With Mother's Day just around the corner, we thought we'd put together a quick mini planter DIY you can do for mum or, as a mum, you can do with the kids. It's super fun and super easy so let's get into it...
To make the mini planters, we used 50c egg cups from Big W. They're ceramic and pretty sturdy. They're also big enough to house small succulents and air plants - making them perfect for this activity.
To draw on the egg cups, we used Sharpie permanent markers . It's important to note that while the Sharpie markings on the egg cup don't wipe off when dry, they will come off if they come in contact with water. So try to use a pipette to water the plants once they're inside the planters.
We'll just mention that we also have you covered if you're stuck for facial expression ideas for your planters. When you get to the bottom of this blog post, you'll find a collection of simple faces we've put together that you can copy or use as inspiration.
Doggie mini planter (step by step)
Start by holding the egg cup at the base and use a thick Sharpie to draw the left eye of the doggie.
Then do the same with the right eye.
Once you've done the eyes, add a doggie nose in the middle, followed by some whiskers.
Then, using a thinner Sharpie, add in some freckles for character.
And the doggie face is done!
Sailor girl mini planter (step by step)
The sailor girl mini planter is a little more detailed, but just as fun. Here's how to make her...
Start by drawing the eyes. You can do round circles or make them look a bit more like sketches (as shown below).
For the mouth, draw a line with a little kink on the left-hand side to make it look like a smile. Then draw two smaller lines -one above and one below - that line and join them to the middle line to complete the mouth with lips.
Then add two small dots for the nose and a small line above each eye for the eyebrows.
Using the thinner Sharpie, draw a circle made of tiny dots under each eye to complete the face with cheeks.
Then grab the thicker Sharpie again and using lean it into the crevasse where the 'head' and the 'neck' of the egg cup meet.
Using the crevasse as a guide, gently turn the egg cup so that the Sharpie leaves a line all the way around the cup. Then carefully draw 2-3 more lines underneath that one using the same method of twisting the egg cup. It's a bit fiddly, but you've totally got it.
Once you have the lines, draw a small up-side-down butterfly shape to make the bow on her shirt.
And now it's time to add a succulent.
Make sure you find a succulent that looks like it has small roots - you can ask anyone working at a plant nursery for suggestions.
Because the egg cup is small, you'll need to find something small to use to both get the plant out of the original pot and to pop the soil and plant into your mini planter.
We used a teaspoon - it worked a treat.
We carefully dug out the succulent with its roots and popped that into the mini planter first.
Then we carefully added soil in around the roots and gently padded it down until the succulent was firmly in place.
Sleepy head mini planter (step by step)
The sleepy head mini planter is the easiest of the three.
Start by drawing the eyes - simple, flattened half circles (as shown below)
Then draw a bigger one down lower for the mouth.
Next, draw tiny lines coming off the eyes to complete the eyelashes.
And you're done!
Sleepy head looks particularly cute with a wispy air plant for hair.
And the bonus is that air plants are even easier to maintain than succulents.
Mini planters - fill 'em with what you want
Once you've finished drawing on your mini planters you can fill them with any plants or flower offcuts you like to create the perfect little present for someone or to add a whimsical touch to your decor.
BONUS - facial expressions
Here is a collection of facial expressions you can use to create your own mini planters.
