// upcycle old books into decorative planters
what you'll need:
old book
1-4 small succulents or cacti
soil
a few rocks
ground cover (optional)
a few rocks
ground cover (optional)
exacto knife
ruler
a plastic bag (we used an old ziplock bag)
glue stick
masking tape
scissors
. .
outline shape
flip open the book to the first page (it's best to cut the title page last as you can better fit it to the hole you've created).
choose a shape for the hole (square, rectangle, triangle...) using ruler, outline your shape on the first page.
* leave a minimum of 3 cm on each side
start cutting
use the exacto knife guided by the ruler to cut along your outline, cutting a bunch of pages at a time.
* this will be the most time consuming part of the project (turn on some sweet tunes)
remove cut pages
pull out the cut pages and keep going until you have reached at least 1.5 inches/4 cm deep.
* don’t worry if there are little tears in the pages, it’ll be covered up by soil
glue the hole
glue all sides of the hole with a glue stick.
adhere plastic bag
line the hole and sides with a plastic bag.
* this is to protect the book from getting wet when watering your plant
secure bag with tape
cut the over hanging plastic bag and secure it down with masking tape.
* at this point you can cut the hole in the cover page using the exacto knife
create drainage layer
place a layer of rocks at the bottom of the hole for drainage.
plant
get creative and plant a variety of succulents and/or cacti.
you will need to fill the empty space surrounding the plant with a bit of soil.
*make sure to pack it tightly to ensure the plants stand upright
* you can add decorative rocks or moss once your succulents are planted to protect the soil from strong sun exposure
* drip a little water or spray water onto the soil once a week. Succulents need very little water but require a TON of sunlight. If you are keeping them indoors, make sure they are by a window or put them outside as much as possible.
