My house is my little sanctuary. Like most adults, I fill it with the things I love, the items I need, and little trinkets that make me smile. I'm doing my best at making sure I also don't throw too much away, since our planet is so full of stuff.

So that leads me to my DIY project for today. I found a new plant while grocery shopping the other day and I had to have it... but I didn't have anywhere to plant it. Of course, I could have planted it in our yard... But I wanted to plant it in a cute planter. My first thought was that I could buy one. Then I considered the price of the pot that I had looked at when I was shopping at my favorite discount store, it was $7.99; that's $4 more than the plant cost. So I decided I could make one or two...

That's right, I made a planter for my new little pink fuzzy plant... and I actually had a plant from my friend Rachel that I decided to make a pot for as well. So to get technical, I made TWO planters. But how?

Out of an old soda bottle. While we love the taste, soda isn't regularly our beverage of choice around here; so when we had a couple empty bottles, I knew I had to do something creative with them - I blame it on Pinterest.

I turned the Fanta bottle from this post into two adorable little hanging planters and it only took me about an hour to complete the project.

Do you want to make an old soda bottle into something useful and adorable? Here's how I made my little fox and owl:

To start, I cut the soda bottle in half and then cut the shapes of the animals into each half of the bottle. Making little triangle ears for my foxy friend and little bubbly, rounded eyes for my owl friend.

Next, I painted each animal. Giving the owl an almost all-over coat of grey and the fox a thin line around the top, just giving the top of his head the orange coloring like a fox would have. Let this layer dry.


After that, I added the white paint to each animal. Covering the bottom half of the owl and the fox with a thick white layer of paint.

Lastly, I added on the details, little white eyes with black circles and rectangles inside left white for the owl eyes. Tiny little beady eyes for the fox with a heart shaped nose. I added in little detailed lines around the owl, some feathers, a little bit of orange for his beak and he was set to start drying. The fox needed a little white on his ears, a little orange on his "neck" or the bottle cap, and a few little black lines to add some detail and he was also ready to dry.


I let both the fox and the owl dry for about 20 minutes and they were dry to the touch and ready to have string added as well as some pretty plants. Using an exacto-blade cut two small holes to each side of your animal face, about 1/3 of inch down. Use a fairly long piece of hemp to hang your planters and tie knots securely on both ends.

Now it's time to add the beautiful greenery, to start I added in a handful of "pebbles" purchased from the $1 store and a thick layer of dirt. Placed the plant properly in the planter and added another layer of dirt.

Lastly, I lifted both planters off the ground and made sure they were sturdy and balanced on the string! They worked perfectly and are now proudly displayed!

My little owl friend has replaced my Halloween wreath and looks fabulous next to my door that is colored almost exactly like the flowers!

My fox is towering over my little reading corner, looking out into the living room and beyond. These little planters are so cute and can be used indoor and outdoor - the perfect new addition to our house, if I don't say so myself!

Whether this is a project you attempt with the kids or it's a way for you to get your crafting fix, I'm sure you'll love the way your planters turn out as well! So simple to make, yet so incredibly cute! If you decide to make a set, be sure to show me how they turn out! Plus, what other animals would you like to see? I'm thinking a hippo will be next on my list... or maybe a little penguin?