DIY Gift: Reclaimed Wood Box + Mason Jar Planters
Make a simple reclaimed wood box (or new, distressed wood) perfectly sized for your favorite containers and then fill the containers with plants, treats, or other things for a special gift for Mother’s Day, birthdays, Christmas, and more.
Yield: 1 box
Calories:
Cost: $5
Equipment
- Measuring Tape
- Saw
- Hammer/Nail Gun
- Foam Brush
Materials
- 1 1 x 4 piece of reclaimed wood in any condition, painted or not, at least 3′ long.
- 2 Mason jars
- 2 Plants or flowers Small 2-1/2 x 2-1/2″ pots fit best in mason jars.
- Touch-up paint or stain
- 1-1/2" Finish nails
Instructions
To make the reclaimed wood box:
- On the 1 x 4, use the tape measure to find 7-inches from one end for the bottom of the box and mark with a pencil. Cut.
- Measure two 8-1/2-inch pieces for the long sides; mark & cut.
- Measure two 3-1/2-inch pieces for the ends; mark & cut.
- Set parts together on a flat surface.
- Bring sides up around bottom to square. Make sure all the sides touch – sand or recut as needed.
- Nail in place with finishing nails, holding tightly to keep as square as possible (remember, it’s never about perfection here!). Nail in this order as you’re holding the box together-> nail sides to the ends, then nail the end pieces to the bottom, finishing with nailing the sides to the bottom piece.
- When your box is finished, you’ll be left with raw, freshly cut ends on your reclaimed wood box – not the look we’re going for, right? If your wood is white, like mine, just dab a bit of craft paint (or any matching paint you have) on the ends with a foam applicator. It shouldn’t be perfect – you can see above where I left some of the wood showing so it goes with the rest of the box.If your wood is stained or weathered, I’d try to find a stain or even watered-down brown craft paint you could dab on just to diminish the raw wood showing.
To make mason jar planters:
- Add some rocks or gravel to the lower 1/4 of each jar and then fill about halfway with moistened potting mix.
- Remove the plants from the nursery pots and gently plant them into the jars, pressing down and filling in with potting soil as needed. Water them a bit, but not too much.
Add a tag:
- Adding a tag onto a simple wooden dowel adds a fun look to your gift – it could say whatever you wanted it to say: "Happy Mother’s Day," "Happy Birthday," "Thank you," "Congratulations" (for a wedding or achievement).To make your own, you'll need: cardstock, chalkboard stickers, a chalk marker (or chalk), Scissors, and a wooden skewer or thin dowel.
- Grab a piece of cardstock and apply one of the chalkboard stickers to the paper.
- Use scissors to cut out around the sticker (again – let go of perfection!).
- Write your sentiment with the chalk marker (or chalk – a marker will just last longer and won’t smudge).
- Push a wooden bamboo skewer between the paper and sticker to hold it.
- Insert the other end into one of your mason jar planters.
Notes
You can change it up by planting herbs in the jars, or sweet flowers like pansies or marigolds. You can also fill the jars with cut flowers from your own garden as sweet little bouquets.