DIY Pen & Plant Pots from Rubbish {Weekend Mini-Make}

Its time for another Weekend Mini-Make: a quick craft you can complete over the weekend for less than a tenner. And even better than that, all my mini-makes are designed to be something beginners can try their hand at, whilst also being a relaxing, well-being boost. As I've mentioned before, I regularly turn to DIY and crafting when times get hard, so for me, having a creative outlet has become a vital part of my everyday life. I hope that these simple, cheap crafting ideas will inspire others to have a go, and see if it can make big changes in their life too.

This week I've decided to have a go transform some rubbish into pen and plant pots for my new (upcoming) home office.

You will need: 

Cans and tins from things such as custard powder, cocoa powder and granulated coffee

Chalk paint

Coloured paint - I used three tester pots I had laying around the house

Black permanent marker pen

Masking tape

Paintbrush or mini-roller 

Total spend: £0

How to make: 

Start by carefully washing out your tubs/cans, and leaving them to dry fully. You then need to apply a base which you can paint onto. I've decided to use chalk paint, as this is perfect for applying to all types of surfaces with no need for priming. You could, however use a white primer, for example. 

Apply the chalk paint all over the can - if you have a mini-roller this will leave a much smoother finish, however I simply used a small brush as this is all I had at home. Leave to dry before applying a second coat.  Once the second coat is dry you can start the fun bit - decorating!

I've gone with a couple of different designs, all are super easy though, and a great way of jazzing up your boring looking plant pots. My first design is a really simple: I masked off the bottom half using masking tape, and painted in this beautiful green colour. I then used a permanent marker to make some small dashes on the top half. For the second pot I simply drew some different shapes and filled them in with some more paint samples.

Next I wanted to have a go at the beautiful abstract-style faces that are cropping up all over the place, and think this might be my favourite of the lot. After sketching out some test drawings, I pencilled my face onto the pot, and drew over with the marker once I was happy with the design. I think this one definitely suits being a plant pot - don't you think?

Finally, a simple rainbow pattern - for which I just drew some arches in pencil, and then filled them in with three complimenting colours.

And thats literally it - one of the most simple projects I've ever done I think! And makes use of trash too, so you can't go wrong can you. 

It probably goes without saying, but these are for decorative purposes only, and you won't be able to wash them without rubbing off your design. If you do want to clean your pot out, I'd recommend using a damp sponge and wiping the inside carefully, making sure not to get any water on the outside.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and simple project - let me know if you make one, I'd love to see! I'll be back next week with another quick relaxing, craft perfect for completing over the weekend.

Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx