Easy Dollar Store Terrarium with Faux Plants

Terrariums are coming back in style, with their old-fashioned aesthetic and an easy way to grow plants.

If you are like me, though, I can’t grow a plant in a terrarium. I don’t know why!

Which is why these faux plant terrariums are great to make. They look like real terrariums without any of the stress of growing real plants!

A butcher block base with a white shiplap background shows three finished terrariums with black and white ribbon.

We used Dollar Tree supplies and repurposed water bottles to make the cutest terrariums that will look cute on a shelf or a window sill. Or put them on our DIY display pedestal.

These cute pots are very similar to our felt succulent plants in mini pots.

You might also like our easy DIY faux terra cotta pots from Dollar Tree plastic planters!

How to Make Dollar Store Terrariums

Supplies

Clay pots, 2.5″
Mini faux cactus plants
Gingham ribbon
Mini water bottles, 8 oz.
Natural jute twine
Glue gun and glue sticks or craft glue
Brown shredded paper strips
Wine corks

Ingredients needed for dollar store terrarium.

Instructions

Step One

Remove the labels and cut off the plastic rings around the neck of three water bottles.

Wash and thoroughly dry the plastic water bottles.

Cut the top portion of the bottles off at the the first indentation.

The tops of two cut plastic bottles on a wooden table with orange handled scissors.

Step Two

Push one wine cork into each of the water bottle tops.

Wrap the natural jute twine around the neck of each plastic water bottle several times, tying with a knot to secure.

Trim any long ends of the twine off with scissors.

On a rustic wooden background, three plastic bottles with corks are being wrapped with a spool of twine.

Step Three

Remove the faux cactus stemfrom its pot. Add some of the brown crinkle paper around the base of the cactus underneath the leaves.

Then glue the cactus back into the pot. Repeat with the other two faux cactus.

Alternatively, you can use other types of faux plant stems. Put a piece of styrofoam inside the clay pot. Then layer on the crinkle paper and insert a plastic plant stem on top.

Succulent plants displayed in levels of in pot with foam, out of foam, and placed back into the foam nestled in brown crinkle paper with hot glue gun placed next to it.

Step Four

Put the faux cactus pots into the terra cotta clay pots. Push the pots down until they are snug in the clay pots to secure.

Put a plastic bottle terrarium on top of each of the clay pots. Try to tuck in all of the shredded brown paper. If any is sticking out, trim it off with scissors.