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Deck it Out!: Upcycle a Colander as a Planter for Succulents

Ahhh… the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada is now over. It always marks the unofficial beginning of summer for most Canadians, and once it is over the weeks until ‘real’ summer begins seem to fly by. We stayed home this long weekend and tackled many projects in the yard and on the deck. But don’t worry – it wasn’t all work. We also put our boat in the water and got to enjoy a few fun boat rides as well as some time in the sunshine (which unfortunately only really appeared on Sunday). I have quite a few fun projects that I completed for our deck and today I am going to share a quick little garage-sale find that I upcycled for our deck décor.

upcycled colander turned succulent planter at thehappyhousie

I picked up this old colander at my friend Jess’ garage sale in her “free” pile. She told me that she had used it in her garden and that got my ol’ wheels spinning. I was planning to tackle the deck this weekend so I thought that it had great potential as a little planter for some Hens ‘n’ Chicks that I wanted to repot. The colander started out a little faded and worn.

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Nothin’ that a few coats of spray paint couldn’t deal with. I gave it a quick wash and dry and then onto business. My partner on this case was:

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 I had to do a few coats and flip it around a few times… but I just kept going back to it in between other projects. Finally I was left with this:

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I rifled up some gravel from around the yard and added it to the bottom and sides to prevent the soil from overly escaping through all the wholes in the colander. I didn’t line it with anything, just the gravel.

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I pushed the gravel up the sides a little, forming a ‘bowl’ as I added a few handfuls of potting soil.

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I happened to have an old planter full of Hens ‘n’ Chicks lying around (literally) that had become fairly full and crowded, so I rescued some of them out of it and gave them a new home in my little upcycled colander.

old colander planted with hens and chicks at thehappyhousie

You could easily buy these cute little guys at a nursery… and the best part is that they just keep on going! They multiply like the rabbits up the road. Those Hens… they love having babies.

old colander turned succulent planter at thehappyhousieold colander turned succulent planter on the deck at thehappyhousieupcycled colander as succulent planter at thehappyhousie

 

A quick, easy and colorful little planter for our deck… I have brought yellow in this year as a key color (surprise surprise) so this guy connects well with what is going on in other parts of the deck. I’ll show you more of that really soon!

What projects have you been up to lately? Anything outside? Doing anything for your deck or patio? I would love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading. And remember, my housie friends, HOME isn’t built in a day. Enjoy the journey.

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64 Comments

  1. Hey love this….would the hen and chicks survive in a container in the midwest (below zero temps)? Thanks!

    Reply
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  10. Oh, my goodness! This is sooo fun!! I love the idea of spray painting it! =) Thanks for linking up at the Pinterest Power Party!

    Danielle
    SewMuchCrafting.com

    Reply

  12. Oh I love, love, love this idea. How fun and pretty. I would love for you to link up to my ongoing party Inspire Me. – -http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2013/05/166th-inspire-me-tuesday.html. Hope to see you there. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
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    1. Hi Carrie! They are super trendy now… luckily I have been growing those hens and chicks for several years and just pulled some out of an overgrown succulent planter, so I didn’t even have to buy them!!
      Krista

      Reply

  18. Hi Krista! Glad you had a nice long weekend – not the best weather wise but there have definitely been worse! lol! Your colander is SO cute! Love the yellow and succulents are one of the few plants that I can keep alive for any extended period of time. Thanks so much for coming out to the party at Clean and Scentsible. I’ll be featuring this tomorrow. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
    Jenn 🙂

    Reply

  25. Krista, I love that. What a wonderful idea. Of course, I’m totally into those “Hens” 😉 but it’s the sunny yellow and rocks that I think make them really seem right at home in their new home.

    Reply

    1. Hi Justynn! Yay! So glad that you are following… so great to meet you:) I love the succulents too… something about their strong shape that makes them such a fun accent plant.
      Krista

      Reply

  29. Krista!! What a happy colander! Thanks for linking up. Today a new party should open… and look forward to seeing there. Can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on. ~ Rose

    Reply

    1. Hi Kelly! Don’t succulents lend themselves to unique planters?? I think it is because they often have such a strong shape to them. Can’t wait to see what you do!
      Krista

      Reply

  31. I’m still reeling from the fact that you painted over AQUA! What the??

    OK, so back to the post, LOVE the hens-and-chicks in a colander, so adorable!!!

    The yellow is super pretty too. But to paint over aqua… sacrilegious.

    just sayin’

    Hugs!

    Reply

    1. LOL Anne! I guess I see your point. The blue wasn’t quite aqua in real life though… it just looks more aqua in the pictures – it was more of a faded powdery blue. So it wasn’t so sacrelig after all:)
      Krista

      Reply

  32. Krista, Another fabulous little idea! This is so darling! I really love the pop of yellow! I think I should try this project this summer! Have a good day!
    Jeanne

    Reply

  34. I love this! Succulents always seem so cheerful to me! You recently commented on one of my blog posts and I’m so glad you did because now I discovered a new blog to add to my list 🙂 Looking forward to following you.

    Reply

    1. Hi Ann-Marie! So excited to have you following along, yay!! Succulents do seem cheerful, maybe because they remind me of sunny places?
      Krista

      Reply

    1. Hi Bronwyn,
      I like the contrast of the green and yellow… I think the texture of the rocks looks nicer than just plain ol’ soil against the succulents. Thanks for your visit and comments!
      Krista

      Reply

  36. Krista, what an awesome idea and the yellow just pops!!! You snagged a great find and I just love how you transformed it! Thanks for sharing and am pinning – have a happy Tuesday.

    Reply

  37. Krista – this is sheer awesomeness. I love succulents, and I LOVE colanders. I can’t believe that you got this in a free pile! My garage sale-ing this weekend didn’t have any free piles that were this fantastic!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Tara! It was a great score- have never really found anything of interest in a free pile at a garage sale… though my son did pick up a free CD from the late 90s at the last garage sale I took him to:) He always wants to listen to it in the car now.
      Krista

      Reply

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