Turn Your Trash Into Treasure With This Planter Décor DIY

There's nothing more beautiful than stained glass, but it's a feature that's not in everyone's budget. Believe it or not, you can actually turn some of your trash into faux stained glass pieces that are so adorable, they will liven up any planter. Instead of using actual glass, this DIY makes use of old plastic, which often gets tossed away without a second thought. According to Statista, the world's annual plastic waste generation has risen to 360 million metric tons, so if there's a beautiful way to add trendy, whimsical accents to your home while upcycling trash and saving money, it's a win-win all around.

To create faux stained glass décor for your planters you're going to need the Tulip Puff Paint Essential Colors 10-Pack for a bit under $10, a tub of Mod Podge for about $8, a Cherrysea Food Coloring Set for about $9, and some dried pressed flowers. Tool-wise, you'll need a paint brush and some transparent plastic sheet. Although it's possible to create this type of art using polycarbonate sheets, it costs far less to use flat plastic from old food containers or toy, beauty product, or electronics packaging. Clean whatever sheets you cut from the packaging before using them, including removing any labels.

Start by hand drawing or printing out a simple line graphic of any critter you like — a butterfly, snail, flower, frog, or bird. Place your clean plastic sheet on top of the paper and trace the character using dark-colored puffy paint. Let it dry  while you mix together some Mod Podge and food coloring in small containers to create your paints. Fill in some sections of the creature in different colors. Paint the remaining sections with clear Mod Podge and stick on some dried flowers. Add another coat of Mod Podge on top of the decorations to seal them. Once the critter is completely dry, cut it out with scissors to create cute DIY garden décor that spruces up your space and looks nothing like the trash it started out as.

Craft a short stake for your decor using either an old wire hanger, a wooden stick, or anything else that will hold it solidly upright. Attach your stake of choice to the ornament using strong, clear tape. It's now ready to drive into any planter to help dress it up. If possible, consider putting it in a pot by the window so the sun shines through the faux stained glass. How gorgeous! It's hard to believe that it comes from plastic that was headed for the trash can and it won't cost you a dime outside of what you paid for those few basic supplies. While this DIY project makes for a wonderful plant stake, you can also hang it around your home using string or fine metal chain.