Turn Sticks From Your Yard Into An Adorable Hanging Planter

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A little bit of greenery on your wall would look good, specifically something leafy and green. If you've had that thought but your budget isn't cooperating, you can make a boho, cabin-worthy twig plant hanger for next to nothing. On the channel plant.o.art, Instagrammer Rupa Sheth created a rustic plant hanger that saves some plastic from an uncertain future. Sheth snipped and tied up a ladder of twigs that holds up an upcycled plastic bottle encircled with more twigs, and loops of twine take it vertical. This project is sustainable both for the planet and for your wallet. The steps are simple enough for beginners, but the materials are customizable enough to satisfy seasoned creatives.

Head outside to gather up an armful of twigs — aim for ones about 1 inch thick for the ladder and between ½ and ¾ inch for covering the bottle. If you're city-bound and yardless, you can order thin bamboo pieces or twigs for crafting without spending a mint. Grab a pair of scissors, a tape measure, a permanent marker, a utility knife, twine, a plastic bottle, an iron (optional), wire, and a glue gun with a high-quality crafting glue like Gorilla Hot Glue Sticks.

For this clever way to turn a plastic container into a beautiful hanging planter, find one that has thicker walls than a typical water bottle. Rifle through the recycling bin for plastic bottles or tubs that aren't made of HDPE or PETE. Instead, go with other types of plastic like PP, V, or LDPE, since they're less likely to become something new once they're out of your hands.

Peel any labels or stickers off your bottle — if you have trouble getting rid of a label, give this secret to remove annoying stuck-on stickers a try. Measure and mark a line around the bottle, about 5 inches up from the base. Use a utility blade or scissors to cut along this line. You may need to carefully heat the tip of your utility blade in a flame to help it melt through the thick material. Once you've removed the top portion of the bottle, you may want to run the edges over a hot iron to smooth them out. Press the cut edge of the bottle firmly against a hot iron on its highest setting for 8 to 10 seconds to melt the edges into a finished, rounded shape.

Separate your twig supply into two piles: one of 1-inch-thick twigs and the other of the remaining thinner ones. Trim a bundle of thinner twigs about 6 inches long that you'll glue vertically around the plastic container. Making the twigs a bit longer than the container is tall will help disguise the plastic beneath them. Begin gluing the twigs around the container, leaving about a ½-inch overhang at both the top and bottom. Tie a couple of coils of twine around the stick-covered container, one about an inch in from the opening and the other the same distance in from the base. Two to three rotations will look nice, and you can opt to tie it into a bow that will show or make a simple knot to hide between the container and the ladder backing.

From the 1-inch-thick twig supply, cut two pieces about 12 inches long for the sides of the ladder. The width of your plastic container will determine how long each rung should be. Cut five 1-inch-thick pieces that are about 2 inches longer than the twig-covered container is wide. This will allow the sides of the ladder to be visible on each side of the container. Lay the two longest pieces parallel to each other. Starting at the top and bottom ends, glue the rungs perpendicularly at even spaces along the long twigs in ladder fashion. Allow the ends of the rungs to extend slightly — maybe by ½ to ¾ inch — beyond the long/side twigs. Wrap two or three rotations of twine around each joint between the rungs and the sides.

Scope out any spot on your twig-covered container that you'd want to hide, and slide pieces of wire around both twine wrappings at these points. Twist the wire ends around the lowest two rungs of the ladder to both secure the container and hide any flaws. Tie a hanging loop made of twine around the top rung, or tie the ends of one long strand around the joint between the rung and the sides, and hang it over a hook or a nail. Fill the container with a bit of water and a plant cutting, and now you've incorporated organic texture into your home for little or no cost.