Every year I tell myself I will not bring home more plants. And every year I, somehow, end up at the garden center acting like a Victorian lady collecting orphans. So of course, another batch of those sad, black, plastic nursery pots appeared in my life.
And like every DIY hoarder, my brain said, “Don’t throw them away, they might be useful.”
Useful for what? Nobody knows. Not even me.
Honestly, maybe therapy is the answer. But until I find one who can handle my crafting trauma, I’ll stick to transforming trash into holiday decor. Much cheaper and you get something sparkly out of it.
Since Christmas is creeping up again — the perfect time for panic crafting — I decided to decorate my porch. I love porch decor because you can make giant, slightly crooked things and pretend it’s intentional. Outdoors accepts your flaws in a way indoor spaces never will.
Plus, coming home tired and seeing cute decor on the porch? Instant mood boost. You go from “I’m exhausted and life is chaos” to “Look at me, queen of festive joy.” Works every time.
Anyway. Enough emotional revelations. Let’s talk about what I actually made: DIY Christmas bells from boring plastic pots.
Materials
- Two black plastic pots that life forced on you
- Gold spray paint that makes everything look fancy
- Two old Christmas ornaments
- Thick rope or jute cord
- Evergreen branches (juniper, pine, or whatever you can “politely borrow” from neighbors)
- Red ribbon, preferably water-resistant so it doesn’t scream in the rain
- Hot glue gun (the chaotic neutral of crafting tools)
The Making Process
I finally quit pretending I enjoy painting with a brush and grabbed a spray can. One dramatic pshhhhhh later, the pots were gold and suddenly had a personality. Pro tip: sand the pots a little before painting. It helps the paint stick and makes you feel like you know what you’re doing. A coat of primer is also a good idea.
I also painted two old ornaments because the can was already in my hand, and self-control was not. Shockingly, there was just enough paint to finish everything. Small victories feel huge in DIY world.
After the pots dried — which took forever because I kept poking them to check — I drilled a hole in the bottom. Nothing classy, just a “hope this doesn’t crack the whole pot” type of hole.
Then I threaded the rope through, measured the length I thought was correct, and tied a knot inside. Then realized it was wrong. Untied it. Retied it. Still wrong. Third time was the charm, sort of. The rope should hang just short of the bottom, so it looks like an actual bell clapper. Crafting accuracy is optional but recommended. Then I glued the gold ornament to the rope’s end. The bells were starting to look like bells. That’s already a win.
Indoor bells? Use satin ribbon and tie a sweet little bow. Outdoor bells? Get a waterproof ribbon because rain exists and gravity hates you. My waterproof ribbon was stiff enough to fight in the UFC. Every bow I tied looked like a sad moth. So I cheated and hot-glued the shape together like a lawless DIY rebel.
I went with juniper because it grows in my yard and honestly looked at me like, “Go ahead, take a piece, I dare you.” So I trimmed a little. He’ll survive. Probably. Arrange the branches so the tips spread out and the cut ends hide in the middle. Tie everything together in a messy bundle that somehow works.
You can use real or artificial greenery. Real branches smell great but dry out. Artificial ones never die, which is slightly unsettling but convenient.
It just works and make my fence looks fancy.
Final Thoughts
And that’s how two trash-bound garden pots became charming Christmas bells that now greet everyone at my porch.
They’re cheap, easy, and don’t require any rare crafting superpowers. Just some paint, rope, and the mental stability to use a hot glue gun without screaming.
Whenever I walk past them, I get that tiny spark of holiday magic. Maybe it’s pride. Maybe it’s exhaustion. But it works.