Upgrade Boring Planters With A Cute & Affordable DIY Using Dollar Tree Bowls

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Have you ever seen the floral ceramic bowls at Dollar Tree and felt they were just a little too kitschy for your taste? They may not be your style on their own, but a creative DIY can transform them into customized garden pots that beat the top places that sell unique and stylish planters. The Instagrammer heybrooklynb came up with a fun DIY that smashes dollar-store bowls to create a gorgeous Mediterranean-inspired planter.

Decorated with vibrant tiles embedded in rustic grout, this planter is a lively but cozy aesthetic. The unique look of scattered tiles adds color to a rustic space, which can give it a unique, Mediterranean look. This aesthetic mixes both warmth and elegance, which has timeless appeal in a home.

This beautiful idea isn't as expensive as it looks. The main ingredient, Dollar Tree's ceramic bowls, are only $1.50 and come in many floral patterns. In addition to the bowls, you'll need a larger planter to affix the pieces to. You may be able to find one at the dollar store too, otherwise, thrift it for a better deal. You'll also need a hammer, sponge, palette knife, PVC pipe cutter, and wet wipes, as well as Rainbow Art Glass Weldbond Multi-Surface Adhesive and SimpleGrout Pre-Mixed Grout, or similar low-cost products. The bowls, planter, and grout should cost less than $50 combined. Any tools and leftover materials can be saved for another easy home reno project to upgrade your home value.

Start this DIY off with a bang by destroying the Dollar Tree bowls. This is the most risky part of the project, and we recommend wearing gloves and protective eyewear as extra precaution. Tuck the bowls into a large cardboard box, and smash them into large broken pieces with a hammer. Utilize a pipe cutter with a long handle, such as the Steelman PVC Pipe Cutter Tool, to break down the larger smashed pieces without going too small. Use Weldbond glue to place the broken pieces around a boring planter bowl, with the design facing out.

The glue dries in a minute, but takes 24 hours to cure. The original DIYer didn't wait long before proceeding to the next step, where she slathered pre-mixed grout between the broken pieces and over them. When the gaps are fully covered, use a sponge to gently scrub the excess grout from the broken bowl pieces. Use wet wipes to shine the pieces clean, and clear away any remaining grout debris. You can decorate a standalone planter, or add broken pottery pieces to a plant-and-saucer combo.

If decorating a saucer, place the broken bowl pieces on top only, as they're too big and clunky to glue to the sides or bottom. Putting them on the bottom will also make your planter sit unevenly. To pull the look of a planter and saucer together, pick up Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint to paint the sides and bottom of the saucer to match the rest of the craft.

You may be tempted to place your plant directly inside your new Mediterranean-style planter, but it's best to keep it in a nursery pot, then place the nursery pot in your DIY planter. This way, the DIY won't need a drainage hole, and you won't need to worry about grout leaching into the plant's soil, as some grouts contain antimicrobials. These antimicrobials could kill off bacteria that are necessary for plants.

You can style this pot inside or outside, though it will stay in better condition if styled indoors. The saucer doesn't serve any functional purpose, so it's purely a design choice. Larger DIY planters may look good in a corner or beside a sofa, while smaller pots will work well on shelves and as centerpieces.

There are many types of houseplants that will add greenery to your home, and you can add any plant to your DIY bowl, as long as it's large enough. If you want to stick to the Mediterranean vibe of the DIY pot, style it in a room with other earth tones, decorative tiles, and natural wood furniture.