Upcycled Plastic Bottle Hanging Planter

My husband drinks a lot of soda, and I've been known to occasionally indulge as well. We end up with a lot of 2-liter plastic bottles in our recycling. Of course, like most homesteaders, I absolutely hate waste, so I'm always looking for good ideas for how to reuse them. I came up with this particular design after seeing something similar on Pinterest using tin cans.

The construction is exceedingly simple. All you'll need are five plastic bottles, a length of yarn, scissors, and a lighter or candle flame. Start by peeling off the labels. To get off the glue residue, you can saturate it with an oil-based substance - tea tree oil works great - or use a product like Goo Gone. Then, cut the bottom five inches off each of the bottles. The cuts don't have to be perfectly even, just make sure there are no bits hanging off the edge.

Any unevenness will be smoothed out during the next step. Bring out your lighter, or light the candle, whichever you chose to use. If you're using a lighter, be sure to take breaks every twenty seconds or so to prevent it from overheating.

Hold the flame close to the cut edge, but try not to let it touch, as that will discolor the plastic. This part can take a little bit of practice, so you may want to try it first on one of the bottle's tops, unless you're planning on using that for another project (like a seedling greenhouse). When done right, the plastic will melt slightly and curl in. This makes the container look cleaner and somewhat like glass. It also gets rid of any jaggedness left after cutting.

Now it's time to hang it. For the five planters, I used a length of yarn double my arm span. I'm not a tall person, and I still had plenty of slack left over to tie it up with.

To string each planter, use the scissors to punch two holes, about an inch apart. Thread one end of the yarn through each of the holes, so the first planter hangs from the middle of the yarn.

Next, you're going to tie a square knot six to seven inches away from where the first planter connects. After the knot is tied, attach the second planter the same way you did the first. Repeat this process until all five planters hang from the yarn. The knots are used to create space between each of the planters. You can reduce or increase the distance between as you see fit. If it's less than the height of the planters themselves, you may have some difficulty getting to each one.

At this point, you have completed the initial assembly. If you want to paint them, be sure to use an oil-based paint. Paints with a water base will run when you water your plants. To achieve a stained glass look, you can mix a small amount of color with a dollop of mod podge and paint on the resulting mixture.

If you require good drainage for what you intend to plant, you can either place about two cups worth of stones at the bottom of the planters below the dirt, or you can pierce holes in the bottom of the bottles. If you're growing something like lavender that requires excellent drainage, it's not a bad idea to do both.

This is the simple version of the design. For a more high-end look, you can braid the yarn as I have done in the designs I feature on Etsy.