This is about as dirt-cheap of an idea as they come. Hikaru dorodango is the Japanese process of turning mud into perfect polished spheres, a green idea for home decoration featured recently in Craft 'zine that only requires dirt, water, a plastic bag, a soft cloth and a bit of patience. Depending upon the mud you use, you can create white, black, and even red polished spheres. How fun would it be to travel across the nation (or globe) and make a collection of spheres from the soil of your travel destinations? For instruction of how to make your own hikaru dorodango, check out Bruce Gardner's excellent how-to site.
Definately looks better than the jars and baggies of sand I've collected. Haven't yet figured out a fun/unique/attractive way to display those yet.
view oceandreamer56's profile
I put my buttons in plain glass herb jars in a clear acrylic holder. It would work for sand as well.
view ebrown's profile
Except for that whole thing about not being allowed to transport dirt internationally...
view Akino luna's profile
O.M.G. What a great post.
When I was a kid, it was a tossup between being a decorator, an entomologist or a geologist, and although my bug collections long ago turned to dust--thanks to other bugs so small I couldn't even see them--I still have dozens and dozens of jars of soil samples that I've been hauling around for the last 4O years. At last, there's a way to make them pull their own aesthetic weight at my place. Now all I gotta do is remember where I stashed all of them. This is so cool. Post of the year!
view magnaverde's profile
Ebrown - thanks for that idea. I'd actually been considering trying to find one of those old wood 2-3 tiered spice racks. That was the only solution I could come up with to contain the collection.
view oceandreamer56's profile
magnaverde: please share your creations once you've made some of your own!
view aquietevolution's profile
What's the deal with "not transporting dirt internationally"?
Last year I met a former Marine Corps officer who had an awesome collection from some of the most sacred soil there is (to a Marine).
He had jars labeled Tarawa, Iwo Jimo, etc. He said he collected the dirt himself. He had one heck of a museum in his attic. Even had a manikin dressed in a vintage WWII Marine Corps uniform.
Right now he's in Iraq, called up out of retirement and given no choice. I often wonder if he's collected any dirt from there.
view boomer's profile