DIY plant pots

Decorative upcycling idea using plastic bottles

It’s not only fun making your home bright and colourful by decorating it with homemade accessories, you can also create fabulous eye-catching pieces with ease in the process! We show you how to convert old plastic bottles into original-looking plant pots. The decorative patterns are incredibly simple to reproduce using gloss paint markers from edding, enabling you to conjure up objects that look as if they’re straight out of a designer’s studio. With their opaque, paint-like ink, edding gloss paint markers are perfect for decorating plastic and any smooth materials. There are three stroke widths and a large selection of different colours available, including metallic and pastel shades.

Categories: Home decor
Upcycling ideas
Creative garden ideas
Products: Paint markers
Special solutions
Materials: Plastic and foil
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Downloads: Images (ZIP)

Step-by-step

Step 1

You can see all the materials you need in our photo. To recreate the design, you’ll need a gloss paint marker in white or another colour – whatever takes your fancy. Give the bottles a good rinse and clean.

Step 2

Using edding’s label removal marker, you can remove labels from bottles with total ease. Thoroughly moisten the label with the edding label removal marker, then let it take effect for a few minutes before peeling off. Give the bottle another thorough clean before you start your design.

Step 3

Take the three wooden boards and drill 3 holes in each one using the correct drill attachment. Make sure that the holes are in exactly the same position. Sand the edges and other rough areas with sandpaper.

Step 4

Next, glue the boards on top of each other with wood glue. Make sure the holes are exactly aligned.

Step 5

Use the saw to saw through the middle of the plastic bottles. For this upcycling idea you will need the top halves of the bottles, plus the lids.

Step 6

Before you start designing, activate your gloss paint marker as follows: shake the marker hard with the cap on, remove the cap and pump the marker nib up and down several times on a piece of absorbent paper until ink fills the nib. Now use the gloss paint marker to decorate the upper part of the bottles however you want.

Step 7

Stripes, a checked pattern or your own imaginative patterns all look extremely attractive. Do whatever takes your fancy. Because the ink dries quickly there’s no risk of smudging.