Father's Day Craft Idea: Geometric Succulent Hangers

Give dad a handsome planter this Father's Day for a unique and handmade gift. Even kids can get in on this craft with just a little parental guidance. The final planters can be hung in the home or office, wherever dad needs a little bit of greenery to brighten his day.

To make your hanging planters you will need: small pots / wire and wire cutters / masking or painter's tape / acrylic paint or left over house paint / and paint brushes. Choose a 12 gauge wire, or something close to that weight. It needs to be strong enough to hold the weight of the planter, but flexible enough that you can bend it. Wire coat hangers will also work. You may want work gloves when working with the wire, since cut edges can be sharp. And of course you will need some plants for your planters!

Step one is painting your pots. To create clean and even stripes, use tape to cover the parts of the pot you don't want to get paint on. Press the tape firmly against the pot, making sure there are no folds or other places paint might leak through. Paint a solid color wherever you want a stripe to be. You can use a single color, or create multiple stripes in different colors. When the paint is completely dry, peel off the tape.

The next step is to create the hangers for your pots. Begin by cutting two equal lengths of wire, about 18" long. You can cut it longer for larger hangers, or shorter for smaller hangers. Curve one end of the wire half way around the pot, creating a semi-circle, but leave an extra 2" sticking out.

Place wire around the pot with a semi-circle on each side. Fold the 2" of wire over the longer piece sticking out on each side. The wire should fit very snugly against the pot, adjust it as necessary so that it won't slip off.

When your wire fits snugly around the pot, secure it by tightly wrapping the extra 2" length of wire around the longer piece. Keep the coils close together and the same size for a finished look.

Now that your wire is secured to the pot, you can shape the rest of it to create your hanger. Create simple geometric shapes like triangles or squares, or get creative and add lots of extra corners. Bend the wire with your hands for rounded corners or with pliers for sharp corners. Leave about 4 extra inches at the top of both wires to create a hook.

Use the extra wire at the top to create a hook by folding about 2" back to create a loop at the end of one of the wires. Bend this loop into a hook shape.

Once you have a hook shape in one wire, wrap the other wire around the exposed end to secure it. Use tight, even loops to wrap it so it will match the wrapping you did around the pot. You can experiment with different styles of hooks until you find the one you like best.

Now that your hangers are completed, it's time to plant! Choose easy to care for succulents or other small plants dad will enjoy. If he's going to hang them in his office, look for plants that don't need to be watered every day: dad is busy!