Our Mother's Day Planters

We spent two days making these simple planters for "Arts and Crafts."  They could be made in a single day, if you started early enough in the day so the paint had time to dry. 

Day 1: Painting

You can use any metal can.  We used leftover Neocate formula cans, since those are what we had.  Remove the label, if possible, before painting. (We did not, because it would involve soaking it to remove the adhesive -- which we know from experience also compromises the can seam.)  We also used Apple Barrel acrylic paint because it is for indoor/outdoor use.  If you want to place them outside, I would recommend spraying them with a clear sealant, and using an indoor/outdoor ribbon.  These will probably stay inside, but the acrylic paint will also hold up better to any spills from watering them.  Make sure you punch a few small holes in the bottom for drainage -- I just used a "churchkey" type can opener to poke 3-4 small holes in the underneath. 

Let the paint dry completely.   Add a second coat if desired.  I recommend a second coat if you can't get the label off of the can.  Jude only painted one coat, and you can still see the label peeking through a little bit. 

Day 2: Planting

We went to a local nursery to pick up plants.  Jude first wanted blue flowers, but the ones we found had very small blooms, and he decided they were too small.  He then wanted purple pansies, but it's too late in the season for those.  He decided purple petunias would suffice. 

 

 Place a layer of small rocks in the bottom of the cans for drainage. 

 Fill the can about half way with potting soil.

Plant the flowers in each can.  Two flowers fit in each of our cans (they are approximate 4" in diameter). 

Finally, tie a ribbon around the can.  Jude chose blue, his favorite color. 

Happy Mother's Day! 

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