How to make your own Christmas terrarium

• Four same sized photo frames
• Scrap wood such as MDF or ply wood
• Saw and plyers
• Paint brush and pencil and ruler
• Resene Quick Dry
• Resene Lustacryl paint in your choice of colour; Fleur used Resene Half Rice Cake
• Medium and fine grit sandpaper
• Wood glue and hot glue gun

Instructions

Step 1:  You need four photo frames that are the same size. Fleur bought hers for a dollar or two each from a secondhand shop. Disassemble the picture frames. Put aside the glass for later and discard the backing board. Use pliers to remove the metal tabs that hold the backing board in place. Discard these.

Step 2:  Use a medium grit sandpaper to sand down the frames.

Step 3:  Once the paint is dry, lightly sand the paint with fine grit sandpaper. This makes all the difference to the quality of the final paint job, so try not to skip this step! Paint the insides of the frames with Resene Lustacryl in your choice of colour; Fleur used Resene Half Rice Cake. Apply two coats of paint, allowing for the first layer to dry before applying the second layer. Using wood glue, assemble the frames into a cube. It can be helpful to use masking tape to hold it in place while it dries.

Step 4:   Once the glue has dried, do two coats of paint on the outside of the frames with Resene Lustacryl in your choice of colours; Fleur used Resene Half Rice Cake. To make the base, place the frame cube on top of the scrap wood and measure how big you want the base to be. Fleur made hers 5mm wider on each side of the frame cube and used two layers. Cut and sand these. You can give yours a bevelled edge for a more finished look. Use wood glue to glue these together.

Step 5:  Prime the base with Resene Quick Dry, and once dry, lightly sand it with fine grit sandpaper. Paint the base with Resene Lustacryl in your choice of colour; Fleur used Resene Half Rice Cake. Reinsert the glass into the frames, securing in place with a small amount of hot glue in each corner.

Step 6:  Glue the frame cube on to the base using wood glue. Add dacron for snow and other Christmas ornaments.

Styling and images by Fleur Thorpe, 2017.