Learn how to make a DIY head planter using a styrofoam head! This project is super easy and creates a beautiful, one of a kind planter. This post contains affiliate links, which help to support this site at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
Hello Hello! I have a super fun project to share with you all today. Let’s make ourselves a funky head-shaped planter! Sound fun?
I made this planter after FloraCraft sent me a bunch of foam heads and gave me the challenge of getting creative with them.
Since we moved into our new home, I have been looking for fun and colorful decor for my daughter’s new room. I knew one of those foam heads could totally become a fun piece for her room.
I ended up creating a planter (or really more like plant holder or plant stand) and painted it a bright turquoise to and some color and life to the space.
I’m ready to share how I made our colorful foam head planter and all the tips I learned along the way to help you make your own. Ready to get crafting?
DIY Foam Head Planter
This project is pretty simple to put together. It will take a bit of time to complete mostly because of drying time, but you don’t really need any special tools or skills to make your own. Just gather a few supplies, and get started.
Styrofoam Head Planter Supplies:
- Styrofoam Head
- Knife or Foam Cutter
- Smooth Finish, Foam Putty, or Spackle
- Spray Paint
- Organza or Tulle & Thumbtacks (optional)
- A Small Potted Plant
How to Make a Styrofoam Head Planter
Choosing a Styrofoam Head for Your Planter
First, let’s talk styrofoam heads for a second. There are a lot of different options out there. You can find some great options on Amazon or at your local craft store. This is the head that I used for my planter.
You could also use other styrofoam shapes to make your planter. How about a styrofoam Frankenstein planter for Halloween? Or what about a pumpkin or skull?
I have actually done a few styrofoam vase projects using a technique similar to what I used for this head planter. Check out these projects for more ideas and tips for using foam shapes to make a planter or vase:
Once you have your styrofoam head or shape chosen, it’s time to get crafting!
Step One. Cut Foam Head.
The first thing you will need to do is cut a hole in the top of the planter to hold your plant pot.
To do this, I simply placed the pot on top of my foam head and traced it to give me a guide for cutting. Then, carefully used your knife or foam cutter to cut the hole down deep enough to hold your pot.
I didn’t want to take time to figure out how to make a drainage hole for my plant, so I decided to make my planter really more of a pot holder. I would pull the plant out of the planter to water it and then return it to the stand once the excess water had drained away.
Step Two. Coat Foam.
After cutting the hole for your plant, it’s time to give your planter a coat of plaster or spackle to smooth it out, prepare it for paint, and make it look more like ceramic or stone.
For this planter, I used Floracraft Smooth Finish.
It looks like it may be a bit more difficult to find Smooth Finish these days, so some other options are Foam Putty, regular old drywall spackle, or even Plaster of Paris.
The idea with this step is to get rid of the styrofoam texture and prepare your planter for paint.
Here’s what my planter looked like after this step:
Once this coat has dried, you can sand it down if you like to smooth out any sharp edges.
Step Three. Paint.
When your foam coat has dried, you are ready to paint! You use lots of different types of paint to finish off your head planter, but I went with a glossy spray paint to keep things easy.
If I was doing this project again, I think I would go with a nice matte paint this time. Maybe a pretty cream or terracotta? Or a textured stone look spray paint could be really cool too.
Step Four. Finishing Details.
Once your paint has dried, you are all ready for finishing touches.
At this point, I put my plant into the planter. I went with a pretty pink Christmas cactus.
Since the Christmas Cactus in the planter was giving me crazy hat vibes, I decided to lean into the funky hat idea and add a sparkly organza veil.
To do this, I simply cut off a 12″ piece of organza from a 6″ roll and then attached it to the side of the head with small white thumbtacks. Since the planter is made from foam this is so easy!
You could also add other embellishments how every you like!
I will say that this planter is a bit top heavy. It’s been holding up okay for us, but if it gets bumped, it could topple over. To counteract that top-heaviness, you could add some weight to the bottom of the planter. Perhaps gluing the bottom of the foam head to a nice wooden plaque would be a good solution.
When you are happy with your planter, it’s time to display it proudly!
This pretty little lady and her pretty pink cactus hat (hair?) are now living in my little girl’s room-in-process.
Isn’t it fun? Such a unique planter, but really a simple project to make your own! What do you think? Will you make your own DIY head planter? Tell me about it in the comments.
Until next time, Happy Making!
More fun home projects:
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Comments + Project Love
Sharon Currier says
Very clever! Thank you.
Amy W says
Love this idea… I was going to do the EXACT same thing in like a month. Back to the drawing board. =)
Britni Vigil says
So cute Alexis!
Leigh Anne Watts says
What a great idea! <br /><br />Leigh Anne<br />Houseologie.com