Add Whimsical Decor To Your Outdoor Space With These DIY Mushroom Stools

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Mushrooms are popping up everywhere lately as decorative accents for the yard, sans the harvest gold and avocado green hues that accompanied the mushroom elements of the 1970s. Part of the fun of the fungi theme is that it offers a connection to nature with a hint of a fairy tale fantasy world in which gnomes, elves, or fairies could show up at any time. Instead of buying new mushroom pieces to use outdoors, make your own from items you already have on hand. This is one easy way to cut down on clutter while giving some unused items new life as outdoor decor. To complete this project, you'll turn large flower pots upside down, attach a larger plant saucer to the top, and use paint to give it a mushroom appearance.

These DIY mushroom stools are sturdy enough for toddlers or preschoolers to sit upon, so they'd be a great addition outside of a play hut or pint-sized play table. They'll also look just as nice as-is tucked between plants in backyard flower beds. If you have more large flower pots than you'll ever need, repurpose a couple more of them into a stylish way to store a garden hose, or check out how to DIY a simple birdhouse out of a plastic nursery pot.

Begin by looking through your stash of garden supplies for sturdy plant pots and some heavy-duty planter saucers to use as the mushroom tops. If you don't have either, check local yard sales and Buy Nothing groups to find everything you'll need without spending much at all. Choose plant pots that are thick and that have no major cracks. It doesn't matter what they're made of, as long as they'll hold up to use as stools, if you intend to use them that way. The planter saucers should also be strong enough to serve as a seat. Choose a saucer that doesn't stick out very far when set atop an upturned plant pot if any significant weight will be upon it; this way they won't break easily. If you're making mushrooms to use only for decor or as a place to set a small plant pot or coffee mug, the planter saucers can stick out farther.  

The plant-pot mushrooms may be painted or left unpainted if you like the way they look. Either way, first clean the dirt off of each item. If painting the pots and saucers, choose a paint that's good for outdoor use and that's appropriate for the material. Krylon Fusion All-in-One spray paint is a great choice for many materials. If desired, add dots to the mushroom caps by blotting a round sponge dauber in a contrasting shade of acrylic paint, then dabbing it all over each cap. After painting the mushroom parts and allowing ample drying time, apply construction adhesive to the bottom of one downturned pot, then center an upside-down planter saucer on it. Repeat with each mushroom stool you're making. Also check out how to use other household staples to DIY easy garden decor.