DIY: 8 Ways to Upcycle Plant Pots
That’s no fruit bowl… it’s a plant pot!
Look, it happens to all of us. Sometimes you buy some houseplants, and they don’t all make it. And you can’t get rid of the pot right away, because maybe you’ll need it, right? Or, maybe they did great, and you’ve repotted them into even bigger pots through the years!
Either way, let’s get real about our excess plant pots, people. It’s time to either turn them into something that we enjoy or send them on their merry way. We’re all about upcycling and creating beautiful things, so let’s give those old pots a makeover with these eight easy ideas!
Hold Utensils: Whether it’s paintbrushes, hair accessories, or kitchen utensils, you can repurpose a plant pot to hold your stuff! If you have one that already fits your decor, that’s perfect. Craft complete. If not, try painting a terracotta pot to match your existing vibe.
Organize Makeup: If your mini succulents are all grown up and have been repotted, you can use the old mini pots as the perfect holder for lipstick, mascara, pencils, and brushes.
Hold Snacks: Pre-portion your favorite snacks like trail mix or pretzels into individual bags and keep them in a plant pot in your pantry for a quick snack. This is great for kids to self-serve or for busy adults who need a backup snack in their bag! You can even put one in the fridge with portioned grapes, apple slices, etc. for easy grabbing. This idea is especially great for a 6” plant pot like our succulent and cactus gardens.
Date Night On a Stick: Get some popsicle sticks from the craft store and use a permanent marker to write a date night idea on each one. Keep them in a mini flowerpot and pull one out for an easy date planner!
Gratitude Keeper: Each day, write one thing you’re grateful for on a piece of paper and pop it into your upcycled plant pot. At the end of the year, pour them out and read them all. If you’re into this sort of thing, you can even envision the pot as a symbol of your own growth and thriving.
Gift Basket: For special occasions or just because you feel like it, bake up some homemade cookies and put them into a (clean!) pot, then wrap the whole thing up in some pretty cellophane and use it as a gift for a teacher, neighbor, friend, or anybody who likes cookies. If baking isn’t your thing, you could put together a cute personalized gift of whatever your recipient likes, plus a gift card to a store so they can buy their own plant to put into the pot.
Prize Bucket: If you have kids (your own or if you are a teacher or other professional who works with little ones), fill a clean plant pot with prizes like sticker sheets, small toys, snacks, or ideas for fun activities written on small scraps of paper.
Activity Kits: This is another great idea for kids. Use plant pots (mini or 5”) to house different activities! Maybe you could keep a pack of crayons and some small notebooks for coloring, some Lego or Duplo blocks for building, or just use the pots to organize toys by type (all the dinosaurs in one pot, all the trucks in another). Be careful to only use plastic pots or use terracotta or ceramic in a supervised play area to avoid breaks.
We love hearing your creative ideas too, so let us know how YOU re-use your plant pots.