Miniature House Upcycled as a Planter

What junk have you been collecting lately, just to turn it into something else?  I’ve been collecting miniature houses that range from faux birdhouse to brightly painted cottage.  Each piece seems to have another purpose, such as a tealight holder or tissue dispenser, but I’d like to upcycle all of these in some other way.

Since today is our monthly Junk Revision Challenge and the theme is inspiration for Mother’s or Father’s Day, I decided to repurpose one of these houses into a planter gift.

This is just one of the projects, and I’ll try to keep it short, so you can be sure and check out the rest of the monthly challenge ideas further below:)  

DIY miniature house planter

Supplies

Spray paint

Chalk paint or craft paint 

Clear sealer spray (outdoor varnish if going outside)

Peat moss pots

Bar of soap

Sandpaper (200 grit or so)

Seedlings: annuals, perennials, herbs, ground covers, or grasses

I chose the black metal tealight holder house.  The opening looked big enough be able go get some plants inside the house without much fuss, so here’s how I did it.

I gave the whole piece,inside and out, a few coats of lighter colored spray paint, and let it dry.

I painted the outside only with several coats of white chalk paint, and let that dry.

I rubbed some soap over the roof surface, using the same distressing technique I used, here.

I painted the top with a dark taupe color, and let that dry.

I sanded down the roof, gently, to get a chippy look.

Finally, I sprayed on a clear top coat.

I transferred my seedling plants into the peat moss pots.  These worked good for this because they can be squished a little.

I placed the peat moss pots inside the opening, squeezing the pots a little here and there, to make them fit. I was able to get 5 little peat moss pots inside this house.

Some might call this a birdhouse planter, honestly when I was collecting all these little houses, I considered them mock birdhouses, and it wasn’t until I took a second look at them that I realized they weren’t all birdhouses. Some were just miniature houses with an added purpose, what do you know.

Either way, I know my mom would have loved to get this for Mother’s Day, whether she kept it as a planter, or replanted the annuals in her yard and used the miniature house as a tealight holder.

I ended up giving this one to my friend, as a hostess gift. With summer party season coming up, I might have to do some variation of this project as a gift real soon.

Thank you for checking this out  ~ Amy

Scroll on down for even more Mother’s and Father’s Day inspiration from my Junk Visionary friends —>