Turn Old Plastic Bottles Into The Cutest Hanging Planters For Your Patio

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Hanging plants are a gorgeous addition to any backyard. They're one of those outdoor patio ideas that can revamp your space on a relatively tight budget. Want to add a splash of seasonal color to a covered back porch or apartment balcony? Hang a few baskets filled with flowering annuals from sturdy hooks. Regular ol' ground-level planters are nice and all, but having a few plants hanging at eye level adds visual interest to the garden. Sure, you can easily buy a hanging planter. But why would you, when it's so easy to make one from a plastic bottle? This particular bottle planter couldn't be cuter — it looks like a mini upside-down umbrella.

This DIY project is fast, super affordable, and uses up an item that would otherwise end up in a recycling center at best and your local landfill at worst. All you're going to need for this stunning DIY hanging planter you can make to liven up your home is a clean plastic bottle, a reel of Exclaith 8 Gauge Aluminum Craft Wire or an old wire clothes hanger, and a handful of beads. A pair of sharp scissors or a craft knife is the only tool you need to grab. What's really great about this DIY project is that you can customize the hanging planter to suit your design sensibilities. 

Take your plastic bottle and use the cap as a template to draw semi circles just below the neck of the bottle, to create a scalloped effect that mimics the shape of an umbrella. Then, use a craft knife to cut the bottle in half and a pair of scissors to carefully cut around the semi circles you've just drawn. Now it's time to decorate your umbrella planter. Take whatever colored acrylic paint you'd like and paint each scalloped section a different color, while using black paint to draw separation lines between each color. Lastly, pierce a hole in the bottle cap to feed your wire through, and glue some decorative beads onto the edges of your planter for a beautiful finishing touch.

This affordable DIY planter design can be used to create other umbrella-shaped planters, too. One in particular, best suited for a whimsical "Alice in Wonderland"-themed backyard, is a toadstool-inspired design. Simply follow the same step-by-step process, but paint your bottle bright red with large white dots to create the look of a toadstool. Whether you make a toadstool or umbrella planter, seal your design and protect it from the elements by applying a generous layer of Mod Podge over your painted bottle. Make sure to let it dry fully before displaying it outside in your backyard.