In Like a Lion {Faux Ceramic Animal Planter}

March comes in like a lion… and apparently out like one, too, the way the weather’s been lately. 😉 I know this tutorial on how to make a faux ceramic animal planter isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love fun, quirky touches in home decor and this one suited my style nicely. Plus, it only cost $7 to make so it falls solidly under the ‘easy and inexpensive DIY project’ camp that I so adore. I’ve seen these in high-end handmade studios for MUCH more, so if you like this look then grab your favorite large plastic animal (dinosaurs and elephants are especially suited) and let’s get going!

As I mentioned, first you’ll need a large plastic animal. WHAT? YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE A LARGE PLASTIC ANIMAL? No biggie, just head to a toy or craft store and choose one you love. I found this guy at Michaels and used my 40% off coupon to get him for just $7. Aside from thinking he’d look pretty fab and fierce, I also chose him because he wasn’t a totally rigid plastic. He had some ‘give’, which made drilling easier.

Pro DIY Tip: do not, under any circumstances, let your young children watch this process unless you want to be known as “that mean mommy who bought a toy lion and didn’t give it to us but instead proceeded to paint and drill through it’s back like a HEATHEN!”

Next, grab a drill. I used a spade drill bit because we had it on hand but there are several types of bits you can use for drilling large holes.

I drilled a few holes into the back of the lion. The plastic was soft enough that after drilling, I was able to snip and enlarge the holes into one large opening using my favorite tool– the Open It. A strong pair of clippers or scissors might work for this as well, I just happen to have a massive crush on the Open It for obvious reasons– it really opens everything (and it’s on sale, bonus!)

Once you’ve completed back surgery on poor Mr. Lion, it’s time to give him some color. I wanted it to look like white ceramic, so on the only semi-warm day we’ve had this year I took a chance and went out and gave him a few coats of high-gloss spray paint. It’s best to use several light coats so drips don’t happen. Make sure to get in all those nooks and crannies.

He took awhile to dry because it’s seriously cold and rainy as… heck… here, but in warmer weather you shouldn’t have issues.

Now that he’s dry and lookin’ all HOT and REGAL, it’s time to add in a plant. I used this succulent because it’s what I had on hand and the roots were pretty narrow. In the spring I’ll probably try to find something more flowy, just to play with juxtaposition and all. <——- oh, fancy word!

Like the geometric plant pods ahead of him, I’ve been placing him in various spots around the house because ~~I’m obviously going stir crazy~~ it makes me happy. Here he’s guarding our wine glasses.

My kids have {almost} forgiven me for desecrating the lion because they think it’s hilarious he “has a plant coming out of his butt.”

In the meantime, Leo waits patiently for spring and agrees that this year March came in like a lion and left like one too. Like a monsoon-ish, flooding, rainy lion. You know the kind.