Woman DIYs Budget Alternative To A $100 Fall Planter With Pool Noodles

If your taste in autumnal porch decor leans bougie, you might have spotted the At Home terracotta pumpkin planter, which was retailing for a whopping $100. Walmart has resin versions, with slightly less haunting price tags — but a little 8-inch one still runs over $30. If you're in the mood for a project (and to preserve your bank balance), crafty creator Alex Marie came up with an ingenious DIY version of these cute jack-o'-lantern planters. She uses plastic buckets, pool noodles, and paint to make show-stopping 5-gallon planters that look spookily close to the store-bought designs. 

The best part about this DIY is that you won't need a ton of tools or an advanced engineering degree to pull it off. Just grab a glue gun and a utility knife, and you're ready to roll. In fact, you may not even need to buy all-new materials, depending on what you've got kicking around. If you happen to have an old bucket and some pool noodles soaking up dust in the toolshed, a pool noodle DIY is just the excuse you need to give new life to old junk, and avoid contributing to the landfill. Even if you don't have any sun-bleached noodles losing their luster in the pool, they can often be purchased for less than a dollar each. Whether you're in the mood for a fun DIY project, or you've been clamoring for some pumpkin decor before the trick-or-treaters arrive, this is a great way to pump up the Halloween spirit on a budget. 

To get started on this DIY, gather up six pool noodles (three thick and three regular-sized), along with hot glue, paint and primer, and your 5-gallon bucket. Slice your noodles in half, and cut into 15.5-inch and 16.5-inch lengths (the thick ones must be longer). Now begin hot gluing the smaller noodle strips to the exterior of the bucket, making sure not to melt the sensitive foam as you go. Alex Marie's YouTube guide stresses that each noodle in this layer should have a gap of roughly a quarter to a half inch between them. Then do a layer with the larger pool noodle pieces over this. You can caulk any small gaps at the end.

Paint on a coat of primer, and then go in with orange paint over the top. Getting that perfect terracotta color to dupe the At Home planter might take some experimentation. Marie used a mixture of colors close to Home Depot's Sunset Pink, Colorful Leaves, and Maple Glaze. She also dabbed on a layer of baking soda before the paint dried. You can save time (and mess) by mixing the baking soda into the paint before applying to get that rough, clay-inspired texture. 

At this point, your creation should resemble a giant pumpkin, and all that's left to do is draw on a jack-o'-lantern face using a Sharpie or some black paint. You can use a jack-o'-lantern stencil if you're not confident in your freehanding skills, or if you'd like to draw a more elaborate design. If you're placing your planter outside, consider drilling a few holes in the bottom of the bucket to prevent it from filling with rainwater. Finally, you're ready to fill your creation with flowers (real or faux), or even Halloween candy, and pop your pumpkin on the porch! Keen for another craft? Here's how to make a pool noodle fall garland to go with your planter.