Create a stunning and eco-friendly planter with a single piece of cardboard

Whether it's a beautiful gift bouquet or a set of faux flowers and greenery, displaying plants and flowers throughout your home keeps spring alive, no matter what the season. Wherever you decide to locate your eye-catching bouquet, you will need the right planter to hold it. Repurpose a simple piece of cardboard into a charming one that’s both efficient and eco-friendly to show off a faux flower arrangement.

A little bit of measuring goes a long way toward turning a square of cardboard into a planter. Once you've squared off the cardboard, you can easily score it for folding, then hold it in place with some hot glue. Add a personalized, decorative touch to the exterior with scrapbooking paper in fun colors or a print that looks like shabby-chic wood paneling for a rustic vibe. This cardboard planter works well on an end table, but could be nicely settled on a bookshelf or desk, too.

Materials
-12-by-12-inch square of cardboard
-Ruler
-Pencil
-Scissors
-X-Acto knife
-Hot glue gun
-Hot glue sticks
-12-by-12-inch square of decorative scrapbook paper
-Elmer’s glue stick
-Twine
-Faux flowers and greenery

Instructions
 
1. Place the square of cardboard on a flat working surface.

2. Position a ruler along the length of one side of the cardboard, and mark the 4-inch and 8-inch points with a pencil.

3. Repeat on each of the remaining three sides of the cardboard square.

4. Using the ruler as edging, connect the measurement markings across the width and height of the cardboard with the pencil to create nine equal squares.

5. Cut out the four corner squares with scissors.

6. Score the four sides of the remaining interior square using an X-Acto knife. Cut just enough so the sides bend, but not enough to cut through the cardboard entirely.

7. Fold the four exterior squares upright so they stand around the central bottom square.

8. Connect the edges of the standing squares using hot glue to create a box that will work as a planter.

9. Place the square of scrapbook paper on the working surface.

10. Trace each of the four exterior sides of the planter onto the paper.

11. Cut out each of the paper squares, and attach one to each side panel of the planter with the glue stick.

12. Line the top edge of the cardboard planter in hot glue, and press a length of twine to the edge to attach securely. Cut the twine away from the spool where the edges meet.

13. Place a collection of faux flowers and greenery in the planter before displaying it on an end table, coffee table or bookshelf.