Greetings all and happy weekend! I’ll be spending the next three days at our Alma Project house sprucing up a few rooms, it’s a lot of work but I can’t wait to get it all done with the help of a small crew of volunteers! Also, next week I’m co-teaching a gardening workshop in partnership with the Home Depot in Roseville, California on Thursday evening – be sure to come if you’re local! I’m assigned the task of inspiring the participants with a few creative ideas for container gardening, so it was time to work some magic with some ordinary stuff found at my local HD store.
This planter project is one of the few ideas I’m preparing for the workshop and I thought I’d share it with you all today. It’s a plain window box that I dressed up with painted wood shims that were trimmed to fit the dimensions of the box to form a one-of-a-kind planter. Here’s the quick step-by-step to make your own version in less than two hours.
First, gather up some supplies which include: a wood planter box (I chose this one), several dozen wood shims (I used approximately 40 shims), wood glue, craft paint or paint samples from the paint department, small paintbrushes, miter box or compound miter saw (not shown), spray primer (optional), hot glue gun (optional).
Start by dry brush painting the shims in four to five different colors of choice, or you can water down regular latex paint with a few teaspoons of water, that works too. For a rustic or weathered look, as you brush on the paint, leave some of the wood from the shims exposed. I also ended up mixing in some white and deep blue craft paints with the paint sample jars I purchased. Allow your shims to dry – it takes only a few minutes.
This next step is optional but I wanted the base of my window box to be white, so I primed it with Zinsser Cover Stain primer.
Lay out your approximate design on top of the box…
… then use a miter box or compound miter saw to make the cuts.
Use the wood glue applied to the backside of the shims to secure them to the window box. The wood glue will give you the greatest grip in the long run, but I also found using a few beads of hot glue on the back of the shims in addition to the wood glue held the shims in place well. A little hot glue also allowed me to work faster so I didn’t have to wait for the wood glue to completely dry before rotating the window box around to finish the other side.
With shims, you’ll notice that one edge is thin or tapered, and the other is thick. I overlapped the thin edges and butted the thick edges against each other in the final design (seen below). I also attached the shims vertically along the sides to form an opposite stripe effect along both edges of the planter box.
The end result was a unique window box planter that looks great both indoors and out. Your annuals, herbs, or succulents can be planted directly inside the box, or set inside while kept in smaller containers. Makes a great centerpiece too!
*all supplies for this garden project courtesy of the Home Depot.
I love it..it’s good job :)
Love the mix of colors and the fact that it looks weathered already. That way it won’t be high maintenance like so many outdoor paint projects. Have a fantastic weekend!
P.S. We’re hosting an Outdoor Extravaganza coming up and we’d love for you to link up some of your projects! http://satoridesignforliving.com/2012/04/join-our-upcoming-outdoor-link-parties/
Love the planter box! Especially since you used such simple materials!
Whoohoo, Kate! Roseville is right in my back yard . . . sort of. I’m gonna try and move some things around so I can sneak away to meet you!
That is awesome. Seriously awesome.
I even have a bunch of wood shims leftover from a sunburst mirror.
I love the use of colors on this piece. It is very pretty , you did a great job!
Cynthia
You are the most creative person ever!
Cute and very pretty! Thanks for sharing.
Awesome project and a beautiful result. I love seeing the step by step process too.
Great paint color choice and the plant selections are perfect.
Freaking adorable!! Love the concept, love the paint colours, love the whole look. You are amazing!!
Oh, I grew up in Roseville – wished I stilled lived there – would totally come see you. Great project and I Loved the wood table from yesterday – can’t wait to make one this summer
love it, I want to make one with yardsticks instead of paint shims.
Great idea with the yardsticks ladies !
Kate
This is really cute. I bet you could also make it using a cut up yardstick. My mom always had lots of those that she picked up at conventions for free.
We have two Home Depots in Roseville. Can you let your readers know which location you will be at next Thursday?
Two HDs in Roseville! Wow, that’s amazing! I’ll find out which one and update the post!
Kate
I really like how this turned out! The colors alone are perfect! Great job!
This is DARLING!
Super cute! I can see a few of these in my future! Thanks for the inspiration!
What a great idea! It reminds me of a glass colored backsplash!
Super cute, my dear! I love the color choices. :) Good luck with the gardening workshop. That sounds like a lot of fun!
Very nice project Kate..and they could be any colors you choose..Have fun teaching at HD..Wish I wasn’t on the other side of the country so I could come say Hi!!!
Beautiful! I love the color scheme.
hi Kate -the colours you have chosen are just gorgeous. your photos look great – very springtime. much needed here in Australia via blogosphere as we are in Autumn and it’s been very chilly lately and i’ve got my first cold for the season….
cheers Fiona
What a great idea! I love this flower box! Pinning!! I’m your newest follower! Would love if you stopped by and linked up to the Pomp Party!
Jill @ Create.Craft.Love.
What a cool idea. I love al the colors you used because they remind me of sea glass!
Way to take an average planter into the realm of awesome. Nice project that even only relatively crafty folks can do.
~Bliss~
That box in those colors would be perfect in my garden window!
Which Home Depot? Five Star or Sunrise?
Hi Kate, nice job on the box! Can you tell me what color the garden chair is painted? I’ve always loved the color of it. I think I saw you mention the color before, but I could not find it after some searching around. Thanks!
So simple yet so vibrant! Love the colors and texture. But I have to say, I hate home depot. I refuse to shop there. Ever! so many reassons not enough time. But the one issue that started it all was the horrible customer service. Notoriously horrible customer service! I understand that they carry many of the resources you need, but I will avoid them till the end of time.
Love the color combination, and the ingenius design! It looks so fresh and spring!
Really cute!! The flow of your ideas continues to amaze!
How cute is that? And in my favorite colors no less…great job!
You are a genius – that is all. ;)
Cute idea for the window box planter! I know another person said it reminded them of “sea glass” colors, but it would work for me also since I can see the colors that are also in the “Southwest” color family. If I made one of these for outside, I would definitely seal it with something to protect it from the outside elements. Once I get my porch re-built with something like “Trex” will definitely be making some of these planters for the outside to hang from the railing areas.
Kate ~ What sealer would you recommend to use on these, if being used outside? I didn’t see anything mentioned about use of a sealer. Thanks for reading, will look forward to your response. Have a great week! :)
Very cool. Planters seem like such a good place to get creative and save some money. I put together one last weekend that used nothing but scrap wood I had lying around: http://www.thebookofjimmy.com/diy-scrap-wood-box-planter/
I looked the colors of the box planter …. the ‘imperfection’ (non full paint coverage) makes it perfect!
How did I miss this one! I love it! It’s rustic and modern all at the same time. So one question how can I convince my paranoid husband to start letting me by some saws? Seriously, any suggestions. I feel so limited. Lesley
Saw this on Apartment Therapy and pinned it. When I double checked the source I has happy and not really surprised it was something wonderful you did. I plan to do one in shades of white. Maybe another one for the craft room for supplies.