Upcycle Planter

Difficulty rating: mediumLength of time it will take: around one hour

How to make

Upcycling is a great way to give a new lease of life to items that would otherwise see the door in your Spring clean. Using a simple decoupage technique of layering materials and paper onto old items, you can create beautiful effects.

Follow the instructions to make this simple plant pot and when you’re done, pop some flowers in it to brighten up your day. Remember it’s not about being perfect, it’s about having fun.

Crafty checklist • Old newspaper and

a magazine

• Used plastic drinks bottle

• PVA glue and container

• Glue spreader or brush

• Scissors

1. Using a pen, make a linearound the bottle to indicatethe height that you would likeyour plant pot to be.

2. Cut around the line. Keepthe bottom half of the bottle(this is the base of your pot)and discard the rest.

3. Put two parts PVA and onepart water into a containerand mix to create a paste.

4. Rip the newspaper into strips.

5. Place a piece of the rippednewspaper onto the pot andspread the paste over the top.

6. Repeat this action, creatinglayers of newspaper as yougo around the pot.

7. Cut out an image you likefrom the magazine.

8. Stick the image onto thepot using the paste – don’tforget to paste over the topof the image too.

9. Spread one thin layer of thepaste around the whole ofthe pot. (If you like you canput some paint into the pasteso when you do this finalaction your plant pot will havea coloured tint to it.).

10. Let everything dry.

11. Place a plant in your pot andsmile at your happy creation.

12. Take a photograph andshow off your work to us byposting with the hashtag#crafternoon onto Twitter, orFacebook @MindCharity.

Spring Upcycling

We’re a registered charity in England (no. 219830)

Thanks so much for holding a Crafternoon - have fun! And remember, your fundraising will let us give advice and support to even more people and help make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone.

If you have any feedback about your Crafternoon, what went well or ideas on how we can make it better, we’d love to hear from you. Telephone 0300 999 3887 or email community@mind.org.uk

Crafty variations • Experiment using different materials such as recycling

old clothes or birthday/Christmas cards.

• Add your own decoration onto the plant pot using paint.

• Make your plant pot personal using old photos, pages from your favourite books, or old maps from places you have been.

• Use the same method of decoupaging on old picture frames, tin cans or even furniture.

• Check out Mind’s Pinterest Board for more ideas.