House plants are great for greening your living space—they can even purify the air. Succulents are about as easy as they come, and hardy enough to let kids take the lead in caring for them. So why not add a touch of life and lit to your home with this DIY book craft planter?
Use them as decorative accents or feature them on a minimalist shelf or end table. Wherever you place them, this creative upcycled book craft will add a charming and unique touch. This project is easy to make, will last a long time, and can be a fun one to do with kids, provided you do the cutting for them.
Materials:
- Hardcover book
- X-Acto knife
- Plastic container(s) no taller than the book is thick (use one or a few)
- Rocks
- Soil
- Succulents
Cost: This project should cost you around $20 if you have to purchase materials. But if you’re looking for a way to re-pot some succulents and already have an X-Acto knife, you may be able to gather and upcycle the materials for this craft at no cost!
Step One: The first step is to carve out a rectangle in the middle of the book with your X-Acto knife. This does not have to be perfect! You will be covering the top with rocks at the end and you won’t even be able to see the inside pages once this is done, so don’t worry if you can’t get a clean cut. I found it worked best to cut the rectangle out of the cover first, and then work in sections to cut further into the pages of the book. Don’t cut all the way through all the pages before checking the depth with your containers (step two).
Step Two: Test the depth with your plastic container. You want the height of the container to hit a little below the cover of the book. Cut away as many pages as necessary. This will differ depending on the thickness of your book and the plastic container(s) you use. You can easily reuse plastic containers for this step! I found some that were the right height but small enough that I needed to use two, but you can also just use one larger container here.
Step Three: Layer the bottom of your container(s) with rocks. This is a gardening tip! Because our containers won’t be draining out excess water, this step will keep the succulents very happy! Having rocks at the base lets water drain through the soil and collect here, so we won’t overwater our succulents by accident.
Step Four: Now just add soil over the rocks and plant your succulents.
Step Five: Use your remaining rocks to cover the soil and fill in around the container(s) to the edge of the book. This final step adds the perfect decorative touch to your book craft planter!
Now it’s time to find your succulent garden a new home and enjoy! You can even make a few to use around the house, or as centerpieces for your next festive meal.
Kelsey Nickerson creates abstract paintings with rich color, texture, and movement, and enjoys a good book craft. She oversees web production and photography for MayaSmart.com.
