DIY Hanging Planter Sign

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It's really amazing what you can make out of scrap wood laying around. This tutorial will show you how to create this insanely gorgeous beginner's woodworking project that is perfect for your outdoor space. Did I mention you can customize the sign since it features a DIY chalkboard? I don't think you're ready...

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

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Things You'll Need

  • 2 longer wood pieces for the sides (mine were 40")

  • 2 shorter wood pieces for the top and bottom (mine were 17")

  • 1 base wood piece, 2 inches longer and wider on all sides than your planter frame

  • Wood glue

  • Screws

  • Power drill

  • Quick square

  • Shellac, paint, sealant or stain

  • Proper ventilation or mask when finishing

  • Clamps, optional to help hold wood down

  • A hook

  • Plant

  • Pot

  • Hanger

  • Scrap piece of wood, rectangular

  • Chalkboard paint

  • Chalk or chalk marker

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Step 1: Prep Your Wood

The measurements above are the measurements I used for my personal space. Feel free to alter any of them to fit your preference. The base doesn't need to be any specific measurement, but you do want at least two inches all the way around to keep it from wobbling.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Cut your wood down to size and give it a nice sanding! Depending on the look you want here, feel free to get creative and leave it a bit worn, or sand it to be silky smooth for a nice coat of paint.

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Step 2: Assemble the Planter Frame

Lay out your frame pieces and place them together to form a rectangle, with the short pieces on the outside.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Use your quick square to make sure the wood is flush and at the 90 perfect angle.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Pre-drill holes if your wood is a little thick. If you don't, the wood has a tendency to spin as you work your way through into the longer pieces, so be careful.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Dab some wood glue around the holes.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Drill your screw through the top of one of the shorter pieces into one of the longer side pieces.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Repeat that to every corner until you've completed your frame.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Step 3: Add Your Hook

Be sure to use the proper weight-bearing hook for the plant you intend to hang. Once you find the correct one, screw that in the middle inside of the top of the planter.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz
Image Credit: Rachel Metz
Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Step 4: Attach the Planter Base

Align the frame on the center of the planter base piece (my base is 7 inches x 20 inches, which enough support for a smaller hanger like mine).

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Lightly trace the frame as a reference point for the wood glue.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Add your wood glue.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

You can clamp down the frame piece before screwing it in, but since mine was small, I simply held it down with my hand.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz
Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Step 5: Shellac, Stain or Paint

You can leave this plain or get crazy with your choice of color. Either way, it's best to treat your wood in one way or another. You can get a simple weather-proofing sealant spray or you can use a Danish Oil like I did.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

The Danish Oil really brought out the glow in the scrap wood I decided to use and I love that it's a simple wipe-on application.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz
Image Credit: Rachel Metz

My assistant wasn't much help but I love the natural tone of it!

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

DIY Chalkboard Sign

You may choose to simply paint a coat of chalkboard paint onto your scrap wood rectangle and cut this step short. However, I wanted to make mine a bit more detailed, so I DIY'ed a mini chalkboard.

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Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Things You'll Need

  • Scrap piece of wood, your size of choice

  • Skinnier wood pieces for trim, your size of choice

  • Wood glue

  • Chalkboard paint

  • Paint brush

  • Nail

  • Hammer

Step 1: Cut & Paint

Cut out your preferred size sign wood piece that will fit your planter. I used a piece of scrap wood I had on hand.

Paint your wood with the chalkboard paint, per the instructions on your bottle.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

My bottle suggested to rub chalk dust over to "prep" the board, so be sure to read your instructions thoroughly.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

You don't have to frame yours, but I had so much scrap wood on hand–why not? I cut down four thinner wood pieces on my miter saw to outline the chalkboard and used wood glue to secure them down.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz
Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Step 2: Attach Sign & Decorate

Screw right through the middle of the sign to attach it to where you want it on the hanger. You can also paint the screw with chalkboard paint so it blends in.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Go ahead and customize it with your choice of word or phrase using a piece of chalk or a chalk marker.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

Step 3: Add Your Plant

If you've followed any of my other DIY's here on eHow, you know I like to take things a step further. You can use a simple Dollar Store hanger to hold your plant, but I had a leftover macrame plant hanger that I made, so I decided to use that to hold my plant instead.

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

The macrame added such an adorable touch. I love that you can change out the chalkboard sign message to fit any occasion. Happy DIY'ing!

Image Credit: Rachel Metz

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