How to Make a DIY Terrarium Using Old Picture Frames

Give your ferns, orchids, and other hothouse plants a lovely place to call home with this craft project. Made from picture frames, the glass house does require some work—and at least a few free hours—but the result produces a Victorian-style indoor oasis.

Remove the backs and glass from eight frames (four 5" x 7", two 8" x 10", and two 11" x 14"). Lightly sand each frame's surface.

Align an 11" x 14" with an 8" x 10" frame as shown. Drill one hole near the top and one near the bottom, through the larger frame and halfway into the smaller; screw together. (The screws you use should correspond with your drill bit. We suggest a 3/32" bit and #6 x ½" wood screws.) Repeat with other 11" x 14" and 8" x 10" frames.

Arrange the two L's you've created as shown. Attach them to each other using the same method described in Step 2 to form the terrarium's base.

Place two 5" x 7" frames facedown. Align a 2" mending plate at each end of the frames, as shown. Drill pilot holes and secure with screws. Repeat with the two remaining frames.

Align the two sets of 5" x 7" frames as shown. Attach a corner bracket inside each end of the eave, using the method described in Step 4.

Line the resulting roof up with the base, as shown. Place two 1" utility hinges, spaced evenly apart, over the joint where the pieces meet. Drill holes and screw together.

Trace the inside of an eave on paper. Cut out, and trace the resulting triangle onto a piece of ½"-thick plywood. Repeat; then cut the wood.

Fit the cut wood into each end of the roof. Attach by predrilling holes from the outside of the roof into the triangles and securing with screws.

Wearing gloves for safety, smooth wood filler over the terrarium's exterior, filling in the joints and covering the screw holes. Let dry for several hours; then lightly sand.

Paint the piece white. For a distressed finish, apply a dark furniture polish over the paint after it dries. Let sit for a few minutes; then buff off.

Replace the glass from the bottom up. Place hot glue in the corners of each frame, pop the pane in, and run glue around each frame's inside edge.

Lift the terrarium's lid to fit your favorite plants inside. Set by a sunny window and admire how your mini garden grows.