Don’t you love the big gorgeous outdoor planters that show up during Christmas time? Some of them can be pretty costly, but you can make your own for a lot less money by having a Holiday Planter Party!
Making your own decorations and sprucing up your house for the holidays can bring both joy and a feeling of accomplishment to your life!
Last week a friend of mine hosted a Holiday Planter Party. Of the group that participated, some of us were crafty and some of us needed a little help. I fall into the latter group, but I am working hard to be a more creative person! (Power of words: I am creative, I am creative.)
I wasn’t sure what I was doing at first, but once I got started, making holiday planters turned out to be quite easy. You just have to use your imagination. If I can do it, you can do it, and it’s a great way to try something new! I thought I would share some of the tips I learned with you!
The bonus of doing this with friends is that you can share all of the material. My daughter and I came with our baskets and some embellishments we bought at our local craft store. Others came with car loads full of plant clippings and pots. My friend’s mother in law contributed a supply of metal containers she was getting rid of. Another friend brought lots of different types of ribbon. We were prepared!
Here is what you need:
Container
Start with a container. This can be a basket, a pot, a metal bucket, a ladder or even a wagon as you can see in the picture to the left. The sky is the limit on this. Find something in your garage or basement that you are not using and make it beautiful! You do not have to buy anything.
Greens
Again, you do not have to buy these. Especially here in Minnesota, there are evergreen trees everywhere! If you know someone who has evergreens, ask if you can trim a few. If you are taking some branches from several trees, you will hardly tell the difference. Look for a variety of trees with short and long needles. Or, split the cost of a Christmas tree with your friends and cut the branches off.
Filler
If you are using a pot you can fill it with potting soil or rocks. You could also put a smaller container inside the larger container to keep it from getting too heavy. If you are using a basket or a smaller container, you can use a Styrofoam insert. These can be found at any craft store.
Decorations
This is the fun part!
Use ribbon to tie around the basket handles or around the top of your pot. You could even hot glue ribbon tied in a bow to the greens. You can use silk, organza, burlap or anything you have left over from Christmas.
Look around your yard for plants or shrubs with colors you might like in your planter. Hydrangea, dogwood, eucalyptus, or you can spray paint other types of branches.
Go for a hike and find pine cones, feathers and birch branches.
Use Christmas tree ornaments like glass balls or words.
You can find holly, poinsettia or other decorations at your local craft stores as well.
Put it all Together
Stick the greens into the soil or the foam inserts and fill up your container. Once it is full, start adding your other decorations. See the examples in the pictures in this post. Add some color and texture until you have a finished product you like. It is all based on your own eye and what you think looks good.
Keep it Fresh
I found a couple of products on-line that you can use to spray the greens so that they do not dry out. They are Wilt Pruf or Wilt Stop. They can both be found on Amazon for about $16.00 a spray bottle. If any of your planters are going to be indoors, be aware that they can get quite messy as they dry out. I learned the hard way, so next time, these planters will stay outside!
A couple of party side notes here:
You can’t have a party without food and drink. We enjoyed Bloody Mary’s and cinnamon rolls, cheese and crackers and other appetizers.
Play some holiday music in the background!
A bonus is that making holiday planters with a group of friends is good for your health. A study from Brigham Young University found that people with social relationships live 50 percent longer than people who are more socially isolated.
I know there are gorgeous planters available from the professionals, but look at what we did! All of the amazing planters in these pictures were made at our holiday planter party!
So, grab your friends and have your own holiday planter party! I’d love to see your finished products!
Have fun!