If you follow me on Insta you probably saw these cute little succulents I bought a couple weeks ago. And they obviously needed a new home which made for the perfect project – DIY Balsa Wood Planters! By the way, did you know that I got these little minis at CVS? Seriously, they have a great selection of succulents and they’re only a couple bucks!
I got this idea as I was strolling the aisles of Michaels one day stocking up on some craft supplies. I had a lightbulb moment and immediately b-lined it to the balsa wood section. Ya know, cause if I didn’t get there ASAP, someone was going to buy ALL the balsa wood 😉
DIY BALSA WOOD PLANTERS
If you’ve never worked with this stuff, it’s amazing. It pretty much weighs nothing and there is so much you can do with it. Including making these cute little planters!
SUPPLIES:
*affiliate links included
Balsa Wood
Craft Paint
Hot Glue Gun
Foil Tape
Soil
Succulents
There are different sizes you can buy, I went with these ones which are 3″ wide.
STEP 1
You’ll want to start by cutting these into squares. You’ll need 5 per planter (one for the bottom and one for each side). And you can literally just use your scissors to cut them 🙂
STEP 2
Once you have your squares, use your hot glue gun to glue all the sides together to form a little box. Make sure you’re gluing on the inside 😉
STEP 3
Now it’s time to paint! I just did some simple color blocking, and the great part is that your lines don’t have to be perfect since you’re covering them with the foil tape.
STEP 4
I was really torn between whether I wanted to use the gold or copper foil tape and eventually went with copper. I just couldn’t resist.
The tape as a sticky backing, so you just cut the size you need, peel off the back and stick it on! I used some small scissors to trim any excess and make sure everything was even around the edges.
STEP 5
Now it’s time to add your succulents!
Since the balsa wood is pretty thin, I wanted to use something to soak up the water so it wouldn’t spread into the sides of the planters.
I found these at my local hardware store and planted my succulents in these before placing them into the little boxes using this potting soil.
I added some soil into the bottom of the planters to make sure my succulents were at the right height. Then just place your little guys in there, and fill all the empty space with the rest of the soil.
And voila!
I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of succulents. They’re so darn cute and now they have stylish little homes too 🙂
I bet you’ll think twice about that balsa wood in the craft stores now huh? There are so many possibilities of fun things you can make with it.
These little succulent planters are so easy and the perfect little spring DIY to add some color to your home decor 🙂
Have you made your own homes for your plants? I’d love to hear what you did! If you’re looking for another fun project, see how I made my DIY Photo Backdrop that I used behind these balsa wood planters!
Have a fabulous day everyone!
Cindy Hoffman says
Hi Bre, Creativity is everything and by the look of what you have come up with from using a wooden box here, you are a genius 🙂 From the simple outstanding design to the color blending, this is something that I am going to copy. Thanks a lot for sharing this with us, and keep the creative works coming 🙂
Cindy
brepurposed says
Thank you so much Cindy! I appreciate your kind words 🙂
Barber H says
They all look super cool. I really love the combination of wood and paint. Thanks for sharing!
brepurposed says
Thank you!!
Kimberly says
LOVE THIS. I am normally not a plant person. But this post makes me want to go out and do this NOW. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
terre says
so the tape has a…sticky backing?? (isn’t that what makes it…tape?) 🙂
Gaby {lifeineight.com} says
Oh my! These are absolutely adorable. They would make super cute little gifts for when having guests around our even wedding favours. Wouldn’t they look amazing on the table? 🙂 I’m now on a mission to find balsa wood here in the UK. I’ll let you know if I get around at making them. Thanks for sharing! (Lovely photos by the way) xx
brepurposed says
Well I know I would love to receive one as a favor at a wedding! They would look so great on the tables! Hope you can find some balsa wood and definitely let me know if you make them!
Audrey says
I love the copper foil accents! This would be a great project for my Southwestern themed room.
Saw this on Treasure Box Tuesdays.
brepurposed says
Oh it totally would!
Ashley says
Hi there! Visiting form the Hit Me With Your Best Shot link party. These are SO cute! I really love the way you decorated them. Now I need gold and copper foil tape!
brepurposed says
Thank you Ashley! So glad you stopped by!
Ann @ The Clumsy Wife says
I saw your feature on the Blissful Bee and you always have THE BEST DIYs. Love this one!!
brepurposed says
Aw you are so sweet! Thank you Ann 🙂
Emily @ Two Purple Couches says
I absolutely love these, Bre! Thanks for linking up at Creative Spark last week. I’m featuring your planters today. Hope you’ll join us again this week 🙂
brepurposed says
Thank you so much Emily!! Hope you have a great night!
Michelle from Weekend Craft says
Bre I am so obsessed with these! Where did you get your gold foil tape? Just had to feature them on creative spark link party. Hope you stop by again today to party with us! We love having you every week. http://weekendcraft.com/journal/creative-spark-link-party-49
brepurposed says
Thanks Michelle! I got it from Michaels, it’s in the washi tape section!
nikki@carrygrace says
These turned out so pretty! I really like the colors that you used.
brepurposed says
Thank you Nikki!
Amanda says
I absolutely love the way this came out. I miss having the time to do more DIY crafts but this link up is always giving me great ideas of what I can do. Stopping by from the Motivational Link Party!
Amanda
http://www.queenofthelandoftwigsnberries.com
brepurposed says
Thank you so much Amanda! I’m so glad you stooped by 🙂
Amanda says
these are super cute!! and I LOVE that copper tape!
brepurposed says
Thanks Amanda! I want to use it on everything!
Amanda says
These are great! Very cool idea!
brepurposed says
Thanks Amanda!!
Danielle says
Super cute and simple — love it. The copper tape is adorable!
brepurposed says
Thank you Danielle!
Carmia @ Clementine Creative says
I love the modern look of these planters! Great project!
brepurposed says
Thank you Carmia!!
Jessica says
So cute! I love the colors you used.
brepurposed says
Thank you Jessica!!
Rose who's busy being creative at FineCraftGuild.com says
So cute!!! I am wishing you a wonderful Easter and hope that you’ll have time to come pay us a quick visit at the SHARE IT sunday linky party at FineCraftGuild.com, as the party isn’t the same without you!
brepurposed says
Thank you Rose! A very Happy Easter to you too! And thank you for the invite, I just linked up to your party 🙂
Erica says
These are so. flipping. cute. Why are succulents so awesome??? I’m seriously addicted. I don’t know if it’s because they are “trendy” or because I finally found a plant I can’t easily kill. Regardless, I love these planters! The wood with paint and pops of metallics is totally up my alley 🙂
brepurposed says
I honestly can’t refrain from buying one if I see them in a store haha. They’re just so cute! Thanks friend 🙂
Creative Mama Renee says
These would make great gifts! I love the colors you chose, especially with the copper foil tape!
brepurposed says
They would be perfect gifts! Thanks you so much!
Kathy says
These are so cool. I just bought some foil tape to update some of my planters. 🙂
brepurposed says
Oooh perfect! Thank you Kathy!
Kelly @ Life as We Love It says
How did I not know about this foil tape?! These are beautiful! I am loving everything rose gold/copper – so I’ll have to check this out!
brepurposed says
It’s amazing, you need to get some ASAP! Thanks Kelly!
Krista @ the happy housie says
So adorable and modern – I love the copper! What a great little gift idea…
brepurposed says
Thank you so much Krista!
Eloquence says
These look so adorable! Also, I’m totally jealous that your CVS has succulents.
brepurposed says
Thank you so much! And that’s a bummer yours doesn’t! Maybe they will soon 🙂
Cristin says
I love working with balso wood. Looks awesome!
brepurposed says
It’s so easy to work with! Thanks Cristin!
Amy W says
You are speaking to my heart recently!!
brepurposed says
So glad, my friend!
Marie@The Interior Frugalista says
There’s that amazing foil tape again. Adorable balsa wood planters Bre – love them!
brepurposed says
I can’t get enough of it! Thanks Marie 🙂
Rachel says
I love these! I’m planning to do an herb garden this weekend now that spring is here and hopefully I can use an idea like this. I think I could create some type of bench using balsa wood and other materials so that my little planters have something to sit on.
brepurposed says
Thank you Rachel! You could definitely make something cool with Balsa Wood for your little garden 🙂
Kristi says
SO super cute Bre! LOVE the pops of colour mixed with the wood!
brepurposed says
Thanks Kristi!!
Keri says
These are cute! I love how easy succulents are to care for too.
brepurposed says
Thank you Keri! And they totally are! Although I still seem to end up killing some..haha.
Christina @ Operation Home says
I need to get me some of that tape! I’m totally loving the copper with the bold colors and wood grain! Such a winning combo! 🙂
brepurposed says
Thanks Christina! The tape is amazing. I seriously want to use it on everything!
Lindsay Eidahl says
Cute! I need to check out that wood at Michaels. Which aisle is it in???
brepurposed says
Thanks girl! At my Michaels is by the wood aisle at the end against the wall. There are tons of different shapes and sizes!