Happy Monday! I have a brand new DIY project for you today and its definitely creeping up on my favorites list. This project is just another reason why you should never through scraps of wood away… EVER. Remember my board and batten project I revealed way back when? Well, I’m SO glad I saved all of the scraps and left over wood from that project because it has come in handy quite a few times (like here, here and here). And now this one, my DIY Wheatgrass Planter.
I was in need of a long and narrow piece to fill a certain space in my home (reveal coming sooner than later, hopefully) so I decided to make a planter box out of leftover wood.
I apologize in advanced because I don’t have a full tutorial for you today. I’ll be honest, I don’t think my method was the best way to do this. I still love my final outcome but how I got here was a bit chaotic since I’m always trying to scrap things together and not spend money on supplies. So I’ll just let you use this as inspiration for YOUR next project :)
For my planter box, I used 5″ pieces of plywood, Gorilla Glue, (8) 2 1/2″ L-shaped brackets, white paint, black paint, a number stencil and a sander.
The numbers I chose were not random, rather they represent a very special day for my family.
I built the box using plywood and Gorilla Glue and let it dry. Then I sanded the edges down and gave it 3 coats of white paint. After it dried, I painted on the number using a stencil I created in Silhouette (Font: Stencil) and black acrylic paint. I let it dry over night and then gently sanded it down to give it a very subtle distressed look.
Lastly, I installed the hardware to polish off the look, and to secure the box together.
At first, I wasn’t sure what I was going to put in the planter. I played with mason jars, vintage shaped jars, decorative balls and I even thought about putting artificial wheatgrass in it, until I found out how much that would cost! It would have cost me close to $60 just to fill this with fake grass, and when I only spent $5 on hardware to make the box that was a hard sell. So then, my next thought was to actually grow the grass myself and maintain it but then I would have to wait 3 weeks for it to grow and I am too impatient. So I ended up purchasing live wheatgrass in the store and planting it. But I’m totally new at the whole wheatgrass thing and now I’m thinking that wasn’t such a good idea. I may end up having to plant it from scratch again. I’ll keep you posted.
I am SO excited to show you the whole space. Just have to wait a bit longer :)
About Taryn Whiteaker
Taryn Whiteaker is the voice of style behind TarynWhiteaker.com (formerly Design, Dining and Diapers) ! Taryn is a previous PR/Marketing professional who got back to her creative roots after becoming a mom and now shares her passion for home decor and design for the world to see. Taryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and three kids and loves coffee, the outdoors, and exploring with her family.
Miss Margarita says
October 22, 2012 at 8:33 amlove it!!!!
Nancy at maddalee says
October 22, 2012 at 8:39 amLove it, Taryn! I can’t wait to see the reveal!
Have a good day, Nancy
Kristy Life-n-Reflection says
October 22, 2012 at 9:24 amLove this project, I adore household things with numbers and alphas
Jessica @ Dear Emmeline says
October 22, 2012 at 10:46 amlove it! tha brackets make the piece!
Glutenfreebloganista says
October 22, 2012 at 11:19 amSo sweet!!
Leslie Stewart says
October 22, 2012 at 4:02 pmI LOVE your wheatgrass planter! Love the look! You rock!
Leslie
jessica@fourgenerationsoneroof says
October 22, 2012 at 5:05 pmLove you new planter and especially love how simple it looks to make. I like simple :)
Megan says
October 22, 2012 at 6:39 pmWhat a beautiful project!
Luana says
October 22, 2012 at 7:57 pmI love this simple kind of project…thank you for sharing with us..
Nancy Roberts says
October 22, 2012 at 8:21 pmThis is fun! Thanks for the tutorial. Hope the wheatgrass thing works out for you as well…I’ve never grown it either. :) Blessings! Nancy at livininthegreen
Jill Flory says
October 23, 2012 at 1:11 pmI have some wheat seed – I should plant some for some christmas decor!
Cristina@remodelandolacasa says
October 23, 2012 at 4:59 pmI love it! The white paint and the numbers make it so unique!
JaneEllen says
October 23, 2012 at 8:20 pmLove the planter, great use of scraps. I was wondering what thickness plywood you used?
The planter has kind of an industrial chic look with the brackets and number. Excellent.
I noticed that the ends of the planter were covered on top also, reason for that?
I’ll look forward to your tutorial on your wheatgrass planter.
Happy Week
Taryn says
October 24, 2012 at 12:31 pmHi JaneEllen!
I used 1/4″ plywood for this project. I probably would have chosen a thicker wood if I was making this from scratch and not leftover wood. Because the plywood was only 1/4″, the screws from the brackets went clear through the wood and stuck out, so that’s why I covered the edges, to cover the screws.
-Taryn
Crystelle says
October 24, 2012 at 8:48 amLove the box, the grass, and the special meaning behind the numbers. It’s all so much better when it has p[personal meaning, don’t you think?
hugs ~ Crystelle
Mary Beth @ Cupcakes and Crinoline says
October 24, 2012 at 5:38 pmThis is so lovely, Taryn!
Anne says
October 24, 2012 at 8:28 pmAdore!!
Tarah - Real {Cheap} Housewives of Texas says
October 24, 2012 at 11:17 pmI love this! fabulous!
aimee says
October 25, 2012 at 4:14 pmI love the font of your number stencil your planter looks great xxx
Hilani-Handmade by Hilani says
October 25, 2012 at 7:15 pmTaryn, can I feature this with my No Sew Round Up, pretty please.:) xo
Trisha says
October 25, 2012 at 7:45 pmI love the box! The wheat grass looks so fresh and fun in the planter. Hopefully it works out but lots of things would look great in there.
Christine says
October 25, 2012 at 9:15 pmI think grass was a much better choice than mason jars. The green pops next to the white planter. I would love to make this! I can think of quite a few places in my house that would benefit from something as fresh and perky as this :)
Christine
Jen @ Bungalov says
October 25, 2012 at 9:28 pmCute idea for the numbers. I didn’t notice it was a date until you explained. Great piece!
The Shoestring Contessa says
October 26, 2012 at 8:11 amThat turned out so well!!
Deanna says
October 26, 2012 at 2:31 pmThanks for the inspiration!! It’s so cute!! I may be able to actually do this if I can find pre-cut wood, because I have a little power saw phobia!! It’s darling though!! =) Deanna, your newest follower!
Bethany says
October 27, 2012 at 9:41 amI love this little planter box! You have just inspired me with what I can dow with little boxwoods we put outdoors in lieu of flowers this year. They are going to freeze soon and this is such a great streamlines way to bring them indoors. Thank you for the cutest projects and ideas. You made my day. xo
Ruth says
October 27, 2012 at 10:42 amI love this planter. I have been wanting to try something like this for my table. I never throw out any wood scraps either. You never know what you could make with them.
Ruth
Jen says
October 27, 2012 at 6:43 pmVery pretty!
And the wheatgrass just pops right out! Love it
Tanya says
October 27, 2012 at 9:50 pmThis is gorgeous Taryn! You are so creative, can’t wait to see what you do next chica
xoxo, Tanya
Tani@Tagana Rose says
October 29, 2012 at 2:33 amThis is so pretty! I love how the green just shines against the white planter.
gail says
October 31, 2012 at 5:53 pmTayryn–I love your wheat grass planter! the addition of the numbers and the l brackets really make it special.
my cats would LOVE to much on that grass!
gail
Desiree says
November 2, 2012 at 7:53 amThis is beautiful! Wheatgrass is super easy to grow and maintain. Just cut off the tops every once in a while and throw them into a smoothie for a super healthy energy boost! And keep it watered. It will grow back time and time again.
sherry says
November 2, 2012 at 1:30 pmThis turned out so beautiful. I love the look of the gorgeous natural wheatgrass in decor. I have a wooden cd box that was destined for the Goodwill pile that now has three pots of wheatgrass sitting in my window…just waiting for me to figure out how to finish the box!! I was thinking I would put a family established date on mine. I hope mine turns out as pretty as yours! Thanks for the Inspiration :) Cannot wait to see your entire space.
Jessica says
January 16, 2014 at 10:00 amI found similar wheat grass on the website ‘save on crafts’. I have a flower box just like this, thanks for the great diy idea!