DIY Pumpkin Terrarium from a Dome Clock
You guys! I’m having a fan-girl moment over here because today, I am teaming up with Country Living Magazine and 14 super talented bloggers to kick off the first annual Pumpkin Palooza! (Fellow pumpkin spice lovers, feel free to freak out with me now. And anti-PSL peeps, it’s okay; I won’t force-feed you pumpkin, I pinky promise.)
If you’re visiting from Craftberry Bush or House By Hoff, welcome! And be sure to check out all of the pretty pumpkin-y projects at the bottom of this post.
If you’ve followed this blog for longer than a day, you probably know it wouldn’t be a Bless’er House craft project without some kind of thrift flip. I love seeing the potential of cast-off items out there.
One of the things I love collecting is dome clocks because they’re so versatile throughout the seasons, depending on what you put in them. And this time around, I decided to turn this dusty, broken clock into a DIY pumpkin terrarium.
Supplies used: (Affiliate links are included below. For more information, see my full disclosure here.)
- Dome clock (You can find lots on eBay, but I picked mine up for about $5 from Goodwill.)
- Wrenches to fit the clock’s nuts/screws
- Coarse sandpaper
- Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Coco
- Annie Sloan Soft Wax in Dark
- Chip brush or paint brush
- Sheet moss
- Small pumpkins (I picked mine up in the produce section of Walmart.)
The Steps:
I took the glass dome off first, cleaned it, and set it off to the side.
On the bottom of the clock, I used my wrenches to remove the nuts from the screws.
Easy peasy dismantled clock.
I gave the whole clock base a quick once-over with the coarse sandpaper to rough it up a bit, wiped off the dust, and brushed on two coats of the Annie Sloan Coco Chalk Paint.
Once the paint was dry, I brushed on the dark wax and immediately wiped it off with a clean, lint-free rag.
After the wax was dry, I placed in my sheet moss and pumpkins and put the dome back on top. Done!
It’s so adorable I can hardly stand it! And it reminds me so much of these 1920s French glass cloches from Restoration Hardware.
Once Christmas rolls around, I’ll probably put in some evergreen or a little snow village scene. But woah. I’m getting ahead of myself.
I’ll be sharing the tutorial on how to make that pumpkin patch sign soon too. UPDATE: You can check out the DIY pumpkin patch sign tutorial here!
What do you think? Are you loving it as much as I am? I’ll probably give those pumpkins a quick bleach treatment so that they’ll last well through Thanksgiving.
If you have a pumpkin creation of your own, be sure to share it on Instagram using the hashtag #OctoberPumpkinPalooza! We’ll be choosing a few to feature throughout the week along with Country Living Magazine.
You can check out all of the pumpkin-y fun over on these other blogs from yesterday and later in the week.
Monday
Cherished Bliss | Live Laugh Rowe | Paint Me Pink
Tuesday
Blesser House | House By Hoff | Craftberry Bush
Wednesday
Setting For Four | Little Glass Jar | Anderson + Grant
Thursday
Meadow Lake Road| At The Picket Fence | Thistlewood Farms
Friday
Tidbits | Dandelion Patina | Rustic and Woven
If you’re still craving more fall decor ideas, you can check out yesterday’s post for How to Decorate for Fall on a Budget.
Now, are you totally fall decored out yet? I think I’m officially done. We’ll be making our way back to the DIY scene next week. So ready to bust out some power tools and paint brushes!
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Girl, you are like the queen of flipping thrift store finds into some beautiful things! I love love love this because it is so creative! You are impressive my friend. So glad we get to work together so much! XOXO!
Thanks, girl! I love so much of what you do too. Can’t wait for Thursday!
I love doing this…I always get looks from the cashiers at the thriftstores when I say…I don’t need the clock…I’m just taking the dome. I don’t usually keep the base though…maybe I’ll start. xo
Haha! If I had a dollar for every time I got a funny look in a thrift store. 😉 I love how you style yours, Lucy. You have so much talent!
This is just TOO darn clever, Lauren! I adore your pumpkin terrarium and the amazing sign behind it! Love, love, love! I’m so happy to be in this series with you! 🙂
Thank you so much, April! I’ve loved being a part of this series with you too. Your mantel styling is beautiful!
Oh I just LOVE this so much Lauren!! What a clever idea and it looks beautiful as part of that gorgeous fall table display. So fun to be part of the palooza with you this week!
P.S. My daughter’s name is Lauren. <3
Thank you so much, Vanessa! I’m so thrilled to be a part of the palooza with you too! Good name choice for your daughter. 😉
What a clever idea. 🙂 Best use of a thrift store find ever!
Happy day friend!
karianne
Thank you, KariAnne! Hope you have a happy day too, friend! 🙂
That is fantastic! I love terrariums, but I never thought of using an old clock. Well done 🙂
Thanks, Anastasia! It’s so fun to change it out with the seasons too. 🙂
Love this! I think I have an old dome clock like this tucked away in a closet. I’m usually smarter than that. LOL I’ll have to pull it out and see what I can do with it.
LOL Pull that cute little clock out! There are so many things you can do with it. I search for them all the time in thrift stores.
I love this idea! It turned out so cute!!! Your whole display is lovely, Lauren!!
Thank you so much, Tonya!
Such a genius idea! It’s beautiful and I love that you can switch it up on a whim! Great job!
Thank you, Samantha!
Super cute and clever, friend!!
Thanks, Kelly! xo
So adorable and clever! Love your sign too- all so fall festive!
Thank you, Heather! I love how your table setting turned out too!
Tell me more about this bleach treatment! I already have gourds that have black spots on them! 🙁
Ohhhh it’s awesome! I just found it surfing around Pinterest one day. Here’s the link: http://creativecaincabin.com/2014/09/preserve-pumpkins-decorating/
This is simply adorable! Love, love, love it all!
Thank you, Norma!
Lauren, what a genius idea!! I am totally going to be on the lookout for those done clocks now at thrift stores!! Nicely done, girl 🙂
Thanks, friend! I stay on the lookout for them at thrift stores all the time too. You can never have enough. 😉
Lauren, very cute! Your styling is impeccable. Thank you for joining us at Pumpkin Palooza!
Thank you so much for having me, Michelle! It’s been so fun.
Love your whole display, Lauren. Really beautiful! I never would have guessed that the base of the cloche was the metal clock base.
Thanks, Jamie! I use that coco chalk paint / dark wax combo on everything that I want to make look like weathered wood. It’s the bomb-diggity. 😉
This is absoutely adorable. I love the repurposing here.
Thank you, Mary!
It’s pumpkin time! YAY! Love this adorable pumpkin terrarium! Adding a dome clock to my Goodwill wish list.
Hope you are dry and safe! Praying for those in Columbia.
~ Ashley
Thank you, Ashley! And oh my gosh! I was JUST thinking about you the other day and wondered how you were doing! Is your house okay?! So scary down there!
Hey Lauren,
I saw a Christmas snow scene in a thrifted clock last year during the holidays and looked for one at the thrift store for awhile, but to no avail, and then I forgot about it…. But oh my goodness….I LOVE the pumpkin one you created and am definitely on the hunt for one now!!! Thanks for sharing – can’t wait to see the tutorial on the sign, too!
Have a great week!
Lanita
Yes! Love the Christmas ones! I don’t see them at the thrift store that often either, but when I do, I snap them up. So you can blame me if you’re never able to find one. I guess I need to start leaving them for other people. 😉
So cute! How clever to give that old clock a new life.You are so creative Lauren!
Thank you, Karen! You’re super creative yourself, friend!