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You are here: Home / STYLE / How to create your own DIY upcycled planter in under 30 minutes

How to create your own DIY upcycled planter in under 30 minutes

March 29, 2018 by Molly 9 Comments

DIY upcycled planter

Ever since I did my first upcycle job turning a bunch of old jam jars into candle holders for my university dorm room, I’ve been hooked on the idea of upcycling. Before I throw anything out I’ll always see if there’s a way I can give it a new lease of life, and some of my favourite home pieces are upcycled ones with a history (particularly my grandma’s old rocking chair, in the girls’ bedroom)…

Something I don’t do as much of though, is upcycle brand new things. Which is exactly what Wayfair challenged me to do for a recent project. The brief: create a DIY design on a planter from Wayfair, to give it a completely new and unique look. We’ve got quite a few plants and flowers around the house – they definitely make up a huge part of our decorating style – but none of these sit in upcycled planters. So it was about time I gave it a go…

I chose this fairly plain glazed planter by Bel Étage, in an ivory colour. It was pretty already, although the lack of colour meant it didn’t really stand out in our colourful downstairs dining area. I liked the idea of doing a colour block effect using chalk paint we had left-over from when we painted the dining chairs, to tie the pot in with the turquoise accents in the room.

Here’s what I did…

Equipment:

DIY upcycled planter materials

Literally all you need to do this colour block effect is a roll of masking tape, scissors, tape measure and some chalk paint (or you could use spray paint instead).

What to do:

The first thing to do is to create a shape with your masking tape. I wanted a single stripe running around the pot, so I measured three inches down and put a strip of masking tape around the pot, before adding another stripe a couple of inches below.

Next, I painted in between the strips of masking tape and waited a few hours for the paint to dry and harden. Depending on what type of paint you use, you might need to wait longer.

Once the paint has dried, gently peel off the masking tape to reveal your shape, taking care not to scuff the edges or pull off paint from within the shape.

Here’s how mine turned out:

I’ve filled my planter with bunches of dried flowers, seed pods and grasses, but might switch these around for a new house plant soon (if I can sneak one in without Simon noticing!). It makes for a pretty table centrepiece but would look equally good on the sideboard or a side table I think.

The thing I love about this technique is that you can create pretty much any shape you want, and this would work on an outside planter too, as chalk paint can be used outdoors (the paint naturally weathers to create a lovely rustic effect).

Of course Simon finds the fact I painted a brand new plant pot hilarious, but then he never “gets” these things anyway so I’m going to choose to ignore his reaction.

Have you got any good upcycle projects on the go at the moment?

 

**

This is a sponsored post, created as part of my role in the Wayfair Home Experts group. For more information about how I work with brands please see my Work With Me page. 

 

Filed Under: Interiors, STYLE Tagged With: colourful home, DIY, DIY planter, family living, home decor, interiors, upcycled planter, upcycling

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Comments

  1. Lynn james says

    March 31, 2018 at 8:55 am

    Looks like a nice simple upcycle!! My kind of diy!!

    Reply
  2. Stevie - A Cornish Mum says

    March 30, 2018 at 10:59 pm

    This looks so good and so simple to do too, which is my favourite sort of DIY!

    Stevie x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 2, 2018 at 7:29 am

      Yep SO easy!

      Reply
  3. Alice says

    March 30, 2018 at 9:19 pm

    This looks amazing, Molly! Love how you’ve tied it in with the chair x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 2, 2018 at 7:29 am

      Thanks Alice!

      Reply
  4. Sandhya Hariharan says

    March 30, 2018 at 9:06 pm

    That splash of color has rendered a beautiful outlook to the planter… May I ask you what brand of paint did you pick for this?

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 2, 2018 at 7:29 am

      It was Annie Sloan chalk paint!

      Reply
  5. Katy Stevens says

    March 29, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    Looks really nice! Well done you! Love that room too!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      April 2, 2018 at 7:28 am

      Thanks Katy!

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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If you feel bad about your body you’re less like If you feel bad about your body you’re less likely to do nice things for it, including moving in a way that feels good and eating in a way that feels good. (FYI health is about more than just exercise and nutrition, but let’s get deeper into the exercise thing for a second...)
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Research shows kids who have low body image are less likely to get involved with sports and more likely to skip PE. 
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Want kids to move more? Stop teaching them that one type of body is better than another - because if their body doesn’t look like your version of a healthy / beautiful / successful body not only will they be more likely to feel shame over their body, they’ll be less likely to engage with the very behaviours you want them to do more of (or be more likely to engage with them in an UNhealthy way - compulsive exercise is dangerous).
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Instead:
💕Try talking about the intrinsic benefits of exercise over the extrinsic ones (ie. how it makes you FEEL instead of how it makes you LOOK).
✨Create opportunities for movement where ALL children feel welcome. 
💕Show children diverse representation so they can see sporting heroes with a range of body types and know that movement is for EVERYbody. 
✨Take a zero tolerance approach to appearance based bullying, body shaming and comments that perpetuate weight stigma (including even the hint that fat = bad). 
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(If you’re a teacher or youth leader interested in knowing more about this topic, a #BodyHappyKids workshop will help - follow the link in my bio 🥰❤️)
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[Image description: A multicoloured slide with an overlaid screenshot of tweet by Molly which reads ‘If your intention is to “get kids healthy” then you need to be aware of how weight bias, weight stigma and poor body image are active barriers to health. The end.]
Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a crying shame only the piles of laundry got to see it, quite frankly. Finally, a pair of pre-loved jeans bought online that are true to size, consistent with the rest of the brand’s sizing and actually fit! 🎉 
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PS heads up - I’ll be doing a Q&A about body image and kids in my Stories on Friday. The Q sticker is up in my Stories now if you’d like to submit a Q! 💕 #BodyHappyKids
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[Image description: Molly is standing in front of the mirror looking very pleased with the fact her new jeans bought from Depop fit her. She is wearing pink patterned jeans with cherubs on them, a pink check jumper and pink trainers. There are piles of laundry on the bed behind her.]
Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been our main form of entertainment this year. Anyone else? 
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I honestly now get excited about putting my boots on and being outdoors, even in the rain. I’m going to start hugging trees next and going on wild camping weekends that involve doing a poo behind a tree and making my own fire. Joke.... maybe. 
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Just another reminder that all movement is valid, exercise doesn’t need to have to be about burning calories or even tracking steps in order for it to be “worth it”. Hope everyone’s had a great weekend ❤️
#BodyHappyMum #JoyfulMovement
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Image description: Molly and her two daughters stand on a bridge in the countryside. They are all wearing hiking boots and outdoor clothes and smiling.
My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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I’m trying to buy as much as I can from pre-loved places or small businesses these days, which is why I’m very happy to share with you some of my latest finds: a star dress from Depop (£5), earrings from @kelzojewellery by @ourtransitionallife (£12) and the comfiest tights I’ve ever owned in Raspberry Pie by @snagtights (£6.99) 💕💕💕
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Have you found any great small brands lately? Shout them out in the comments so we can all support in the run up to Christmas. ⬇️⚡️
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