How to Make a DIY Book Planter

You are going to love today’s project!

We are taking an old hardcover book and giving it a new purpose. It’s time to transform an old book into an indoor planter!

It’s day 5 in our 31 Days of DIY Projects series and we are making a gorgeous succulent book planter.

I’m on a succulent craze and that means I need planters. I love creatively planting them, like in a seashell or painting pretty pots for them to go in.

This adorable project has been on my to-do list for a while.

This post, How to Make a DIY Book Planter, contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a commission from the sale.

I often pick up hardcover books at the thrift store. They are inexpensive and great for props, decorating, and staging.

My favorite books to find are reader’s digests. Once you take the slipcover off the hardcovers are gorgeous.

Unfortunately, I was out of luck on my last trip to the thrift store, so I chose this book to turn into a planter because it was such a pretty shade of green.

How do you make a DIY book planter?

Picking up a used book at the thrift store makes for the perfect cheap indoor planter.

What’s cool about hardcover books is that they have that vintage vibe.

In fact, you can pick up a bunch of books and create a multi-level planter with them.

How to turn a book into a planter

Materials needed: Hardcover book, x-acto knife, spray adhesive, plastic container, rocks, soil, and succulents.

Step One:

Carve out a rectangle in the middle of your book with an x-acto knife.

Don’t worry about getting it perfectly even since you’re filling it in.

This will be the most time-intensive part of the DIY.

Tackle the cover first and then go a section of pages at a time until you get to the back cover.

Step Two:

Glue the pages together with spray adhesive.

Start at the bottom of your book and lightly spray between pages.

This will keep your planter from opening and flopping around when you move it.

Step Three:

Line the inside of the edges with a plastic container. I used a clear to-go container and trimmed it to fit in my book cut out.

The plastic container will keep your book pages from getting wet once you plant in it.

If I recreated this project I would protect my pages better and use a layer of wax paper under the container as well.  

Step Four:

Start by layering the bottom with rocks.

This is important because we don’t have any drainage holes in our planter.

Next, fill with soil. I planted succulents in my planter so I used a cactus, palm & citrus potting mix. This is a pretty small planter so you can plant new succulents or succulents you’ve propagated.

Then top off with decorative rocks.

I found a bag of white decorative rocks at the Dollar Store that contrasts beautifully with my green book cover.

Love this project? Check out some of my most favorite DIY’s:

• DIY Painted Terra Cotta Pots

• Easy DIY Jewelry Stand

• Dollar Store DIY Mirror Cube

• DIY Map Cube lights

• DIY Wood Beads Keychain

I love how this planter turned out! Are you going to give it a try?

Have questions? Let’s chat in the comments below.

Happy DIYing!

xoxo Naomi

Don’t forget to Pin this post and read the next post in our 31 days series! Day Six: DIY Spray Paint Lamp

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