Mossy little surprises

Happy Earth Day everyone! It's still pretty cold here, but I have been getting out the past few days and getting in touch with the earth and plants as much as possible. When there isn't much growing out there, it makes you pay even closer attention to what you can find.

And I had to pay some really close attention, because what was out there was tiny. I need to share another view of this moss, because it's just so fantastic. This is like a whole miniature landscape.

This next photo was taken inside a flower pot. I'm not sure what we're looking at in front of the moss here. I'll have to keep an eye on that and see what grows. But whatever we're looking at here is a whole lot smaller in real life. The little greenery here is sandwiched between a plastic water bottle and what I'd call a regular size rock. So yeah, pretty small! This little combination of growing something reminds me of an undersea plant or creature.

These next three are moss creatures in my mind. If you put tiny googly eyes on them, I think it would be a fun take on that Christopher Walken sketch on SNL. For those who don't remember, I found a bit of it set to music: Googly Walken

And these are so soft!

I love this little guy. Put him in a miniature trash can, and he's a mini Oscar the Grouch. The wheels in my mind are turning here... If I can find a tiny trash can, I might just transplant him into it. Or maybe just a small tin can could work.

These next pics again appear much larger than reality. It was one of those things where I didn't even know the details that were there until seeing my photos.

They're like miniature flower shapes, aren't they?

This lichen isn't moss but it seemed to fit with the other photos. It has that repetitive growth pattern. It's going to town on a tree here.

And you can't get more earthy than rocks. This rock was a fun find, because there are some fossil shapes on it.

It looks like a sea shell, doesn't it? And I really like how it looks on that weathered wood.

Back to the moss, I was doing some interesting reading about "Moss People". This is new to me: Moss People Wiki Page

This is worth a read, especially if you're into some German fairy folklore. I would normally have thought of this as more an Irish thing, so this was a surprise.

I hope you guys had a nice Earth Day and had a chance to get out there. I also hope you have better weather than we do! Would you believe it snowed here a little last night? Oh well, the moss seems happy. 😊

My little cabin in the woods

After seeing quite a few cute Halloween terrariums online, I decided to make one for myself. I headed off to Dollar Tree to get a little round fishbowl type container and some natural/spray painted moss. The container I bought was small, with only a 3.5" opening. I quickly realized that I wouldn't have room for much more than the moss in this container!

Still, it was cool and only cost $1.00. I next went to a JoAnn's Fabrics/Crafts store in hopes of finding a much wider container. I found a wide bowl that only cost a few bucks after a lucky sale and a coupon. This container has a 6.5" opening. That sure beats 3.5"!

I had been thinking of building a little graveyard scene, but that idea seemed sad as I started assembling it. I decided it would be more fun to build a little house in this swampy scene and have some creepy thing stalking around it. Plus, I could have a light element. I gave some thought to what could be the source of light and decided the easiest thing to use would be a battery operated tea light candle. I measured the candle and built a house frame out of cardboard. The little cabin ended up being essentially free since I used an empty Kleenex box.

 

After measuring and bending it to my specifications, I stapled it together. Then I got to adding the little "logs" to the exterior. The logs are .25" high and 2" long, for anyone who is wondering. I put some Elmer's glue on the walls and started adding my logs. I did the same for the roof. After these pieces dried, I textured a little acrylic paint over the whole thing. I was going for a wood-like effect, and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!

 

The little candle adds a nice glow from inside.

After making my little cabin, I decided the scene needed some trees. I looked online for tutorials on how to make miniature trees and found this simple, instructive video:



How about that? You can make your own little birch trees from twigs you've found! Here are mine:

I kept them sturdy by sticking them in some floral foam.

There are plenty of other tree making tutorials online, but some require tools and more supplies. Most of these tutorials seem to be for model makers.

All in all, this project ended up costing around $3.00 (not including the cost of a Kleenex box and the floral foam and paint I already had). Some additions will probably be made to the scene as Halloween approaches. I think it would be fun to add a little werewolf behind the trees. I like that I can decorate the cabin for different holidays.

As for the little round glass bowl, I considered Modge-Podging some orange tissue paper in it. I ended up liking the tissue I placed in there with no glue. I like that this is temporary, so I can add different colors for different occasions. I think a number of these glowing orbs could look cool lining a walkway or a table for a party.

I wish you could see the candle flickering inside, because that really adds something. The glass takes on the look of a round flame. You could also put some fake flowers in the top and have a glowing vase.

I had a lot of fun decorating these glass containers. I had to stretch my skills to work small. Even with the larger container, my terrarium is busting at the seams! I'm happy to have learned how to make little birch trees and I know I will go on to make more cardboard houses in the future.