Zen Rock Garden Incense Holder

I love the smell of incense and ever since I found an awesome incense vendor at the Wagon Wheel flea market (selling it for 20 sticks per dollar) I have accumulated a large quantity.  I bought a cheap $1 orange incense holder from him, but wanted something a little more fun.  I’ve also always wanted a little mini zen rock garden, so I decided to combine the ideas into one.

Supplies:

• 2 Sheets of 6″X.25″X12″ Plywood $6
• Decorative River Rocks $4
• Incense Holder $1

Total Cost: $11

Supplies already on hand:

• Super Glue
• Black Enamel Spray Paint
• Jigsaw
• Sand (fresh from the beach!)

Step One: Measure, cut and glue the plywood.  Okay, that’s kind of like 3 steps, but this project is really easy.  No need for me to over-complicate things.  I used one full sheet as the bottom for the box, then used a pen to mark where to cut the other pieces for the sides.  Two long and two short pieces about 1 inch tall did the trick.  The hardest part was gluing the plywood together. My glue was not instant and I kept moving and messing it up while it was drying.

Step Two: Paint the holder.  I chose a black gloss enamel for a polished look.  Two coats and it was looking great.

Step Three: Fill it up.  I bought an incense holder from the dollar store for $1.  I put it at the bottom of the bigger zen holder and covered it with sand, which I got from the beach down the street.  Then I aligned the rocks, placed a stick of incense and ended up with an awesome new holder!