MAKE IT/ WALL PLANTERS
i’m excited to be partnering with boots beauty on this DIY post. they have an amazing line of plant-based skin care products that are completely affordable and really pull their weight in the skin improvement category. some office favorites are the all bright balm (makes you look like you slept 8 hours, seriously!), the facial oil and the toner which magically doesn’t bother my sensitive skin.
in keeping with the green theme, natalie came up with this genius DIY for wall hanging planters. you can use air dry clay so no need to get crazy with ceramic throwing and you can make them at home with very few tools needed.
what you’ll need:
• air dry clay (we used Crayola)
• rolling pin
• canvas about 18 x 24 inches
• exacto blade
• ceramic pin tool (available at art and craft stores)
• sandpaper
• craft or spray paint
• tissue paper or newsprint and drawing paper
• small sponge
how to make them:
• first make yourself a pattern of the shape you want your plant pocket to be. make two of the exact same shape by tracing your shape and then cut the top off of one in a nice rounded shape, that piece will serve as the front of your pocket. round and oval shapes work the best and they can be perfect or irregular, what ever you like
• roll 2 balls of clay, the size of a fist, in between a folded piece of canvas until they are about 1/4 inch in thick. note: rolling the clay on canvas will keep the clay from sticking to your work table and make it easier to pick up
• cut out each pattern piece from your flattened clay with an exacto knife (clay is surprisingly easy to cut with a sharp blade)
• roll one coil of clay long enough to go around the bottom curve of your front pattern piece taking care to taper the ends a bit
• with the pin tool make score marks along all the edges that your two pieces will meet to form your pocket
• on your front piece attach the coil to the area that you have scored. add a little water to the clay to help the coil stick to the other piece of clay, score the top of the attached coil as well
• cut a piece of drawing paper slightly smaller but in the same shape as your front pattern piece. it doesn’t need to be perfect just enough to cover the surface of the exposed clay inside the coil area. this will help keep your two clay pieces from touching when you join then and also help you keep the shape smooth
• with a sponge put a little water on the coil and the scored part of the other piece of clay
• crumple a little piece of newsprint or tissue paper and put it on the large flat piece of clay. this will help you create the shape of the pocket when you join the two pieces
• now you get to join your two pieces together! when you have them lined up so all the edges are in the right place pinch the 2 pieces together kind of like a pie crust
• with your sponge smooth all the edges and surfaces. if your edge is a little bumpy from pinching it run the pin tool along it and take off any small pieces
• shape your pocket and put in extra tissue paper if necessary to keep it propped up while drying. after the clay has dried for an hour or so you can put your last finishing touches on the pocket shape and smooth it all out one last time
• after your clay is dry (time depends on climate conditions where you are, in Southern California we find it takes a day or two) you can smooth your pocket even more with sandpaper. use a medium grit first to take down any lumps or bumps and a fine grit to smooth before painting
• we used white spray paint and colored craft paint to finish ours but you can really do anything! dots, stripes, all white, it’s up to you
• use a clear acrylic spray to seal your paint since you will probably need to water your plants, be sure to read all directions on paint dry time so your project stands the test of time.
we decided to use succulents as they require less water and still look great but the plant selection is up to you. have fun and show us what you create!
DIY created by: natalie shriver
photos by: Ivan Solis
(this post was sponsored by boots beauty. thank you for supporting the sponsors that allow us to create original content for you.)
