Stop Tossing Old Nail Polish — Use It To Transform Wire Into Adorable Plant Decor

When was the last time you went through the drawers in your bathroom vanity and decluttered your nail polish collection? Old nail polish bottles are easy things to forget about, especially if they contain a color you don't wear often — like that green polish you bought for St. Patrick's Day and haven't used since. You may think it's time to toss it in the trash, but that's not actually the right way to dispose of nail polish. It's considered hazardous household waste and needs to be processed at a specialist facility. Instead of going to all that trouble, why not give your old nail polish a new life and use it to transform wire into a cute artificial plant?

It may seem like an odd idea, but it's actually relatively easy to create a fake plant using nail polish. Preferably, you want to use green nail polish for this DIY decor project — thus, the St. Patrick's Day reference. You'll also need some Zeanla Green Floral Wire and a mini terracotta planter. This pack of nine Yishang Two-Inch Mini Terracotta Clay Pots costs about $7. Are you starting to imagine where this is going now? Get some scissors to cut the wire, along with a small block of floral foam, available at craft stores or online. A three-pack of Flofare Floral Foam Blocks goes for around $7. As a finishing touch, get some MagicWater Supply Crinkle Cut Paper to disguise the foam.

To start creating your mini plant, you'll first want to shape the leaves from the wire. Take a long length of wire and create a small leaf-shaped loop. Then twist the wire a few times to secure the leaf and create a stem. To make a second leaf on the same length of wire, create another loop and then twist the wire over on itself again. Repeat this process about four or five times to create a section of cute, chubby leaves and stems. Set this group aside and start again with a new length of wire. Alter the number of leaves for a more natural look and to give your plant dimension. Next, remove the brush from your green nail polish bottle and glide it across the wire loops — or leaves. It should form a thin film across the wire.

@maredyn

Guess what this tiny plant is made of.. 👀 #diy #nailpolish #craft #decor #plant I use the Nail Polish from @essence.cosmetics and the Wire from @Kik Deutschland 💚

♬ Put Your Records On – CYRIL

Hint: Thicker, older nail polish may be less likely to drip off the wire than thinner, watery polish. If you're still struggling, dip the wire leaves in wood glue before painting them. Once the glue is dry, paint the leaves with the polish. This trick is especially helpful when you're making large leaves or flower petals. Stick your painted leaf and stem sections into a block of floral foam and allow the polish to cure for 1 to 2 hours before handling the sections. While you're waiting, place your terracotta pot upside down on another block of floral foam and trace around it. Cut out a small section of foam to fill your terracotta pot. Stick the dried, polish-painted leaf and stem sections into the foam in the pot and cover the foam with crinkled green paper. Congrats on creating a cute fake mini plant!

You don't have to only make green plants. For example, nothing shows off fall colors like growing these houseplants with colorful foliage — think coleus, purple shamrock, cordyline, rex begonia, coppertone stonecrop, and more. Use these real-life plants as inspiration for your nail polish and wire creations. If you have pink or red nail polish you'd like to put to use, make a plant with colorful leaves. You can keep using the same green wire, or you could switch it out for a different color that matches the new nail polish hues. Buy this pack of Inspirelle 20-Gauge Aluminum Craft Wire for about $20 and you get 20 colors to play with.

Instead of using a terracotta pot, you can use any teeny planter you prefer. Try a glazed ceramic pot with a pattern or a bright pot that adds a pop of color to your living space. You could even reuse an old jar lid to create a cute mini planter. Eager to grow a mini fake garden but don't have a green thumb? You can DIY the cutest snake plant that looks just like the real thing, then pair it with your new nail polish and wire plant to create a nature-inspired decor display. Between these two styles of plants and the different nail polish colors, you can create a veritable collection of greenery for a bookshelf, fireplace mantel, or windowsill. Before you know it, you'll have little plants everywhere!