Upcycle Plastic Nursery Pots With The Help Of Old Vintage Books

Plastic nursery containers have a handful of benefits — they're affordable, super portable, and offer great root protection for both indoor and outdoor plants. Despite those upsides, these small plastic containers aren't typically much to look at, especially when compared to all the trendy planters you can DIY with budget-friendly supplies. However, if you have a surplus of nursery containers laying around, don't throw them out. Instead give them a brand new look with the help of old vintage books and a little decoupage.

This craft is a creative way to reuse plastic nursery pots in your garden and home and all you need is a few pages from an old book that you're comfortable tearing, a nursery pot, and some Mod Podge. Additional materials like ribbons, charms, and labels can also be added to personalize each pot. While this project is a great way to upcycle nursery containers, the paper element likely won't hold up after multiple waterings. Because of this, it's best to use faux plants. If your heart is set on using real plants, you can stack two nursery containers together. The outer container will be used for the upcycle while the inner container remains blank and can be removed for watering.

To make the upcycled nursery container, start by tearing your book pages into thin strips that are roughly an inch longer than the height of your container. You could also use old wrapping paper, colorful maps, or vintage magazine ads here for an equally cute look. Next, use a pencil to slightly curl the end of each strip of paper. Then, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to your container and attach your strips of paper one at a time with the curled end facing the top of the container. Once you've covered the container, add another layer of Mod Podge to seal it all together. 

Now the base project is complete. To customize your planters you can tie twine or ribbon bows around them, add sticker labels to identify what you're planting, or glue on some small letter beads to spell out a cute message. The finished containers look great displayed next to your books either on a bookshelf or on top of a stack of coffee table books. The planter would also be a great finishing touch for this DIY side table crafted from books.