Plants make a lovely addition to any room! I love walking into a home that is filled with gorgeous flowers, trees, and leafy green things of all shapes and sizes. Houseplants are decorative, and even the planter can say something about you and your style. How can you make creative, expressive planters? Vintage items can be used in fun, crafty ways to give your plants an extra design element. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
1. Vintage Kitchenware
The kitchenware aisle of your local thrift store is an amazing place to find beautiful vintage planters. Copper and ceramic bowls are a very stylish option for your favorite plants. Look for bowls that are large and deep. Not sure if your find is actually vintage? Read more about what makes an item truly vintage.
2. Lace on Terracotta
Have you ever seen vintage lace while you are out thrift shopping? It might come in the form of a used tablecloth, curtains, or linens. This project will give you a reason to collect lace in the future. The pretty designs give otherwise plain terracotta pots a great feminine touch. After many mistakes, I have finally learned the correct way to clean any yellowed or musty laces that I find. Here are a few tips: Don’t put lace in a washing machine or dryer! Avoid bleach. Hand wash with baking soda instead, and lay the lace on a flat surface to air dry .
3. Tea Cup Herb Garden
Isn’t this a cute idea? If you have an herb garden, it is probably in the kitchen so that you can cook with your herbs. Lovely vintage teacups are so visually pleasing, they make a great kitchen counter-top decoration. If you don’t have an herb garden, why not start one?
4. Up-Cycled Window Frame
I think that rustic old windows have so much character. I love the way this decorator painted each pane in a loose, artistic way. It looks a little bit like frost. I can imagine a setup like this in a bathroom, or in an entryway. Can you?
5. Re-Use Old Floppy Disks
Second hand stores are often full of items that are no longer technologically relevant. Have you thought about where all of those VHS tapes and CDs end up? Many of them find retirement homes in thrift stores. Their days of hard work are over, but why not give them a function to fill in their golden years? These flowerpots made out of floppy disks would be perfect for a home office. If you are a music lover (and most of us are, right?), you could also use empty CD cases. Choose five and glue them together along the edges to form an open cube. Then tuck a small potted plant inside!
6. Sunny Ladder Shelf
This idea is fantastic because a ladder can be turned into a shelf so easily! Just make sure to nail or glue down the boards that you use. Not sure if the ladder you find is in good shape? I use these tips on inspecting each piece before purchasing to help me decide. Old worn wooden ladders can be sanded, primed, and painted white or a colorful hue that matches your space. If you find one with great weathered wood texture, you might want to leave it just as it is!
These six ideas are only the beginning. There are so many possibilities! Plants come in all shapes and sizes. Vintage containers of all forms can add a touch of creativity and expression to your planter choices. I know that I will be keeping my eyes open for out-of-the box planter options in the future! How about you? Leave a comment to tell me what you think!