Before and After: This $2 Basket-Turned-Boho Planter Is a 20-Minute Project You Can Replicate This Summer

Shopping secondhand is a great way to find affordable decor for your home. One accessory that you should always keep an eye out for at garage sales and thrift shops is a wicker basket. Since the boho aesthetic is so trendy right now, wicker, cane, rattan, and other woven materials tend to have a pretty high markup if you buy them new. But if you’re just looking for a small basket for a bit of extra storage, you might be able to find one at your local Goodwill or rummage sale.

Designer and upcycler Sarah Teresinski (@redeux_style), who has upcycled several secondhand items for her home, took a $2 broken basket she found at a thrift store and converted it into an adorable planter. “Thrifting baskets is a great way to save money and keep things out of a landfill,” she says.

Her simple project is a perfect DIY to kick off the summer; it took only 20 minutes to make but ups the boho, tropical, eclectic vibes in her outdoor space.

To start, Sarah removed the metal hinges from the back of the basket and spray painted the basket with some blue spray paint. After the paint dried, she added a tassel border — also scored second-hand — to the top using hot glue. “I only added one row, but you can add as many as you want!” Sarah says in her TikTok video — a great reminder that this quick project is totally customizable. (You could add black paint for a more neutral border or a vary things up with a pom pom border, for instance.)

But Sarah loves the bright paint color she chose — it’s her favorite part of the finished look. She also loves that it’s all made from secondhand stuff. “You can make beautiful things out of stuff that people don’t want,” Sarah says.

Because she already owned most of the DIY supplies and sourced the things she didn’t own secondhand, she estimates her project cost about $5.

A few more tips for optimizing wicker baskets for holding plants? Make sure to keep your plant in its grow pot within the wicker basket; it will make for way less mess, and also makes it easier for you to remove your plant for watering. If you’re keeping your basket inside, you might also want to put a plastic tray, plastic bag, or landscape fabric in the bottom to help catch any errant drips from reaching your table or floor.

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

This piece is part of Get Outside Month, where we’re covering all things out-of-the-house, from curb appeal tips to al fresco hobby ideas. Whether you have a backyard, a patio, or 1 square foot of a fire escape. Head over here to read more!