So, to say I was disappointed about not getting this posted on Monday would definitely be an understatment. I was pissed. Seriously, I am such a planner and list maker. When things go wrong (which they do a lot in DIY), I get totally stressed and frustrated. I’ve been like this forever and sometimes, it just doesn’t make the best formula for a person who likes to DIY. Oh well, I’m over it now.
Anyways, I’ve been trying to get a jumpstart on our front porch and back patio before summer hits. It seems like we wait and wait and then, by the time we get started, it’s already May. So, this year I’ve been bound and determined to change that. A few weeks ago, I shared our DIY Modern House numbers and this week I’ve got DIY Planters.
If you’ve been around for awhile, then you know that our front porch looks like this:
We painted the rug, gave the bench a makeover, bought the topiaries (a Goodwill score!) and put new, potted plants on the steps last year.
This year, I wanted to get new pots for the topiaries. I’ve hated the pots that they came in since the beginning, but I’ve been waiting to update them until I found something cheap or really cool to DIY.
I came across this on Pinterest.
I pinned it last year and finally decided to do it, but I wasn’t overly excited about it. I loved the look of the concrete, but I didn’t love the seam on one side that the pavers glued together gives you. Right before I headed out to Home Depot to buy the pavers, I saw this:
Swoon… totally perfect for my front porch. It still uses the cheap pavers, but has the added element of wood that really ups the ante. Love it!
So, Luke and I went Home Depot to gather our supplies. I’m not going to give you a step-by-step tutorial, because Addicted 2 Decorating does that, but I will just summarize the steps we did.
We decided that we wanted our wood painted white. Luke assembled the bases and then I spray painted them white.
We let that dry and then we put two concrete pavers in at a time. We used the other pavers as weights so the glue would adhere well to the paver and wood.
Total cost for two came in at about $30 (or 1 for $15).
These suckers are HEAVY. I think they really added something special to our front porch.
Can you believe how little that old planter looks compared to the new one? Crazy!
If you liked this Pinterest Made Me Do It Post then check out these:
Linking up to:
C.R.A.F.T., Rain on a Tin Roof, Project Inspire(d), The Makers, The Winthrop Chronicles, Home Stories A-Z, Work It Wednesday, Making Home Base, Fry Sauce and Grits, Liz Marie Blog, The Inspiration Gallery, Creativity Unleashed – The Bold Abode, Remodelaholic, Whipperberry, Tatertots and Jello, Spotlight Saturday, Link It or Lump It and Frugal Crafty Blog Hop.
Breanna says
March 26, 2014 at 8:01 amSO cute! Definitely going to remember this down the road 🙂
Ashley Mayes says
March 26, 2014 at 12:47 pmThanks Breanna!
Charlotte says
March 26, 2014 at 8:39 amHow cool. I love that look, especially at that price point! And the white is a great compliment to the bench! Have you considered putting a low growing plant to kind of grow around the base of the topiary, to me it looks kind of lonely
Also – just an observation, I spotted that ivy creeping along the brick wall of your house, you should consider removing it from the house walls. They can be HAVOC on mortar!
Ashley Mayes says
March 26, 2014 at 12:49 pmI’ve seen the plants in the bottom when people have topiaries, but it’s probably more than I want to do. That space gets almost zero light, so I would have to baby them and I’m totally lazy with outdoor plants! Like zero patience for them. lol. Thanks for the reminder on the ivy. We have cleaned that up quite a few times and it just never stops. Definitely need to get on that.
Brynne@TheGatheredHome says
March 26, 2014 at 11:23 amI really love the modern edge the concrete adds!!
Ashley Mayes says
March 26, 2014 at 1:04 pmMe too! Thanks Brynne.
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says
March 26, 2014 at 2:06 pmI love them and the modern look is so you.
Ashley Mayes says
March 26, 2014 at 5:04 pmThanks Julia!
jamie@kreyv says
March 26, 2014 at 5:31 pmOh my gosh, love those planters! Everything looks amazing!
Ashley Mayes says
March 27, 2014 at 7:28 amThanks Jamie. It’s coming along, but definitely slowly.
Michelle says
March 27, 2014 at 7:50 pmI really love how modern and chunky these are! They really hold great visual weight and fill up the space nicely. And I can’t believe they only cost $30 to make. These would easily be double that retail!
Ashley Mayes says
March 27, 2014 at 8:27 pmThanks Michelle! They took a few hours to make, but I think they are so worth it. It’s hard to find bigger, modern planters at a good price point. Thanks for stopping by!
Jennifer @ Brave New Home says
April 3, 2014 at 12:57 pmWoah, those are seriously creative! Great job. Planters that size start getting pricey, too…
Ashley Mayes says
April 3, 2014 at 7:07 pmBig planters are expensive! It’s really crazy how much $$$ they can be.
Ashley @ 3 Little Greenwoods says
April 4, 2014 at 6:54 amOkay… I got totally side tracked by the rug! Love the concrete planters too. Great choice to paint them white!
Ashley Mayes says
April 4, 2014 at 8:39 amThanks!