Y’all. Succulents. They’re back. I know, they never went anywhere, but it’s been a while since they’ve dominated the blog. Also thought this would be a good time to replace the ones that didn’t make it through winter (RIP) and to bring just a teeny tiny bit more color into my life. The latter wasn’t a part of the original plan, but like what happens every time I visit a local nursery, I wanted to bring everything home, and this time I was most captivated by these blue and purple ones (let me know how gorgeous they are.)
So initially I thought I’d be adding color to the planters, but since the succulents already have that locked down, I kept the planters simple and uniform with a little somethin’ somethin’ to make them interesting. It’s pretty easy!
Materials
–square glass vase
–white spray paint
–clear acrylic spray
–copper foil
-scissors
-succulents
I believe these are meant to be candle holders, but they are just 3″ glass cubes that I wiped down with rubbing alcohol and spray painted white.
I applied three light coats of spray paint on all outside edges of each cube, waiting one minute between each coat, then finished off each surface with a few light coats of clear acrylic spray for protection. Since the surface is going to be handled in the next step, it’s best to wait 24 hours to let the paint fully dry before moving on (ugh, I know, so boring, but hang in there.)
Next, I applied copper foil in this radial design, starting first with the strip in the middle, then the strips on the outside, then the strips in between, smoothing my finger over every piece. After each application, I cut off any foil extending beyond the edges.
I switched the direction of the design on half the planters thinking it would be cute to pair them up like this. Wouldn’t this set make a pretty sweet gift?
Here’s a thought. Plants are a great way to bring in color without making drastic design commitments. Flowers are even less of a commitment. I’m thinking this is more of the way I’d want to do color as opposed to going super colorful with decor, especially if I’m experimenting. Whatever the case, Spring is hitting me early this year and has me thinking about color all of a sudden. Check out this post if you’re craving color, and to see what image from there inspired the design for these planters ;) .
Also, this is definitely not the first time copper foil has made an appearance on the blog. It’s one of my favorite discoveries ever, so if you want to see what else you can do with it, take a look at these candle holders, this wall art, or these pumpkins (I’m learning it’s never too soon to think ahead, but seriously, this is too soon, right? Craft stores bring out fall stuff before July 4th, guys. I unintentionally learned that last year and was freaked out.)
These are awesome – so pretty and such a great idea. Pinning!
Thanks so much, Marie!
Oh these are fab! Love the use copper foil – really effective – and the sunburst pattern is lovely x
Thanks, Kate! Good to hear you like the sunburst pattern. I’m partial to them myself ;)
These are so nice! I like the idea of using a glass square. But I wonder, do you ever have problems with drainage? All the cute planters I find don’t have a drainage hole in the bottom.
Thanks!
Great question, Molly. I have a mix of planters with and without drainage holes, and I have seen no correlation between having one and the succulent surviving. The key thing I’ve found with succulent care is to do the absolute bare minimum watering, like it’s a better-to-forget-to-water-it-here-and-there-than-to-water-it-regularly kind of thing. As long as I’m careful not to overwater, drainage has not been a problem. So for example, the succulents in this post will be getting at most about 1 tbsp of water only when the soil looks to have completely dried out. Don’t know if others might disagree, but this has worked for me!
Amy! You have such copper fingers! Anything you touch with copper is fabulous. Love these! X
Hehe thanks, Fran! What a compliment xx.
I adore these!!!
Thank you Sarah!! <3
So simple and cute!!
Thanks, Arena!! Nice to see you here :D
Love this! Been meaning to try a project with copper foil and now I’m even more inspired. Just added it to my Amazon cart!
I’m at a point where I should probably reel it back before everything is covered in copper tape, but I gotta use the stuff up! I’m really excited for what you might do with the foil <3 Good to know you're inspired, thank you!
I’m definitely obsessed with these things. I’m starting to build a little garden of my own and want to try these DIYs out! Thanks for sharing :D
Characters & Carry-ons
A little indoor garden is an excellent idea. Happy to hear your inspired to DIY! Thanks, Joyce!
Oh Amy, this looks so perfect and sweet and I really I love succulents.
Thanks, Lisa! I’m a succulent fiend, to. This is really it for me for a while… until I see another one that I like.
Oh my cuteness! Nothing makes me quite as happy as succulents. I have hundreds of them in my backyard.
Thanks, Danie! I’d definitely have hundreds of them too if I had a backyard- sounds amazing.
I love your DIY projects ~ I have mostly blues in my home with lots of copper accents so I can see doing this on cobalt blue instead of white. Either way, gorgeous!
Thank you, Dani! Blue and copper is a beautiful combo. I’d love to see how that turns out!
I’m in love with succulents lately, so this is just perfect. They’re so bright and beautiful! Can’t wait to try.
Oh yes, succulents are a lifestyle. You won’t ever go back to the way you were before ha! Thanks, Jordan!
Super cute! I love the way the copper resembles sun rays. We can all use a bit more sunshine this time of year! Fun project!
Yea! I dig sun rays. Thank you, Michelle!
I love these!!! So cute. I am OBSESSED with copper foil and other metallic / reflective tapes right now – I’ve been using them a lot in my work right now too, doing drawings of tree ring patterns with them.
this is such a cute idea i love it and I’m totally trying it ! :)
I love succulents and this is a cool way to display them! Love the gold!