DIY Hanging Planter

This past fall, a hurricane knocked down a few large trees in our yard, therefore I wanted to “save” some of the wood for a DIY hanging planter. 

I have joined some amazing bloggers today for an Upcycle DIY Challenge. For my upcycle project, I decided our fallen tree would provide the perfect upcycle.

**You can see all the other inspiring up-cycle projects at the end of this post. 

It was sad to see those beautiful trees fall. However I am harvesting some of the wood for furniture, wreaths, coasters, and hanging planters is a way to keep enjoying some of their beauty. 

Note: My daughter, Olivia (see how she did it HERE.)

Harvesting the wood requires a saw or chain saw.

Note: to ensure your safety be sure to use hearing and eye protection.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you purchase from one of these links, I will make a small commission.

Supplies 

• Wood slice
• Moisture meter
• Macrame cord
• Level
• Wire
• Scissors
• Rubber band
• Sander
• Polyacrylic 
• Paintbrush
• Drill 
• Drill bit
• Pencil
• Tape measure 
• Hang ring
• Clamp and scrap wood

How to Make a Plant Hanger

I made a video while making this hanging planter; you can watch it HERE.

Before sealing the wood slice, I checked the moisture content (I used this meter). The wood’s moisture score needed to be under 10 before it could be sealed with polyacrylic. 

 

Sanding 

I used a small palm sander to smooth the surface before applying the sealer.

Cord Hole Placement

Since the wood slice is not a true circle, I used the widenest area, found the center, and marked a small line. Then I turned it to mark the cross-section to achieve approximate quadrants and marked them with the pencil.

 

Using the center quadrant markings, I marked in 1.5″ from the edge and placed a pencil mark (these will be the cord holes). Then repeated for all four holes.

Drilling the Holes

Note: Clamp the wood slice to another board (to protect your surface) since you are drilling through the wood slice.

Sealing 

 

Supplies for the Macrame Cord Hanging Planter

After gathering my supplies, I practiced my design idea with yarn (saving the macrame cord for the plant hanger).

 

DIY Threading Tool

Threading the cords through the wood slice holes would be difficult without my DIY wire threading tool. 

Cutting the Macrame Cord

To make an 8 strand macrame plant hanger, I needed to cut the cord strands two times longer than the finished length. 

I wanted it to be 40 inches long, so I cut four 80″ strands.

It was too difficult to manage all the cords at one time, so I added only two. I used a rubber band to held them in place over the hanging ring while I pulled them through the holes.

Next, I added the last two cords and another rubber band to hold them in place.

I tied them from under the wood slice to over the wood slice to hold the cords in place while leveling it. 

Leveling the Wood 

Using a small level to determine where the cords need to be tied together. 

It was easiest to tie together cords from the opposite sides.

I needed an extra pair of hands for the second cord tying. 

See more about tying the gathering knot below and in the how-to video.

Trim the ends to the same length. 

Gathering Knot

The gathering knot provides a clean finish where multiple cords are gathered.

Start the knot with a loop that you place over the area you want to be covered.

Note: Make sure the loop is longer than the area you want to cover, so the wrapping cords do not cover it. 

Wrap the gathering cord around the hanger cords and the gathering knot loop.

The pull cord is the tail end of the gathering knot cord.

Place the wrapping end into the loop and pull the tail end. This will carry the cut end of the wrapping cord into the cord wraps.

Trim the tail end, then adjust the wraps to cover it. 

The bottom of the hanger forms a “tassel.” I unwound the cording to make a fluffer tassel. 

Other Uses

The wood slice can be any size to be used as side tables or a hanging decor shelf or a macrame plant hanger. 

Placing faux candles with timers (these are the ones I used) on the wood slice creates an easy romantic look. 

More Amazing Up-cycled Projects:

My friend Tarah from Grandmas House DIY shares how she up-cycled a toolbox into a towel bar.

Chas from Chas’s Crazy Creations shares her amazing solar chandelier. 

Visit Niky’s blog, The House on Silverado, to see four up-cycle projects.

Kim from Shiplap and Shells is sharing how to up-cycle a window into a cabinet.

Andrea from Design Morsels shared how to make lined draperies with sheets.

You Might Also Enjoy:

Another project I made using wood slices was this gorgeous wreath.

Please join me (HERE) as we craft up some fun. You can look forward to receiving new inspiration every week. As well as special online crafting events, seasonal and holiday crafting too. 

See you soon,

Kippi