and especially ones who reliably sell real gemstones.
Candles & Containers
Most of my terrariums are assembled in glass containers from used candles. Either ones that I have purchased myself, or that other people have bought where that glass would have otherwise gone in the trash. The candles I do buy come from local shops in and around Austin, Texas. I research to the best of my abilities to find the candle makers in this area who use sustainable and safe materials and methods (mainly those who create soy based candles). By buying locally I'm helping to cut back on their shipping and packaging, and in turn this cuts down on my own footprint as a business.
I do use containers that did not start out as candles, but these come from various different people and places. Basically, if it’s between throwing a container out, or repurposing it into a terrarium, I’ll always choose the latter!
Leftover Wax
After the wick of a candle is completely burned out, there’s usually still some wax leftover on the walls of the container, or at the very bottom. I will melt the remaining wax with hot water, then wait for it to cool and harden in a smooth layer on top of the water. Once cool, I cut it up into smaller pieces and use those pieces in my wax melting pot where the rest of the fragrance is burned off. What I’m left with is a pure form of wax that I can throw in my compost bin. Note: I only do this with the soy candles I buy since paraffin wax is not compostable. If I have leftover wax from a paraffin candle, I’ll try and use it for another project as opposed to throwing it in the trash.
Rocks & Pebbles
I source the rocks and pebbles that I use from local parks. The environment I live in can be quite rocky with plenty of natural limestone which breaks away and crumbles easily into smaller pieces. Those pieces are organically scattered around, so they’re easy to collect in a little jar while I’m on my morning walks. This is one of my favorite parts of the process! I don’t need many rocks or pebbles to begin with, but I do try and take them from different spots so that I’m not disturbing the ecosystem in any given area.
Paper & Misc. Products
I try not to use many paper towels or other paper products. For example, when I clean the glasses out I use a rag with non-toxic glass cleaner. For washing the rags I do end up using, I use detergent from a certified B-Corp, sustainably driven company (Dropps).
When ordering materials, I select the most eco-friendly shipping and packaging available. I also purchase packing materials that are recycled and recyclable.
Admittedly, there are a few products I use to assemble my terrariums that are not the most sustainable (like super glue for example). I’m constantly trying different products to see what will be able to garner the results I’m looking for, while being as sustainable as possible. I believe working towards and achieving the most sustainable practices is my responsibility as a business owner and I want my customers to know that their voting dollars are going towards a healthier planet. I'll continue to update this page as I improve my methods and materials.