Dress Up Your Plants – in a Dresser!

Want a wow factor in your garden? I’m sharing how to repurpose a dresser into a planter that will be the talk of your garden. Giving my tips on painting and how to make the dresser weather the seasons. The perfect way to repurpose a vintage find for any gardener or green thumb. Dress up your plants with a dresser.

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I painted and planted …

in the rain.

Talk about a bad hair day!

Dress Up Your Plants with a Dresser - create your own dresser planter for a bit of whimsy! kellyelko.com #planter #garden #gardens #gardener #greenthumb #landscape #landscaping #plants #diyideas #outdoors #outdoorideas #upcycle #thrifted #thrifty #repurpose #vintage #vintagedecor #farmhousedecor #kellyelko

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All to get ready for our The Great Outdoors link party on Tuesday.

Remember my $6 Thrift Shop Dresser Score?

Well, she got a makeover – lip gloss, spanx and a shiny new tiara.

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She’s even wearing her favorite Behr Peacock Blue dress …

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and a chalkboard bird brooch.

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Want one of your own?

The deets:

* Clean the dresser with TSP (thanks for the tip, Karen from Redoux)

* 2 coats of outdoor paint (I used Peacock Blue – Behr)

* Line drawers with plastic garbage bags using painters tape

Dress Up Your Plants with a Dresser - create your own dresser planter for a bit of whimsy! kellyelko.com #planter #garden #gardens #gardener #greenthumb #landscape #landscaping #plants #diyideas #outdoors #outdoorideas #upcycle #thrifted #thrifty #repurpose #vintage #vintagedecor #farmhousedecor #kellyelko

* Punch a few holes thru the garbage bags and bottom of drawers for drainage.

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* Put something heavy in the backs of the drawers (I used 3 bricks in each) so the drawers don’t tilt down.

Dress Up Your Plants with a Dresser - create your own dresser planter for a bit of whimsy! kellyelko.com #planter #garden #gardens #gardener #greenthumb #landscape #landscaping #plants #diyideas #outdoors #outdoorideas #upcycle #thrifted #thrifty #repurpose #vintage #vintagedecor #farmhousedecor #kellyelko

* Fill with dirt and plant away.

Her bustier is filled with herbs and her swing skirt with geraniums.

Dress Up Your Plants with a Dresser - create your own dresser planter for a bit of whimsy! kellyelko.com #planter #garden #gardens #gardener #greenthumb #landscape #landscaping #plants #diyideas #outdoors #outdoorideas #upcycle #thrifted #thrifty #repurpose #vintage #vintagedecor #farmhousedecor #kellyelko

Update:  Here’s what she looks like all filled in!

xDress Up Your Plants with a Dresser - create your own dresser planter for a bit of whimsy! kellyelko.com #planter #garden #gardens #gardener #greenthumb #landscape #landscaping #plants #diyideas #outdoors #outdoorideas #upcycle #thrifted #thrifty #repurpose #vintage #vintagedecor #farmhousedecor #kellyelko

Dresser Planter - create your own for a bit of whimsy! kellyelko.com

Do you love to repurpose vintage finds. Love gardening? Share your stories in the comments so we can inspire each other!

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110 Comments

  1. leave it to my JERSEY GIRL to ROCK it out of the park! This is fabulous and how much do i LOVE that blue — well the skies the limit! sensational and over the top! she is a beauty! (hugs)

  2. This needs to be filed under “why didn’t I think of that?” I love the blue and the bird looks great! Seriously. This is such a cute idea! I’m pinning 🙂

    :). me

  3. That is a great idea and a great color! I would love to have something to contribute to the party, but the weather has been miserable for the last week and now they’re calling for SNOW! I have a vintage, square pedestal sink I planted in the backyard and have been waiting to fill it with flowers. At this rate, maybe July?

  4. So are we sisters from another mister or what? I just posted my $5 thrifted dresser planter yesterday too….getting ready for the great outdoors party myself. I do love that dresser with the long legs! and the blue is awsome.

  5. Kelly!!!! I am so proud. I feel like I had a little teeny hand in this. But then my pride runneth over a bit too much. This is so cute, and I love the way you gave it so much personality. I would have never thought to put the bricks in the back so the drawers wouldn’t fall out. That is a genius tip. I am gearing up to clean up my side patio so it is picture worthy for you the big link up party. Happy Memorial Day weekend!

  6. Well I love gardening and I love painting furniture – sounds like the perfect project to me! Really, really cute!

  7. gasp! that is so freakin’ adorable!!! I wonder if my hubby would let me get away with it, or if he would think I’m crazy!!! Thanks for the beautiful idea!!

  8. Did someone say SNOW! It is so oppressive hot here in Carolina that unless you get to working at six in the morning, your projects don’t dry and the plants wilt. Now there is a tropical storm coming – I really want that for the rain we need. Whine, whine, whine… I need to finish something. Miss Peacock Dresser is strutting her stuff. I love the matching milk box! By the way, how did it get to the end of May so soon?

    Distressed Donna Down Home

  9. Thanks for stopping to leave a fun comment at Quirky Vistas about my plant dresser. My little guy is still on probation and I’m keeping the rascal away from the girls until he proves he’s rehabilitated! I think he’ll be a fine and upright match for your little lady one day. And my goodness, she’s quite the eye candy, and probably has a beautiful aroma with those herbs planted in her bustier. If the sandlot rascal saw her he’d be head over bedside table legs. Loved your description of her. So cute!
    Liz

    1. Ooops, you said long lost twin. I read, “get them together” and went off on a tangent. Ha! Yes, as twins, they should get together for sure!
      Liz

  10. Geese Louise- Are you going to make me pin every one of your projects? 😉
    Another great one- the color is A-MayZing!!
    xo Becca

  11. What a fabulous idea for “dressing up plants”!!!….Love that dresser and the color is terrific. I have an old wagon on my porch that I place plants in, but that dresser is the greatest…I can imagine lots of possibilities…

  12. Holy Cow…this is so awesome, I could just spit. Doon’tchaknow I am on the lookout for a dresser now.
    So sorry, but you have become my #1 Project Hero and i aim to stalk you until I can stalk no longer.
    Stalk so I can copycat. :))
    I foolishly didn’t know about this party so I can’t play today….but maybe next time.

  13. I was wondering how you kept the wood from going soggy – plastic!
    This looks really fun I bet its a real conversation starter when people come over 🙂

  14. This is just darling! I love the color, the bird silhouette, the flowers and herbs, everything! A great tutorial, too. I’d never have thought to put bricks in the back of the drawers. Really spectacular!

  15. What a fantastic use of a dresser – I never would have thought of it. The blue of the dresser brings a great pop of color to the outdoors. 🙂

    Stopping by from the Outdoor Extravaganza. 🙂

  16. What a great idea for a dresser! I may just have to watch for old dresser deals! Better yet – roadside. Thanks for linking to the Summer Fun Party – I am one of the cohosts from TheStuffofSuccess. Feel free to stop by and say hello. Enjoy your week. Athena

  17. Love the blue and the idea of using a dresser as a planter. I think I saw this through Karah or Linda, and love it more still!
    Thanks so much for linking up and linking back. Good luck and feel free to follow us on facebook for all the contest updates!

  18. I am not very crafty but just absolutely love this dresser. I will be at the op shop early Monday morning, fingers crossed I can get an old chest like this. Thank you for your ingenuity. Marilyn

  19. love the dresser’planter idea- But l feel so sad for the woman who posted that she wonders if her “hubby would let her get away with it.” WHO is he to judge what she wants to do in her home in her spare time…. wake up, sweetheart- life it too short to give it away to some jerk you happened to marry. It’d YOUR LIFE, not his!

  20. This looks great. I bought an old dresser today I’d like to do this to. How long did the dresser last? I asked a friend who said it couldn’t be done 🙁 Doesn’t matter, I’m going to try anyways!

    1. The dresser was out in the elements all year – snow, rain – so it only made it one year. If you bring it inside or have a sheltered area, I’m sure it would last longer. Enjoy!

  21. So cute! (but won’t the water drain into the wood and then just sit in the wood and rot? Newbie here)

  22. Oh! Cute and I loooooove Blue. My question is, do I have to punch holes at the bottom of the dresser too for indoor plants usage? Can I just poke holes through the bag instead? Also, the Producer’s milk underneath; is that used for drainage or is it just decor in this blog? I loooove that too. I plan on doing this this weekend as I would like to make a few (brainstorming gone wild) for both indoor/outdoor usage.
    thanks for sharing…

    1. Hi Cindy! For indoors, there is no need to punch holes in the dresser or the bags. I would just put pots in the drawers and put them in the sink to water them then return to dresser when they drain

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