DIY - Hanging Leather Planter {from a tote!}

By Chelsea

Whew! Well we just sailed to Friday, didn't we here. I thought I'd have some more goodness to show you this week but wouldn't you know it, in a span of 5 days we lost AC, hot water, and our washing machine was down. All issues were quickly resolved within a few days and I was so reminded of how extremely fortunate we are that those were our challenges this week. Needless to say, these hiccups put a hold on some of the week's to-do's, (a familiar story to all, I'm sure).

But, I was able to finish one sweet thing to share with you before the weekend!

Hanging Leather Planter

This was one of those quick satisfaction projects. The kind that doesn't suck a whole lot of time or energy from you, but the result is exactly what you had hoped and pictured. Those are so necessary sometimes, yes? I found this camel leather tote last week at a thrift store for less than $8.

If you're into accessories this would be an awesome find! I used to be an accessories girl. Then I had a bunch of kids and they became my accessories... Funny how that happens! I still know a good deal on leather when I see it, though.

I actually bought this tote just to use it for it's leather. The hanging planter is just the first project to come from it, but I've got another that I'm looking forward to sharing soon as well! The first thing I did was lay the tote front-side-down, (with that cute pocket facing the floor), and stick my plant right in the middle of the backside. I needed to make sure that what I cut from the tote would be enough to securely hold my plant, which is on the larger side. Then I set the plant aside, took out a strong pair of scissors, and cut along the perimeter of the tote. I removed and relocated the shoulder straps and the braided pieces along the sides to use for hanging the piece. That's it folks!

The last piece was how to hang my planter. I chose a brushed nickel closet rod hook from Home Depot for $6 because I wanted the plant to hang away from the wall a bit, but there are of course other options depending on where and how you want to see your plant hanging, (from the ceiling, closer to the wall, etc).

If you're fired up to try this yourself, just know that the process and end result will look a little different depending on the bag you use. That's the fun of it, though! I would recommend finding a bag with long-ish shoulder straps so you can cut them down to use for hanging the piece. This is just a simple idea with which to expand on and make it your own! If you happen to try it out please hashtag #chelseasgarage on Instagram or feel free to share photos on Facebook! We LOVE seeing your handiwork!

Thank you all for stopping by and have a splendid weekend!

~Chelsea