It’s surprising to me too that this is the first appearance ofĀ air plants on the blog. Ā Where have I been, took me long enough, about time, all of that yes. Ā Just another one of those things on my listĀ that took me forever to get to, but we’re here now!
I started thinking about an air plant DIY after making a brass himmeli hanger at a craft workshop. Ā The idea started out as an air plant wreath, then somehow I ended up here, which I guess could also be seen as a minimal wreath. Ā Whenever a DIY takes a different direction, it’s usually a result of simplifying things after the initial idea doesn’t work out, so that makes this oneĀ a very, very simple ideaĀ that’s definitely worth trying for how beautiful the results are.
Materials:
-square basswood dowel
–suede lace
-scissors
-air plants
-wire
–wire cutters
I cut the square dowel into three pieces with the measurements noted above. Ā I picked a square dowel because I figured it would best keep the wire (showing that soon)Ā in place and prevent it from slipping around like it most likely would on a round dowel.
I tied and double knotted each end of suede lace to each end of the wood dowel, then cut off the excess lace. Ā I roughly eyeballed the length of the lace so that it was somewhere near twice the length of the dowel, maybe a bit less.
And then it looks like a little trapeze!
My air plants came with wire already wrapped around the base, but it would be fairly easy to add it yourself. Ā Note, this means the air plants will not be easily removable, but I plan on only water misting the plantsĀ and not removing them for soaking. Ā I have another air plant that has faired well for a while with just water misting 2-3 times a week, which is a relief because it’s possible I’mĀ too lazy to regularlyĀ remove plants for hours of soaking.
So all that’s left is wrapping the wire tightly around the dowel (I wrapped each one about three times around) and cutting off the excess with wire cutters, making sure that the air plant is balanced on the top side of the dowel. Ā That part is a little tricky because the air plant makes the dowel top heavy and likely to tip over, so it’s a bit of a balancing act. Ā I used the suede lace to help stabilize the dowelsĀ by somewhat weaving it within the leaves of the plant, which you’ll be able to see in the photo.
I didn’t anticipate that each hanger would need to be hung off-center in order for the dowel to hang straight since I attached the plants on the ends, but I find it surprisingly beautiful that way and how it creates scalene triangles (woah, just realizing IĀ still remember that term from geometry class once upon a time, didn’t know that was still in my head).
These turned outĀ way better than the original sketch I had in mind (ain’t that the best?) and they’re the perfect accessory for letting the sculptural lines of the air plants take the main stage. Ā Very happy with these, AND with how well my plant babies have been doing in general. Ā You see that little baby leaf sprouting out from the plant at the bottom right? Ā Makes my heart sooooaaar.
If you were looking for an April fools’ joke I’m sorry to disappoint you. Ā I’m sure you’ll be getting your fill today from other sources, but being that IĀ can be pretty gullible, I’m on HIGH alert today aka avoiding everyone and everything, HA. Ā May your day go on with harmlessĀ fooling, but also have fun <3
Such a simple but effective idea! Really lovely.
:D Thanks so much, Lana.
This is a really great idea! And I’m so glad I found your blog, is really lovely!
Thank you so much Maru. Very happy you’re here <3
so simple but lovely!
Thank you, Sarah!
These are so cute! What a lovely idea x
Thanks so much, Kate!
Great idea Amy! What I always like the most about your DIYs is how beautiful they turn out! I have ordered some air plants and can’t wait for them to be delivered- yiippii!
Happy Easter! :-) Hugs x
Aga, you are always so sweet. Thank you SO much for the amazing compliment. Have a happy Easter weekend <3
Do you take them off the wall to mist?
Cool idea :)
wow I have to try this. I love the look. Keep up the good ideas. Looking forward to another idea.
Thank you Doreen! Happy to have you here :)
where is the best place to get air plants?
Hi Sarah! I would recommend searching for a local nursery. When I first moved to my neighborhood I just looked some up via Yelp, and I get all my plants from them. Home Depot also carries air plants, but not a large variety in my experience. Ordering online is an option but I have no experience with it so I don’t have more to say on that. Hope this helps!
I love your idea Amy! Where do you get air plants. I’ve never heard of them before.
Where can I buy air plants?
Hi Mary! I would recommend searching for a local nursery. When I first moved to my neighborhood I just looked some up via Yelp, and I get all my plants from them. Home Depot also carries air plants, but not a large variety in my experience. Ordering online is an option but I have no experience with it so I don’t have more to say on that. Hope this helps!
Hi Kathy! I would recommend searching for a local nursery. When I first moved to my neighborhood I just looked some up via Yelp, and I get all my plants from them. Home Depot also carries air plants, but not a large variety in my experience. Ordering online is an option but I have no experience with it so I don’t have more to say on that. Hope this helps!
Thanks fr sharing….they look wonderful. I am going to try it…
Thank you Margaret! Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
I think these will be just great for Mother’s Day fete for a fund raiser. Thank you for all your wonderful ideas.
Agreed, great Mother’s Day idea. Thank you for stopping by, Sandra!
Great inexpensive and no care gift.
Using for graduation – dorm room gift!
Thx
So happy to hear that! Thanks for checking out the tutorial!
This is beautiful! I’m ordering the supplies and can’t wait to make it. My one question so far, though, is where you did find the wooden dowels and what size are they? I’ve found ones online with anywhere from 3/8″ to 1″ squares and I wasn’t sure which ones would be best to use. Thanks!
Thank you! My dowels are a little less than 1/2″ squares (probably 3/8″!) and I got them from JoAnn fabrics. So happy to hear you’re going to try this out! Thanks so much for your question.
So cute, can’t wait to try this! What kind of tool did you use to cut the dowel? Thanks!
Thanks Elisabeth! I just used a small saw, nothing fancy.
i love the hangers, and I’m trying them out, but how did you cut them? I’m having a really hard time getting them cut. Thanks for your help!
Hi Kristen! I used a small saw. I believe Home Depot will cut the wood for you too in the lumber section!
love it, I have tons of airplants on our rivers edge property line, here in
Costa Rica, will give it a try. At the moment I just place them on tree limbs close to the house
I’ve been drooling over this forever and can’t wait to make one for our new house!
Lovely idea… but what I would like to know is the name of the green yellow plant in the last pic… can anyone help me?
Hi! This may be a silly question, but how did you get these to hang at the angle you did and not where the top point is exactly in the middle of the board? Thank you! I love these!
Hi Shelby! The weight of the airplant on one side of the wood makes the balancing point off-center. If you were to attach the airplant to the center of the wood, then it would hang directly in the center of the suede lace. Hope that helps!
I just got several air plants from my nephew and his wife (she actually gathered them) from their backyard where they had blown out of the trees. These are from Lake Jackson, Texas. INow I can display them. Thank you.
Just found the website. Beautiful. Can you please hare the thickness or depth of the dowel. Please share. Thank you so much