Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds [Paperback]

Amy Bryant Aiello (Author), Kate Bryant (Author), Kate Baldwin (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2011

A terrarium is nothing less than a miniature world — one that you can create yourself. It might be a tiny rainforest, with lush foliage and bright tropical flowers. Or a desert, with strange succulents planted among colorful stones. Or a Victorian fernery. Or a minimalist composition with a single, perfect plant.

Or it might not contain any plants at all. It might be made with crystals, feathers, bones, seashells, bits of wood, porcelain trinkets — anything that catches your fancy and helps create a mood or look. Whatever they contain, terrariums are the ultimate in modern, affordable, easy-care décor.

Terrarium Craft features fifty original designs that you can re-create or use as inspiration for your own design. Each entry comes with clear step-by-step directions on how to assemble and care for your terrarium. You’ll also find helpful information about selecting a container, using appropriate materials, choosing the right plants, and maintaining your terrarium. (Hint: It’s easy! In fact, many terrariums are self-sustaining, requiring no maintenance whatsoever!)

If you’ve always wanted to have a bit of nature in your own home, without the worry and labor of a garden, this book will show you exactly how to create your own unique, enchanting world. aste and style.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Simple growing tips and chic design know-how in an easy-to-follow, lovely-to-read format. Creating your own terrarium will definitely be next on your crafty to-do list.”

(Dwell )

Recommended for indoor gardeners and crafters alike. (Bonnie Poquette Library Journal )

Spark[s] your creativity and inspire[s] you to make your own magical little glass world. (SharingNaturesGarden.com )

Crafty brown thumbs will appreciate the projects. (CTLPerformingArts.com )

Original and fun [with] tons of “why didn’t I think of that?” ideas. (Fresh Home )

These terrarium projects will be perfect for next fall/winter when I can’t get outside to play in the garden! (Danger Garden Blog )

Stunning projects. (West Coast Crafty )

Terrariums are back, but in much more stylish forms than their aquarium-type predecessors. (Akron Beacon Journal )

“The how-to projects in this creative book represent how much you can do with a container.” (The Oregonian )

Terrarium Craft earned our admiration not only because of the elegance of design by Aiello and photos by Kate Baldwin, but also for the clarity brought to step-by-step instructions. (The Oregonian )

a bevy of beautiful designs. The trouble will be choosing just one. The solution: Do several. (The Oregonian )

"Terrarium Craft will provide examples of how to turn a common houseplant into a striking showpiece." (Washington Gardener )

About the Author

Amy Bryant Aiello spent her early childhood wandering around the forests and wetlands of Minnesota's Woodlake Nature Center, where her dad worked as a naturalist. Inspired by lessons gleaned in plants, animals, and the natural world, as well as the artists of her mother's family, Amy went on to study photography and installation art at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Amy and her husband are the owners of Artemisia, a popular Portland, Oregon, boutique specializing in terrariums, indoor gardens, and fine art. Amy's terrariums are one-of-a-kind botanical worlds that are created with a palette of living plants, natural materials, and personal objects.

Kate Baldwin lives and gardens in Portland, Oregon. She has contributed to gardening books, newspapers, and magazines including Portland Monthly, where her column, Dig, and gardening blog, Plantwise, appear.

Kate Bryant blends her love of writing and gardening in her work, having contributed to gardening books including the two-volume Flora encyclopedia and newspapers such as The Oregonian. She has also contributed to lifestyle magazines such as Portland Monthly, in which her column and gardening blog, Plantwise, appear.

Kate has worked in plant nurseries and volunteered for community garden projects, urban tree plantings, and local Master Gardener programs. She has also collected plants and gardened on several continents. Kate runs a garden design, maintenance, and consulting business focusing on sustainable landscapes, edibles, and container gardens in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press; First Edition edition (May 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604692340
• ISBN-13: 978-1604692341
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 0.6 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Technique > Container Gardening
  • #73 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Crafts & Hobbies

More About the Author

Amy Bryant Aiello spent her early childhood wandering around the forests and wetlands of Minnesota's Woodlake Nature Center, where her dad worked as a naturalist. Inspired by lessons gleaned in plants, animals, and the natural world--and the artists of her mother's family--Amy went on to study photography and installation art at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Amy and her husband are the owners of Artemisia (www.artemisiaon28th.com), a popular Portland, Oregon, boutique specializing in terrariums, indoor gardens, and fine art. Amy's terrariums are one-of-a-kind botanical worlds that are created with a palette of living plants, natural materials, and personal objects.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty from Found Materials October 22, 2011

By tmtrvlr

Format:Paperback

My love for terrariums goes back to the 1970s when those large, spaceship-style plastic orbs were so popular. Terrarium Craft by Amy Bryant Aiello and Kate Bryant is a wonderful book that has inspired me to bring some updated terrariums back into my home.

What I liked most about the book is that that the authors' creations are from found materials. Instead of expensive Wardian cases, this book shows how to create beautiful scenes from a variety of glass objects you may have around the house or something you will be able to pick up at a thrift store.

The authors provide good instructions for choosing containers and the proper planting materials to provide for a healthy environment for added plants. There are many pages of inspiration for natural and unique materials to add beauty and charm to the desired scene. Plants and mosses are also explained. There are full-page sized photographs of most of the designs.

I especially appreciate the photographs that show step-by-step how to assemble the terrarium. There are 50 terrarium projects with a list of contents and instructions for assembly. They are divided into four groups based on inspiration - Forest, Beach, Desert, and Fantasy. If you are not a plant person, some of these are so pretty that you don't need to add plants! Just in case you don't have time to hunt and gather supplies, there is a list of resources to purchase a variety of plants, mosses, and décor.

This is a wonderful book for inspiration and instructions for creating terrariums. It would also make a nice gift book.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Feast for the Imagination! June 3, 2011

By K. Houlton

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this book - I keep picking it up and dreaming of what I might create from it - very inspiring! It takes you through all the steps in creating different kinds of terrariums, and is full of terrific photos. It is one of those wonderful books that you can lose yourself in and whets the imagination. You'll never look at a jar or vase the same way again! Truly fascinating little universes!!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but not much else May 8, 2012

By bookingit

Format:Paperback

This book really is something to look at, but doesn't offer a whole lot more.

Based on the other reviews here, it seems that most of the other readers were happy with this book as a 'coffee table' book. (Although the size, binding, and general quality of the book does not lend itself to this purpose.) If you are looking for a beautiful book to flip through you will not be disappointed. If however, you are looking for a craft or (dare I say) gardening book with the practical how-tos on how to create living terrariums look somewhere else.

Most of the arrangements in this book are purely fanciful. To recreate them look you will need a bevy of hard to locate specialized decorative materials and even then your creation will not be destined to live very long. (To her credit the author does give a sort of disclaimer at the front of the book that "terrariums are not forever", actually you can keep a terrarium for some time, if it is designed to meet the needs to the plants, which these are not.)