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DIY Halloween Air Plant Holder

It’s almost that time of year again when the trees give up their leaves and kids (and adults alike) will begin thinking about dressing up and roaming the neighborhood for treats. I love decorating for fall, and since I also like to keep things simple, I opt for maybe one or two Halloween type decorations, so I can remove them after Halloween, but still keep the fall decor up until Thanksgiving. Work smart, not hard, right?

So here’s a super quick and fun DIY Halloween Air Plant holder that you can make completely with supplies from the dollar store. Air plants are so fun to have around, and since there’s no re-potting or soil required, they are functional in many decorative pieces.

DIY Halloween Decor

Almost everything you’ll need for this DIY air plant decor project can be found at the dollar store. The one exception is the air plant. I found mine at Lowe’s, but any store that carries indoor plants should have air plants as well!

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Here’s what you’ll need to create your own fun Halloween air plant holder:

Making a DIY Air Plant Holder

  1. Begin by getting all of your supplies together. If your jar has a lid, and you’d like for it to be black, then go ahead and take it outside, place it on a cardboard or newspaper surface and spray with glossy black paint. Let dry.

2. Next fill the empty jar with the paper shreds. I used black, but you could also use orange to keep the fall or Halloween theme going. Then begin adding in any combination of the toy bugs. I chose the white and orange ones to stand out against the black paper shreds. Put several against the side of the jar and maybe a few poking through the paper!

3. Then add in an orange, battery-operated votive light. These don’t put off enough heat to cause concern with the paper. Nestle it down in the paper, but don’t bury the light in the shreds too much.

4. Now add in your witches hat, or whatever taller element you have for your air plant holder. A pumpkin on a stick would also be super fun! Shorten the stick if needed by breaking off the end. Arrange your tall element so it leans to the side slightly.

5. Now add your air plant to the top of the holder and adjust any leaves as needed. Place your fall or halloween inspired air plant holder on an end table, bookshelf, bathroom counter, or just anywhere that needs a pop of decor!

glass jar with black paper shred, plastic bugs, and a witches hat holds a small air plant

Reusing Halloween Decor

Want to keep using this air plant holder after October 31st has passed? No problem! Here are some ideas:

  • Remove the hat and bugs for less of a themed look.
  • Replace the hat with a pumpkin on a stick for an air plant holder that will take you right through the fall.
  • Swap out the black paper shreds for any color that matches your decor
  • Use white shreds along with a white votive and a few small ornaments for a quick Christmas change up.

Other DIY Plant Decor

I hope you give this DIY Halloween Air Plant holder a try, and swap it out with the seasons. Have ideas for how to make this more versatile? Share your tips below!

Yield: 1

DIY Halloween Air Plant Holder

glass jar with black paper shred, plastic bugs, and a witches hat holds a small air plant

Create this fun and easy DIY Halloween Air Plant Holder to complete your fall home decor or fun halloween decor. It takes just minutes to create and almost all of the supplies come from the dollar store.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $5

Materials

  • Small glass jar (with or without a lid is fine)
  • Black paper shreds
  • Toy bugs and spiders
  • Small witch hats on sticks
  • Small Air Plant
  • Black Spray Paint (if your jar has a lid)

Instructions

    1. Begin by getting all of your supplies together. If your jar has a lid, and you'd like for it to be black, then go ahead and take it outside, place it on a cardboard or newspaper surface and spray with glossy black paint. Let dry.
    2. Next fill the empty jar with the paper shreds. I used black, but you could also use orange to keep the fall or Halloween theme going. Then begin adding in any combination of the toy bugs. I chose the white and orange ones to stand out against the black paper shreds. Put several against the side of the jar and maybe a few poking through the paper!
    3. Then add in an orange, battery-operated votive light. These don't put off enough heat to cause concern with the paper. Nestle it down in the paper, but don't bury the light in the shreds too much.
    4. Now add in your witches hat, or whatever taller element you have for your air plant holder. A pumpkin on a stick would also be super fun! Shorten the stick if needed by breaking off the end. Arrange your tall element so it leans to the side slightly.
    5. Now add your air plant to the top of the holder and adjust any leaves as needed. Place your fall or halloween inspired air plant holder on an end table, bookshelf, bathroom counter, or just anywhere that needs a pop of decor!

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© Courtney
Project Type: DIY / Category: Crafts

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Handmade Christmas Decorations and a Giveaway!

handmade christmas decorations

You may not want to believe it, but the holidays are just around the corner! The end of October ushers in the official start of the holiday season with Thanksgiving making it’s appearance less than four weeks later. This time of year usually means more family and friends get-togethers and the doors of our homes open in hospitality. affiliate link policy

And what better way to spread holiday cheer than with lovely holiday decor that brings warmth and joy? (Raise your hand if you immediately thought of holiday cheer= singing loudly for all to hear.) One way to create an inviting holiday space is by making handmade christmas decorations. This doesn’t have to be incredibly complicated or involve a thousand items from Michaels or Hobby Lobby. In fact, you can take a step back and decorate as your great grandparents might have… with natural elements like pine cones, fruit, berries, and other items nature gives us this time of year.

Handmade Christmas Decorations

Last year, my family and I visited Tryon Palace in New Bern, NC. It was the colonial capital of North Carolina, and they decorate the palace each holiday season in the same way it would have been done in the 1800’s. There are lots of greenery boughs, fruit, and conifers. These handmade christmas decorations are truly beautiful. Why not take a page out of the colonial holiday decor guide and craft some of your own handmade Christmas decorations this year? For the past several years, I have used tree trimmings to create miniature Christmas trees with upside down tomato cages. They’ve been a huge hit with visitors, who all think they’re a real tree. These trees only take about 30 minutes to assemble, and they’re free since I use tree trimmings from a local lot, and tomato cages from my summer garden. Most handmade Christmas decorations use what you have available in your own yard, so it’s a perfect way to use what you already have on hand to create something beautiful.

mini Christmas Tree

Homemade Christmas Decorations, Where to begin?

Need a helping hand to get your handmade Christmas decorations going? My friend Patti, at Hearth and Vine, recently published Handmade for the Holidays which has 25 natural decor crafts for the holidays. Here’s a peek at some of the crafts that are included:

  • Multiple Centerpiece ideas (perfect for Thankgsiving!)
  • Dried fruit wreath
  • Greenery Ball
  • Topiary Crafts
  • Twig Christmas Trees
  • Rolled Beeswax Candles (Your guests will be amazed!)
  • Sugared Fruit

handmade christmas decorations

You can find Patti’s book, Handmade for the Holidays, on Etsy. Or you could win a copy for FREE just by entering below! What a great way to get inspired for creating your own handmade Christmas decorations. The giveaway will run through 11:59 pm on Friday, November 2nd, and the winner will be announced on Saturday, November 3rd.

Not typically lucky? Or ready for inspiration now? Patti is offering her ebook at 30% off just for The Kitchen Garten’s readers! That’s you! All you have to do is go to her Etsy listing here, and enter the code TKG30 at checkout. So, try your hand at the giveaway or snag a copy of your own (or for a friend) on Etsy. I can’t wait to hear all about your handmade Christmas decorations! Have a great week and good luck!

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DIY Vintage Tea Canister

Winter can be a real doozy when you would like to simply be outside with hands in the dirt. But for those of you waiting out the winter resting period, here’s a fun craft to spruce up your space. This cute DIY “vintage” tea canister can be used to display those freshly cut camellia blooms from your yard or a small bouquet from the store. It’s also perfect for art supplies, utensils, or any other items that need a “space.”

DIY tea canister

 This DIY Vintage Tea Canister easy enough to complete in just an afternoon, so it also makes a great last-minute gift! It’s super simple, and you’ll only need a computer, printer, canister, scissors, and Mod Podge. And since there’s some wait time while the Podge is drying, you can easily create this while you have other things going on.

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Why make this? I recently read a new book from a fellow gardening blogger (look for a giveaway soon!), and she stressed the importance of beauty in gardening. We want our spaces to look nice, and there are some simple ways to do that using things we already have. While I can’t get out in the garden and add beauty in the winter (almost everything is dead!), I can start to think about how to use what I have to make my home more inviting. Enter the peanut canister and a free printable image!

Printing Vintage Prints at Home

You can google vintage prints or advertisements and find lots of images out there. But wanted to find images I actually had permission to use and were good quality. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon Touch the Wood. This furniture restoration company does beautiful work, and they offer FREE printable images for folks to use. These can be printed and transferred onto furniture, or used in any kind of paper application. Check out their site and be inspired by the beautiful pieces they’ve created!

I was able to snag this lovely Reynolds Tea advertisement to dress up my peanut canister, and I was so surprised at how easy the whole thing was. Let’s get started!

DIY Decorative Tea Canister Supplies

1 piece 8.5×11 card stock (I used kraft paper)

Mod Podge (and brush)

Empty canister or can (use a metal can if you want to place water and flowers directly in container)

ruler

pencil

printed image

How to Make a DIY Canister

  1. Decide what print and canister you’d like to use. I used a peanut container, but if you want to put flowers and water directly in the canister, use an empty 28oz metal can. Print off your image in a size that will fit on your container. (I printed my image in a 5×8 size.)DIY tea canister
  2. Place canister on top of image, lining up the top of the paper with the top edge of your canister. (If your can has a rounded edge at the top and bottom, be sure to line your paper up with the bottom of this edge, since you’ll let that rounded edge show.) Begin marking where the bottom of the canister meets the paper. Do this in several places on the paper. DIY tea canister
  3. Once you’ve made several marks along the paper, take off the can and use a ruler to draw a straight line through your marks. Cut along this line. (If you’d like your image centered top to bottom, then simply use the ruler to measure the height of your can and use that measurement to cut your paper to fit.) I knew I’d be using this for flowers that would spill over the top a bit, so the lower the image, the better. DIY tea canister
  4. Prep your can by applying a small area of Mod Podge. (My canister was a little larger than my paper, so I took a small scrap piece of the kraft paper and attached it to the back side first.) Once you get the hang of it, coat your can in Mod Podge, then begin wrapping your paper around the can. DIY tea canister
  5. Once the paper is on, use clothes pins to hold it in place while you Mod Podge over the paper. You can do this two ways: 1. Use a super thick layer of Mod Podge and create brush strokes that will be visible once it dries, or 2. use a thinner layer of Podge and apply 2 coats. I opted for #2. I allowed 20 minutes dry time in between coats, and I loved the results. DIY tea canister
  6. Give your canister time to dry after your last coat. Don’t let your clothes pins stay on this whole time. As soon as you can, take them off, so they don’t stick to your paper. (This is experience talking here…) And that ruler comes in handy as a drying stick. Where the paper is gapping a bit, I simply went it with another coat of Podge and firmly pressed down. It sealed nicely. Let dry several hours. DIY tea canister
  7. In the end you’ll have a container that can hold fresh flowers, art supplies, utensils, or just about anything. If you made your canister out of something with cardboard sides (like my peanut container) simply use a pint mason jar (or a juice glass) inside for fresh flowers that need water. DIY tea canister

Creating small spaces of beauty in your home doesn’t have to involve spending money. See what you have laying around! And if you can bring the beauty of the outdoors in, like whatever may be blooming in your yard, then all the better!

I’d love to know how you use what you already have to create beauty in your home. Happy Gardening!

 

Other Planter Posts:

Need more DIY planter inspiration? I've got you covered!

DIY Tin Succulent Planter

Use an old tin for a creative way to display succulents!

DIY Mason Jar Herb Planter

DIY Striped Flower Pot

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Simple Camellia Decor

camellia decor

 

I don’t know about where you live, but here the weather has been dreary for the past week, and it’s honestly taking its toll on my sanity. We’ve had an unusually mild fall and winter so far, but gray skies, even when it’s warmer, can still be a bummer. The early winter season is when our camellia plants begin blooming, and it always begins with the white variety, at least in our yard. (You can see a few pink blooming in the back.)

camelliabush

They’re so beautiful and lush that it’s difficult not to admire them, but why keep all that beauty outside? I love to bring flowers in the house, even if I occasionally bring a creepy crawly in with them. The tiny grasshopper infestation of 2014 made me hesitant to bring in hydrangea blooms this year, but I thankfully overcame that pretty quickly. They also come in such a large variety of colors, that you can have a color burst in any room in your house. Our pink camellia bush is much smaller than the rest, but that soft pink color is perfect for Valentine’s Day.

camelia decor

And the bright pink/red variety seems to be very popular in our area. We have three of these bushes in our yard, and since they bloom a bit later than the white variety, we are able to have fresh blooms in the house for over a month.

camelia decor

Camellias are fairly low maintenance; they’d have to be to survive our three-kid and two-dog lifestyle. How do you bring them indoors? I simply find a bloom that’s not fully open (when the petals are starting to bend backwards), and cut 4 to 5 inches of stem below the flower with a good set of pruning shears (or kitchen shears if you’re desperate). While I’m outside, I go ahead and take off most of the leaves, leaving just a few around the flower. These leaves around the flower help them to prop against the jar or dish you place them in, and it gives a beautiful pop of green to your small arrangement.

cameliacut

The next steps are the hardest… just kidding. Simply fill a clear glass jar, or low bowl, part of the way with water and begin adding the blooms. If you realize your stems aren’t touching the water, just add more. There’s really no trick to arranging. I’ve found that four or five blooms perfectly fills the space in a pint mason jar. That’s scientific measurement right there. Once the flowers begin to wilt, simply replace them with fresh flowers (and water, of course).

whitecamelia3

This is a perfect touch of beauty for your end tables, dining tables, or a sweet gift for a neighbor. If your camellias (or your neighbors!) are blooming, bring some in and enjoy them. They should last for at least a week inside. You could even fancy up your jar by wrapping it in season ribbon or a wide wrap of burlap. The options are endless! Enjoy!

whitecamelia1

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