Pottery Barn Hack

by Kimba on March 16, 2011

I love getting my Pottery Barn catalog in the mail. I always find inspiration. If only someone would send me the “Lots of Spare Time” catalog. But I nearly always see something that I want to try and hack.

Sometimes the best things to hack out of the Pottery Barn catalog (or any catalog for that matter) are the things that aren’t even for sale. They’re the things that are in the backgrounds of those perfectly decorated pages.

For example, these gorgeous terrariums that Pottery Barn shows inside their Pickling Jars. Now, the jars are for sale (for between $139-$179. YIKES!) but they don’t come with those beautiful plants and such inside them.

I decided to create my own PB-esque terrarium inside my own container. Of course my jar was a steal from Marshalls at $9.00.

My jar is about 9″ across and 10″ tall, so there’s plenty of room for terrarium-type stuff. I put a layer of stones on the bottom so there would be some drainage when I overwater it. Then a layer of potting soil and a cute plant that I picked up at IKEA. Of course, any garden center will have something similar.

Before I say another word, I have to give a big virtual-hug to my hubby. At this point in the process, he walked in the door from a 4-day trip and saw my big mess on the kitchen island. His exact words to me? “Some husbands might ask why there is a huge bag of potting soil on the kitchen island.” Then he gave me a hug. How can you not love that man?

After I got the plant in place, it was time to fill in with some natural-type stuff that I had around the house…rocks from the mailbox bed, wood and bark from the wood pile, reindeer moss from another project.

There’s no science to it. Just start putting stuff in there until it looks good. Then call it done.

I am so in love with my Pottery Barn hack terrarium. It’s adding a little life to my entryway right now, but I think it will end up being a spring centerpiece.

Have you hacked anything lately?

Have you checked out Knock-Off Decor yet? This fabulous site features the best knock-off projects from your favorite stores and designers. You rock, Beckie!

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{ 24 comments }

1 Ever - The red house by the lake March 16, 2011 at 8:14 am: Love that!

When I was a child we used to do similiar things just before christmas – creating little landscapes with moss and stones and then putting figures in it. It always looked nice, but these are even nicer.

I think there are a nice glass container at IKEA that would be perfect for this kind of project. I will have to check it out.
2 Katie March 16, 2011 at 8:55 am: I’ve a few glass vases that I put different things in depending on the season. I especially love it in cold weather when we can’t go outside…or on the first warm day or first snow day calling us outside and we decline as my sweet toddler inevitibly has a fever or a cold. Its always nice to bring a little outside inside.
3 Aura March 16, 2011 at 9:15 am: I’m always scouring the little background details of their photos for inspiration! I’ve been doing a lot of vases filled with branches, blooms, and terrariums, lately. I posted a few pictures on my blog if you’re interested in seeing.
4 Aura March 16, 2011 at 9:16 am: Oops, I left the wrong address. Too early in the morning for my brain to work:

http://aurajoon.blogspot.com
Aura´s last blog ..What Ive been working on
5 Jessica @ Sew Homegrown March 16, 2011 at 9:23 am: I copycat a lot of things – it’s one of my favorite things to do, mainly because I have expensive taste and no money….I love Anthropologie, West Elm, Pottery Barn and more Just found your site and I’m enjoying it!
xo
jessica
Jessica @ Sew Homegrown´s last blog ..You dont like meatIts ok- Ill make Lamb
6 Heather R. March 16, 2011 at 9:25 am: I have been eyeing those in the PB catalog as well…but like you I am still waiting on that “Lots of Spare Time” calatog Yours turned out lovely…and definitely a much better price tag!
7 anh March 16, 2011 at 9:56 am: great terrarium!
anh´s last blog ..laissez les bon temps rouler! happy mardi gras!
8 Gina March 16, 2011 at 10:05 am: I haven’t hacked anything lately, but I love the idea of the terrarium. Live plants, inside my house, that maybe the cat couldn’t get to if it had a narrower opening or a lid…hmmm…
9 Dana @ Cooking At Cafe D March 16, 2011 at 10:45 am: It’s great!
I too scour the backgrounds of the PB catalog – looking for inspiration (to knock-off.)

And, yep, that hubby’s a keeper. Mine walks in the door with a plastic grocery sack of gifts for me- cool bark, rose hip buds, robin eggs, banana seed pods – and it’s like Christmas!
Dana @ Cooking At Cafe D´s last blog ..Chia Granny and Take a Spring Fling!
10 Heather R. March 16, 2011 at 11:00 am: I hope it is okay but I just couldn’t resist sharing your Hack on my blog. I linked it back to you of course.
11 Libby@Light of the Home March 16, 2011 at 11:05 am: Kimba, looks great! I have several of these glass globes, cylinder thingies. Definitely want to try this out.
12 Joy March 16, 2011 at 12:26 pm: Your posting today brought back memories of my mom making similar terrariums. She had little Wade Elves that she mixed in with the little plants, moss, rocks, sand and soil, along with little bits of driftwood from summer beach holidays. Thank you for the memories today.
Joy
13 Jodi (The Simply Inspired Home) March 16, 2011 at 2:16 pm: I love this idea!!! That reminds me that here in B.C Canada we have so much moss in our yard! I suppose it would hold up in the house?

Thanks for sharing this wonderful spring project!!!
14 Liz March 16, 2011 at 2:29 pm: I love the terrarium. I’ve been meaning to make one for about, oh two years now.
My husband and I hacked a whole Pottery Barn cabinet a while ago: http://justabouthome.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/pottery-barn-wine-bar-and-kegerator-inspiration-to-actuality/
15 ~K @ Vintage Skye March 16, 2011 at 2:40 pm: Love me some PB hacks! You did good!
~K @ Vintage Skye´s last blog ..Join Me In My Living Room Dreams Redo
16 info@thriftcore.com March 16, 2011 at 4:45 pm: Your version came out beautiful, love it!
17 Rose :: FineCraftGuild.com March 16, 2011 at 6:08 pm: what a great hack. and you are so right, what is inspirational to you is not always what is for sale, but rather, what captures your spark of imagination. you did real good with this, and your photos are wonderful also. well taken.
18 Brooke @ Inside-Out Design March 16, 2011 at 6:38 pm: I love hacking stuff!! My latest was a picture that I spotted at West Elm- I loved it so I ran home and recreated it! Your terrarium is so pretty. And I love your husband’s response to the mess!
19 Leighann Marquiss March 16, 2011 at 6:49 pm: Love this idea. Thanks!!
20 Michelle @ Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie Dust March 16, 2011 at 10:38 pm: So pretty! You did a great job. I agree that Pottery Barn is so inspiring. When I go to their store, I’m pretty sure I hear angels sing.

Warmly, Michelle
Michelle @ Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie Dust´s last blog ..A Tsunami of Prayers &amp Preparation for Us All
21 Lynne March 17, 2011 at 9:39 am: Everything old is new again…we made terrariums in the 70′s…it’s fun to see them in the home decor for front once again! Nice hacking, Kimba!
*Lynne*
22 Bev March 20, 2011 at 10:12 am: I don’t know that I’ve ever ordered a single thing from the PB catalogue, but I pour over it, circling all sorts of crazy stuff, like you said, that isn’t on sale. Love this and will be copying it for my kitchen table!
23 Lesley @ TheDesignFile March 20, 2011 at 3:50 pm: Yours looks better than the catalog and has me completely inspired. Great idea!
Lesley @ TheDesignFile´s last blog ..Sunday roundup- An art studio- fur chair &amp more
24 Julie {Angry Julie Monday} March 23, 2011 at 10:46 am: This is a great idea, and honestly, I like yours better.
Julie {Angry Julie Monday}´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday- Angry Kid- Then and Now