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Quick—someone knock on wood—but it looks like we might get a break from the rain, hail and snow that refuses to leave Utah.

Heck, it’s a balmy 54 degrees outside right now.

That means that the rest of my sad clearance flowers from my cake dome planter project that have completely taken over my kitchen table can finally move outside.

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I’ve been wanting some more color to go with my cake dome planter along the front porch and love the look of hanging baskets.

 But as it turns out, I was fresh out of hanging baskets.

So the only thing left to do was grab some empty formula cans and get to work!

For this project you’ll need:

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{As always I hope you’ll rock what ya got an use whatever you have on hand to make this without an extra trip to the store.}

Punch drainage holes in the bottom with a screw driver and hammer.

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Flatten rough edges with a pair of needle nose pliers.

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Coat cans with a quick coat of primer on the inside and out …

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… and cover with your choice of paint. I used a coat of left over house paint for the base and craft paint for the stripes and spots.

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A coat a clear spray paint sealed everything.

Hanging holes were made using a left over nail/screw. I placed a piece of scrap wood beneath my cans and hammered away.

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I filled the bottom quarter of each can with packing peanuts to keep the weight down and save on soil …

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… and then added my plants.

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To make the hanging wires, I cut 3 –  18” lengths of wire per can …

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… and threaded them from the outside, twisting them into place.

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I twisted all three wires together above the flowers and bent the end over to make a hook.

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Left over wire was trimmed away.

And just for fun, I added some vinyl to the outsides of a couple can planters.

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And just like that, six colorful baskets were waiting for a break in the weather to make their debut along the front porch.

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And I love how they turned out …

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… and how bright and cheerful they make the front of my house look!

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Finally … finally … welcome to Utah Spring! Glad you made it in time for summer.

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24 Comments

  1. Caroline @ Artfully Caroline

    Love the purple !
    BTW.. the box is en-route. Will be delivered after Memorial Day WE 🙂

  2. The rain will stop! It is SUPPOSED to be 78 in Boise tomorrow! It's headed your way girl! (I hope!)

  3. CraftCrave

    Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave today [25 May 02:15am GMT]. Thanks, Maria

  4. Valerie@Occasionally Crafty

    You never cease to amaze me! Love it! If I didn't kill plants, I would totally do this.

  5. Very cute and the packaging peanuts…BRILIANT!

  6. Nicolette

    These are so pretty! Great idea. BTW: I'm visiting from Show and Tell over at Blue Cricket.

  7. Daisy Valentine

    Oh! I absolutely find your blog absolutely fantastic!

  8. Mama Peck

    What a great idea! I love it that you are using what you have on hand. And, they look positively adorable. Another great hint I recently ran across on this blog http://www.ladybirdln.com/2011/05/my-dirty-secret-revealed.html would be a great addition for our hot Utah summers.

  9. Renee @ where the grass is greener

    What a great idea!! I actually still have one that I use as a bank and my youngest is 10! Those formula cans really come in handy!

  10. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper

    i absolutely LOVE this idea! way to be green and pretty!

  11. Naturally Me Creations

    What a cute idea, i think it looks lovely!

  12. These look great and I love how frugal they are. 🙂

  13. Those R beautiful. One could do any color combination. In Arizona, now that our heat has turned on, they wouldn't work here but maybe in the fall. Have a great day.

  14. Creative Contentment

    Smarty!! That was so clever. I still have one plant that I so want to upcycle its pot and have NOT gotten to it yet. Good inspiration for me. Really this is great, way to go Nike.

  15. Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming

    Hi Nike, These planters are so sweet! I love that you recycled materials – they look really cute. Thanks so much for linking to the Sunday Showcase – I greatly appreciate it. I have featured this on Sunday – I am a little behind getting to the comments though. Have a wonderful week ~ Stephanie Lynn

  16. What a cute project! Love how you use recycled cans. I've used them for table decor…painted and/or decoupaged them to hold candles, flags, flowers, etc. It's a wonderful way to decorate without breaking the bank!
    Jane – Artfully Graced

  17. Love this pretty project Nike 🙂 I've featured this post on Craft Gossip here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/recycled-cans-hanging-planters/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here:
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

  18. They are so pretty! What a great recycling idea. Thanks for sharing.

  19. Anonymous

    thx for sharing im def gonna do this! such a great idea 🙂 Lavalane….

  20. Anonymous

    This is so simple and lovely!
    How did you make the SO accurate writing of the word "THRIVE"?
    tHANKS!
    sarita
    goolit@yahoo.com

  21. Anonymous

    If you are having a hard time hammering the holes in the cans… You can use a can opener and make half an inch slits on around the bottom edges. The use a flat head screw driver to make the slits widen.