Upgrade A Boring Dollar Tree Planter With A Satisfying And Stylish DIY

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Container gardens like this hummingbird-friendly plant combo are a great way to add life and a splash of color to your outdoor area without taking up a lot of room. Alongside an array of vibrant blooms and eye-catching greenery, you can use pots to create a statement piece that adds a finished touch to your yard. Dollar Tree offers a variety of planters in different shapes and neutral colors, perfect for meeting your garden needs. However, if you want to upgrade your planters and take your container garden to the next level, this easy and stylish DIY is for you.

With a handful of supplies, this DIY trick transforms the plain surface of your planter, turning an ordinary plastic pot into a decorative art piece. Even better, since you'll be working solely on the outside of your planter, the pot will remain fully functional inside.

The goal of this project is to create 3D appliques using molds and glue to create a planter that looks like it came off the kiln with decorations. To get started, you'll need to pick out a silicone pattern mold, a hot glue gun, and glue sticks, as well as the planter you want to decorate. While optional, you'll want to choose a spray paint so that your DIY glue designs match the color of your pot.

Since you'll be working with a hot glue gun and spray paint for this clever planter hack, you want to make sure you're using the proper safety techniques for DIY projects. Glue guns can get hot and cause burns, especially around the metal tip, and spray paint should be used in a well-ventilated area. Paint masks are also recommended.

Once you're ready to begin crafting your show-stopping garden planter, you'll want to heat up the glue gun, then fill the mold with hot glue. You're looking for scroll molds used for clay or baking projects, like the baroque 3-pack scroll silicone molds from Grosun. If you're having trouble getting your glue to the right consistency, you may want to increase the heat setting. Just make sure to lower it again before attaching your finished decorative pieces to the planters. Once the glue has dried in the silicone mold, simply pop it out and remove it (it should come out as one long strip). Then, using the glue gun, attach your stylish DIY applique to the planter — and that's it for the main part of this easy project. Attach as many rows of applique strips as you like.

With all of your pieces attached, you can spray paint the entire pot one color so the appliques look like they're hand-molded on the planter. Between choosing various molds you like and picking out the perfect colors, there are plenty of ways to customize and tailor this project to your outdoor space. This is just one of many Dollar Tree container DIYs you can do to elevate your garden and create an outdoor sanctuary you love to be in. Plus, since you can repurpose this idea for any container, it's a great way to further personalize your container garden setup.