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Hanging Teacup Planter Upcycle with China & Pearls

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Learn how to create a hanging teacup planter by upcycling a china cup and planting it with a proper plant, using twine to create a hanger.How to upcycle a teacup into a hanging planter.

If you follow this blog then you may be familiar with my friend Carole and her book, Startle Garden, that I just reviewed. Carole, is not only a great writer, but is also the driving force for some of the fun challenges I’ve been sharing.  As the creator of Garden Up Green, she not only loves gardening, but also sharing those idea and practices that she learned from her grandmother. So today’s challenge was to upcycle an old teacup into something new. My solution: create a hanging teacup planter using a china cup, and a string of pearls.

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Hanging Teacup Planter

I knew that I wanted to plant something and hang it in the teacup, so when I saw this String of Pearls Plant, aka Senecio rowleyanus, I knew that it would be perfect. After all, good china and a string of pearls go perfectly together.

Antique rose china cup to use as a planter.I have a few teacups that came from my mother, but also several that I’ve collected at antique malls over the years. This pretty rose floral one was a good size for housing a plant.

String of pearls aka Senecio rowleyanus plant.This is a little transplant, I purchased online it already had several “strings” flowing over the sides. When it came in the mail, all the little stems where neatly packed inside, and like a fine necklace, you need to carefully untangle them before repotting.

Gravel on bottom of teacup for drainage.

Since this planter would not have any drainage holes I placed a nice layer of stones at the bottom. Hopefully any excess water will stay in the stones, and not allow the soil remain wet, and risk root rot. I don’t plan on watering it very often. This little guy is considered a succulent, and likes to dry out well before watering. I think that makes it a good candidate for this project too.

Round plastic to use as a hanger for twine.Now for the hanger. I took eight strands of twine about 40 inches long. First I tied them to a plastic ring. This is what I had on hand but I think a metal key chain ring, or binder ring, would look much nicer. Use this ring to hang the plant from a hook.

Start with eight strands of twine for plant hanger.

Tape the ring to the table and separate the twine into four pairs of two.

Make knots in twine.

Tie a double over hand knot about 6-8 inches from the top.

Knot inside strands of twine.

Move down another 6-8 inches and take two strands, one from each group and tie knots in the new pairs.

Bottom knot for hanging planter

Finally, tie a double knot at the bottom.

Hanging teacup planter with china and pearls

Hang up the twine hanger, and then gently place the teacup inside.

full shot of string of pearl in hanging planter teacup

This is in my dining room and looks so pretty there. There’s light from the windows but it’s north facing, so there’s not too much direct light which I’ve read, is perfect for this string of pearls. I can’t wait until it fills in and spills all over the cup.

Now, let’s see what the others have created with their teacups.

Teacup challenge graphic

To Work With My Hands

Grit Antiques

At Home With Jemma

Poofing the Pillows

Garden Up Green

 

About Patti Estep

Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

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Comments

  1. iris davies says

    Lovely idea ,have got the ideal china cup my friend gave me as a bird feeder but have not seen the string of pearls plant around here may use another trailing Alpine

    Reply

    • Patti Estep says

      Hi Nikki,

      So far so good. I’m really careful about watering it. It only gets watered once a week in my house but everyone’s climate is different.
      Thanks for stopping by,
      Patti

      Reply

  4. Stacey says

    Patti, what a fun idea! I’m not really familiar with the String of Pearls but will be checking that out. A little macrame project was a great idea. 😉

    Reply

  5. Karen says

    String of pearls is a plant I’ve never seen before. I love how unique it is and it looks perfect trailing over the edges of your tea cup. I can always count on you to introduce me to new and interesting plants, and this one is certainly a winner!

    Reply

  6. Carole West, Garden Up Green says

    I went with China too – I grew up enjoying tea parties with my grandma and parties in the spring always involved these fancy tea cups. I love this planter idea and you’re right it’s going to look even more amazing when it fills in. Thanks for joining us and you’re kind words.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep says

      Hi Jemma,

      I know! So macrame, right. Too bad I didn’t retain any of those fancy knots. I do like simple and so that’s what I went for and now I love this new hanging planter in my dining room. So fun to create with such a fabulous group.
      Have a great weekend,
      Patti

      Reply

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