As someone who has never kept a plant alive for more than a few days, the idea of spending an evening carefully crafting a decorative plant terrarium and taking it home to be responsible for it was a bit daunting. But I was enticed by the promise of sangrias—and plants that survive with just one spritz of water a week—so I booked a reservation for myself and two friends for a Tipsy Terrarium workshop at Hinterland Trading.
I wandered in the door with my friend Sarah roughly 10 minutes after the 6 p.m. class, telling her that I hoped this was a late people-friendly kind of place. As we made our way past the shelves lined with gorgeous displays of air plants, succulents and other DIY decor, I was pleasantly surprised to see the fun hadn’t started yet. We walked up to the desk and were directed to choose between a set of small or large terrariums. This being my first time—as someone who is not a particularly crafty person—I chose the set of smaller spheres.
Sarah and I went to our reserved table and met up with my friend Raven, who had arrived on time, and had also picked up the set of large terrariums like some kind of overachieving craft queen. (Raven is one of those creative people with an Etsy store, so I didn’t really feel that bad about myself.) We chatted with our table mates over sangrias as more people trailed in. There were about 30 of us spread out around the craft tables. At around 6:30, Elizabeth Ryan, the owner, greeted us all. She gave us some backstory on our air plants, which hail from Guatemala, and how to care for them. After offering some basic directions and suggestions, she encouraged us to start creating.
In the middle of our table were buckets and jars of all sorts of craft accessories. Aside from the air plants, we were provided with various colors of moss, sand, rocks, shells and artificial plants. For the avid crafter, I imagine, this display looked like a dream. I found it a bit overwhelming at first. I was anticipating a bit more structure, like the step-by-step instruction you usually get at paint and sip nights. But I soon got the hang of it and embraced the freedom to create on my terms. I certainly was not the best at it, and I borrowed some ideas from other people’s projects—but by the end of the hour, I was pleased with my little plant houses. They have made for a simple, fresh addition to my home decor. More importantly, I loved the opportunity my night at Tipsy Terrarium gave me to laugh and create with my friends, and I will absolutely be back again.
Hinterland Trading is located at 172 Central Park Ave., Virginia Beach. Call 757-227-6117 or visit HinterlandTrading.com for information on upcoming workshops.
Chelsea Sherman
