DIY Spring Planter craft tutorial

We’ll be recycling cardboard and sheets of chipboard to create a colorful planter full of all our favorite plants and flowers, throw in a few insects and a bluebird; now it feels like Spring! Our easy to print and cut templates make this craft a cinch, but you can always draw your own plants to make your planter unique as well. Not only does our cardboard planter have a variety of plant types, but they’re all removable, which means you can play with your new garden and “plant” your flowers over and over again. 

Supplies:

• Cardboard and Chipboard Sheets (Paper Plates will also work)
• Planter and plant templates
• Hot Glue or Glue Dots (Reminder: exercise precaution and supervise kids when using a hot glue gun) 
• Scissors
• Paint brushes 
• Paint in a variety of colors (I used Kid Made Modern Washable Paints)
• Black marker
• Fuzzy Sticks (included in Arts & Crafts Library)
• Wooden Craft Sticks (included in Arts & Crafts Library)
• Pom Poms (included in Arts & Crafts Library)
• Googly Eyes (included in Arts & Crafts Library)
• Planter and Flower templates

To create your Spring planter:

1. Print your planter and flower templates out, trace your planter onto your heaviest cardboard and cut out. Be sure to cut out the slit at the top of your planter so you can remove your plants and flowers. If you want to skip this step, you can glue your plants to the back of your planter to have them permanently planted.
   
   
2. Cut out all the flower, plants, and insect templates you want to use, trace them onto chipboard or paper plates, and then cut them out. 
   
   
3. Paint your new cardboard and chipboard cutouts with shades of green or any colors you wish! Feel free to add layers of paints or ombre effects to create more dimension to your plants. Don’t forget to add a layer of paint to your planter as well!
   
   
4. Once your planter and plants are dry, it’s time to decorate! Add pom poms, felt, fuzzy sticks, and googly eyes for three-dimensional effects. Pom poms as flower centers and outlining a plant with fuzzy sticks are just a few ideas. In addition to these elements from our Arts & Crafts Library, add some drawn details such as cactus spikes or outlines to the plant shapes. 
   We used various supplies and ideas to make our plants, but this step is when your imagination can really run wild, so have fun and create a unique garden!
   
   
5. Lastly, it’s time to plant your flowers: cut a 1” strip of cardboard the length of the slit cut out at the top of your planter. Add a small dot of glue on either end of the cardboard strip and glue it just below the slit on the backside of your planter. Next, simply slide your plants into the slit of the planter and into the cardboard strip to hold them steady. Your flower friends are now planted! Your planter is complete, and you can take your plants and flowers out and re-plant them in as many combinations as you can imagine. 

Now that your planter is complete and full of color, you can take your plants and flowers out and re-plant them in as many combinations as you can imagine. Using your birds, butterflies, and worms to create a different Spring scene every day!

We want to see your finished kids’ art projects. Post on social media what you created and tag us using the hashtags #kidmademodern #gomakestuff

This post is by fiber artist and craft enthusiast Tessa Anderstrom, the owner of handmade shop Studio Jane which focuses on sustainably made home décor and handmade art. As an avid DIYer with a passion for learning new skills, Tessa enjoys sharing that knowledge with crafters of all ages.