Eager to try your hand at woodworking? Start with a small project, something simple to give you an idea of what’s possible and how similar projects could be done in the future. We have the perfect idea: a hanging planter. It’s quite easy to put together and at the end of it all you’ll have something that’s both useful and pretty.

The supplies needed for this hanging wood planter:

wood slatshandsawwood boardwood gluespot glazegreen acrylic paintpaint brushropescissorshot glue gun

How to craft this hanging planter:

Step 1: Cut the slats into small pieces

You basically need two wood slats for this project, one that’s square and one that’s thinner and rectangular but of course that’s not necessarily a rule set in stone. If you have some leftover wood supplies you can try to make it work with whatever is available. In any case, go ahead and cut your slats into smaller pieces. You should end up with 12 pieces in total in the end.

Step 2: Paint the wood pieces

Once they’re all cut to size, go ahead and paint all these wood pieces. We chose a dark green acrylic paint for this but you can go with a different nuance or try a combination of colors if you want to. Just make sure you paint all the pieces and you cover all the sides.

Step 3: Stain the board

You’re also going to use a thin wooden board for this project. This one is square in shape and has been chosen based on the rest of the supplies involved and the end design. In this step you need to apply a layer of spot glaze onto the board to give it a nice finish. Go with whatever color or finish you prefer.

Step 4: Make 2 frame rectangles using wood pieces and glue

Make sure all the paint on these wood pieces has dried before you do this. Combine them into sets of four (two bigger ones and two smaller ones) ad glue them together to make a rectangular frame. You’ll need to make two of these and they should have matching proportions and dimensions. Secure the pieces together with wood glue.

Step 5: Secure the frames onto the board

Let the glue dry and set for a bit then take the two rectangular frames and position them onto the base board. Then connect them with two additional green pieces of wood and the bottom so it all starts to look like a frame. Do this without the glue first so you get an idea of where to place each piece, then use glue to secure the pieces in place.

Step 6: Attach the two final pieces to complete the frame

At this point you should still have two small pieces of wood leftover. Take these and use them to complete the frame by using them to connect the side frames at the top. Once again, use some wood glue to get this done and wipe off the excess.

Step 7: Add a rope handle

We mentioned that this is going to be a hanging planter and at this point there’s nothing to indicate that. This is where the rope comes into play. You’re going to use it to add a handle to the planter. Cut out a piece of rope and wrap it around the wooden frame as you see here. When you’re happy with the length, use your hot glue gun to secure the rope onto the planter. After that, you’re all done!