Upcycled Toy Elephant Planter - 7 Days of Thrift Shop Flips

21 August

Today marks Day 5 of 7 Days of Thrift Shop Flips! Only 2 more days to go! I hope you have enjoyed the projects so far 😊 I think it's been a fun mix of every day and Fall themed projects.

We have upcycled an orphaned sugar bowl, sweaters, books, and embroidery hoops so far... all things that can be found at any thrift store and probably just by shopping your own house!

Today's item may not be something you'll have lying around unless you have young kids, grandkids, or have saved your grown kids' toys but you should be able to find it easily at the thrift stores!

Yep, we are upcycling a toy animal!

Upcycled Toy Elephant Planter - 7 Days of Thrift Shop Flips

I picked up this toy elephant quite a while ago and honestly I'm not sure why because I only recently began seeing these turned into unique planters 😕

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Supplies Needed:

Toy animal
Spray paint in the color of your choice
Trim/Ribbon
Small terracotta pot
Moss and succulents
Drill and large drill bit
Utility knife or something to cut through the thick plastic (I used tin snips)
Floral foam or potting soil (depending on if you choose faux or real plants)

When choosing your animal, make sure it's hollow so that once you cut an opening it will hold a little pot. You should be able to tell by thumping it. I believe that most of the larger toy animals will be hollow.

To make it into a cute planter we need to cut an opening. Begin by drilling a hole in the top with the largest drill bit you have. I made a cluster of holes just to get the hole started.

Upcycled Toy Elephant Planter - 7 Days of Thrift Shop Flips

Then use a sharp knife or some sort of industrial scissors to cut a hole large enough to fit the pot. Speaking of the pot, a small terracotta pot will work great! You want something that has a lip to keep it from slipping down into the animal too far.

Be careful that you don't cut the hole too big for the pot! Test fit and cut a little at a time.

If you are left with a rough edge you can use a file or utility knife to smooth it out a bit. But don't worry too much about it because we can cover the edge to dress it up.

Now spray paint your animal and the little pot if you like. I totally forgot to take a picture of that step... but you know how to spray paint something so you'll be fine without a picture! 😂

Once the paint has dried you can add some trim to disguise the raw, cut edge and give it some whimsy!