Halloween DIY: Terror-arium easy haunted terrarium ⋆ Welcome to the Necro Nomnomnomicon

It’s no secret that I really like dead things…which is absolutely appropriate, considering my complete and total lack of skills when it comes to keeping plants alive.

Unfortunately, I really DO like live plants, and always feel bad when I get a new one and end up watching it die a slow and painful death regardless of how well I try to take care of it…which is why this easy DIY terror-arium terrarium project is absolutely perfect for me…and anyone else with a black thumb. While it’s perfectly fine to substitute our faux plants with real ones, for those of us who can’t keep anything alive, this is the DIY for you.

This project is incredibly simple and delivers stunning results, making it a fast and easy way to create a gorgeous bit of greenery or a show-stopping centerpiece with minimal effort.

Of course, I need to let you know that this post does contain affiliate links. For my full disclaimer and more information, click here.

Now let’s get to the fun stuff…making your own terror-arium!

To make your own terror-arium, you will need:

1 terrarium
Craft floral foam or regular foam (dealer’s choice)
Ruler
Scissors
Knife or Exacto blade to carve the foam
Spray glue
Coconut mat (available at your craft store in the floral section or online here)
Hot glue
Fake plants
Dried moss
Dried moss mat
Moss roll (also available at the local craft store)
Plaster skull (here’s a great tutorial on how to cast your own if you want to)
Odds and ends to use to decorate (rocks, toy spiders, etc.)

I love terrariums so when one of my local craft and home shops was closing, I rushed down and scooped up two of them at over 75% off each! Of course, if you don’t have a shop closing down, you can still go check out the local craft stores like Michael’s, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby..and with it being the end of summer season, most have pretty good deals on them! You can also look online or try local floral shops as well.

The first thing you need to do is measure the base of your terrarium on the inside. Use those measurements to cut out your square of craft foam, making sure it fits but that you also leave just under a quarter inch or so of room all around. Whatever you do…do NOT glue your base layer to the bottom of your terrarium…at least not yet. We’ll be pulling it out later for some finishing work.

To create some natural elevation in the terrarium, I like to layer pieces of foam, using either spray glue or hot glue to stick them together, and then carve down the edges.

Make sure you do a small test on a scrap of foam if you’re using spray glue as some solvents can cause the foam to dissolve. Either way, this step should be done outside or in a well-ventilated area to avoid any fumes.

As you’re layering and carving your foam, take the time to occasionally place your skull down so you can see how it looks.

Continue to layer and carve until you’re happy with how it all looks.

Gently remove your carved and stacked foam from inside your terrarium and spray the outer edge with your spray glue (or hot glue.) Using your moss roll, cover the outer edge of your foam all the way around, hiding all the foam from view.

Use your scissors to trim the roll and then use a bit more glue to tack down your loose edges.

Once you’re happy with how hidden your foam edge is, return your foam piece to the interior of the terrarium. Now is the time to glue it down if you decide you want to do that.

Cut your coconut mat to fit the inside of your terrarium and use a layer of spray glue to adhere it to the stacked and carved foam on your base. If you can’t find a coconut mat, you can also substitute brown felt. Don’t worry, we’ll be covering the whole thing later with moss, so it won’t show through.

Use your fingers to press down the coconut mat (or felt), really making sure you accentuate the curves and carved out spots in your foam.

Give your mat a light spritz of spray glue (Do this step carefully! You don’t want to accidentally spray glue all over the glass on the inside of your terrarium…cleaning that off is an absolute nightmare.) and start pressing down your moss mat and dried moss bits, again, following the curves you made in your carved and stacked foam.

Pop your skull back into your terrarium every once in a while, continuing to check that you’re happy with the placement. Highlight your terrarium with bits and pieces of other greenery including small plants, ferns, rocks and twigs…whatever you think looks the best for the final tableau you’re envisioning. I like making bits of my moss creep up the side of my skull so it looks like it’s been sitting there, slowly being absorbed by the greenery around it.