A Crazy Floating Teapot Succulent Planter Tutorial
I seem to be on a mission to create planters for our ever-growing succulent collection. Don’t you just love them? Last week we turned a tree stump into a succulent planter, and this week we made this crazy cool floating teapot planter complete with faux running water.
And in all honesty, the most difficult thing about making one is waiting for the glue to dry. Patience is not my strong point 😉 but in the end, it was so worth it.
I love how it turned out. It looks like some invisible hand is watering the plants. It’s magical.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. Loren Eiseley
Okay, before we get to the tutorial, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need to make the floating teapot planter
- Metal fork with a thin handle
- Plants
- Gorilla Glue
- Duct tape or sticky tape
- Bowl or planter
- A teapot 😉
We have a huge collection of enamelware, which you can buy in most stores here in South Africa. It’s lightweight, dirt cheap, and doesn’t break no matter what you throw at it 😉 Any small, light teapot will work for this unique planter. If you can’t find a teapot, you can adapt this floating tin can tutorial.
To mimic the water
- Wax paper
- A round pipe or dowel
- Clear craft glue
I normally use my glue gun and clear glue sticks, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find any clear glue sticks in our craft cupboard, so I used polystyrene glue instead. Any craft glue that dries clear should work.
How to make the floating teapot planter
Did I mention this is a really easy DIY project? First things first, we need to bend that fork into shape. Using the planting bowl and teapot spout as a guide, bend the fork. The fork handle will go into the spout, and the tines, or prongs, will be glued to the inside of the bowl. Depending on how hard the metal is, you should be able just to use the edge of a table to get the right shape.
Forks are such handy little things. We’ve used them to make a handle for our fishing tackle kitchen island and they make great air planters too. Use Gorilla glue to glue the fork tines inside the bowl. Gorilla glue works best if one surface is slightly damp, so dip the tines in water first before gluing. A little bit of duct tape will keep it in place while the glue dries.
I prefer using Gorilla glue for projects like this. It’s waterproof and super strong once it cures. Plus it’s eco-friendly so it won’t leak all kinds of toxic yuckiness into the soil and damage the plants.
When the glue dries, about 2 hours, you can slip the fork handle inside the teapot spout and glue it in place.
You may need to put a rock or large pebble inside the bowl to balance the whole thing out while it’s drying and don’t forget to make a few drainage holes, especially if you’re going to plant succulents under the floating teapot.
Once the glue dries, the floating teapot planter is ready for planting. If you used a rock or a pebble to help balance the planter, it will need to stay inside the bowl, so it doesn’t tip over. We added succulents to ours, but herbs would look lovely, too, especially if the planter is going in the kitchen. You could also plant your favorite annuals or perennials, as long as they don’t grow too tall and hide that magical floating effect 😉
To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow
And for the final touch, all that’s left to do is hide the fork handle with some craft glue “water”.
How to mimic water with craft glue
Besides resin, one of the easiest ways to make faux running water is to use clear craft glue. The only clear glue I had on hand was polystyrene glue. It takes a little longer to cure though, so if you don’t want to wait, use a glue gun and clear glue sticks instead. Simply squirt a whole bunch of glue on a piece of wax paper to form a long, wide strip.
When the glue begins to set, wrap the wax paper around a pipe or dowel if you want the water to form a tube shape.
Once dry, simply remove the pipe and peel the wax paper off.
Polystyrene glue dries with these little bubbles inside so it almost looks like sparkling water. Trim the “water” to size and wrap it around the fork before gluing it in place.
That bubbly “water” is just perfect for disguising the fork.
Doesn’t it look so cool floating in the air like that?
Here’s another view from the side.
But I’d love to know what you think of the floating teapot planter.
Is it something you would make for your garden? What plants would you add?
If you like the idea of making a floating teapot planter, don’t forget to pin it for later.
BTW, if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉
Would you rather buy than DIY? Then maybe these beauties will appeal.
And as always, here’s wishing you a beautiful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Hello You are the sweetest lady to share this cute idea with the world. I love it, and since we are moving I’m not able to print this out. Oh just hope I can remember all when I’m settled. I want to say Thank You so much for sharing. You are blessed big time! Thank You again.
You are soooooo very welcome, Nellie. After all these years I’m always a little surprised (and over joyed) when someone reaches out and loves the crazy crafts we come up with. Good luck with your move and I wish you many happy, memory making years in your new home.
I thank God for putting brilliant people on this earth to help others how to open their minds and create things to make things more beautiful. Thank you
You just made my day with your beautiful comment, Lynn. Thank you so very much ❣
Wow!!! This is the neatest idea EVER!! Yard sales here are scarce, but I’ll be looking for a tea kettle or pot to use. Might even work with a sauce pan. I will be moving next year so will have to wait to use your fun idea. I do Thank You for sharing your craftyness with everybody. This made my day and I’m amazed at how this was done.
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You’re so welcome Sage. I can’t tell you how much I love hearing from our readers. I think a saucepan will work beautifully, especially if you plant some of the smaller succulents inside. Good luck with your move and I hope you make many happy memories in your new home.
YOUR CRAFT WATER IDEA IS TERRIFIC……………OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW REALM OF PLANNING AND IDEAS FOR ‘YARD ART’. THX.
You’re so welcome. Have fun making yard art 😉
I love this, Michelle! The use of clear glue for water is brilliant!
Thanks so much, Gail.
Aw Michelle, I just love this planter. Looking at that enamel crockery reminds me of when I was a kid in boarding school in South Africa. We always had those enamel cups, they were huge and would burn your fingers. I love the idea of the running water trick. Thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome Anita. We love our enamelware, but the cups are a bit of problem when it comes to hot stuff 😀
I’m the person who has all the brilliant ideas but has to pay someone to do them because I’m so ham fisted!
But I’ve had a go, but mine is in red, and so far it’s looking really good! I honestly can’t believe it. I’m just waiting for the water to harden and then it just needs potting up with Aeoniums.
Thanks for the brilliant idea and the idiot proof photos!
That makes me sooooooo very happy Wendy and tree houseleeks will complement the floating teapot so beautifully too. Thank you so much for sharing what you’ve done ❣
Such a great planter idea, Michelle! I wondered how the heck that teapot was floating in the air – brilliant. Your faux water trick solved a dilemma I’ve been having about a project swirling around in my head, so thank you for that.
OoooEeeeee I so happy to hear that Marie. Can’t wait to see what you’re up to.
Just love this idea and maybe on a smaller scale could be made for indoor as well. I have a large teapot on a shephards hook outside with streamers of fairy lights coming out of the spout to a pot of flowers. Everyone here enjoys it. Can set the lights to a motion that looks like water falling. Thanks
The watery fairy lights sound amazing Wilma and it must look so lovely at night too.
I love this idea so much. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you for the detailed tutorial
You’re welcome, Nicki. Hope you have loads of fun making yours
I absolutely love this, I’m going to try and make this tonight.Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful craft idea and for giving great instructions on how to put it all together..
You’re welcome, Vickie. Enjoy making your floating teapot garden
This is sooo cute!! Great idea! I have to try this!! Thanks for sharing!❤️
You are most welcome, Penny. SO happy you enjoyed the idea and tutorial ?
Quede totalmente loca con este tutorial, de todas maneras lo haré, esta bellisimo me fascinan las manualidades gracias gracias
You’re welcome, Nancy
How do you get the teapot to ‘float’? Does the fork support the weight? Thanks, Sandra
Hi there Sandra, yes the fork supports the weight of the teapot. The most important thing is to use glue that stays stuck and that’s water-resistant so the fork prongs don’t get “unstuck” from the side of the container and the handle stays glued inside the spout.
Thanks Michelle, love love love teapots and this looks nice and easy. When I’ve finished with my markets I will have to give this one a go.
So happy to hear that Eva and all the best at the markets. I hope you sell lots of goodies
What a brilliant idea! I can’t wait to try this. Exactly which formula of Gorilla Glue did you use? They have several.
Hey Barb, we used the original Gorilla Glue – here’s the Amazon link 4
How do you glue the handle of the fork in the spout of the tea pot? The forks that I have tried have very little contact area inside the spout.
Hi Jo, you’ll need to make sure your fork handle is thin enough to fit up the spout and bend it first so it follows the curves of the spot too. Gorilla glue is pretty strong and doesn’t need too much to grip onto. Hope that helps, otherwise please give me a shout again and I’ll try to explain a bit better
It is adorable,I plan to do it in the near future.It looks easy but we’ll see.Thanks for sharing such a great project.
You’re most welcome Bea. I’m sure yours will look beautiful and please shout if you need any more information.
Thank you for the instructions. This is very cute. I will have to go shopping at some thrift stores and estate sales to find the right teapot.
Thank so much Brab, have fun shopping for your teapot. I hope you find the right one
OMGOSH! Love the water from the teapot idea! I have a pottery one that the lid is broken. I have seen someone use the pot for a bird feeder and due to the spout having a built in strainer I thought mine would be ideal for that. Afraid it’d be too heavy to float–but the faux water I will try on a smaller or lightweight pot! You’re amazing!!
Thank you so much, Teresa ❣ I hope you find some lightweight pots to try. The floating teapot is a fun addition to any space
I’ve done this with teacups & saucers for holiday decor, but I love your teapot/succulent idea & the faux water-wish I knew it before.
I’m glad you like the idea Susan and thanks so much for popping around for a visit
I love your idea! Will this work with a small ceramic teapot or would it be too heavy for the fork to support?
I think it will work Kathie. I just quickly weighed another enamel teapot we have and it’s 200 grams (google says that’s 0.44 lbs). I think the most important thing is having enough glue in the spout and you can place a large pebble to balance the weight out in the bowl. Hope that makes sense
I think the floating teapot planter is the best idea I have ever seen for a planter.It’ cool and clever, especially with the addition of the faux water.
Thank you so much Marilyn, really appreciate that so much ?
So cute. Now if I can just find a aluminum teapot with a bowl to match,
I plant to make one.
Any teapot and bowl should work June as long as the spout is wide enough to hold a fork handle. And you can always paint either the teapot of the bowl to match. Have fun and I hope you find something on your thrifting journey ❣
I’m so excited about this project! My mother passed away a few years ago and I inherited everything. I couldn’t keep all of it because I have a small apartment, and it broke my heart to have to rid of it. But I kept a lot of things that remind me of her and home. Some of it I didn’t quite know what to do with. I saved her light blue enamel tea pot and some bowls, and now I know what to do with them! I’m going to make this awesome planter for my daughter for Christmas! It will be for her first home, and will be extra special because the tea pot and bowl were used and much loved by her Grandma! Thanks so much for this special project idea. You have really made my day!!
Oh! And I just love the water idea too, thanks again.
You are soooooo welcome Annie
I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that Annie ? Thank you so much and for sharing your lovely memories too. It’s going to be a very special present for your daughter. May it bring you both many happy smiles inside your hearts when you think of your Mom.
The succulent pot is beautiful and the floating teapot is super cool!!
? Thank you. I’m so happy with how it turned out
That is sooo cute Michelle! I absolutely love your floating teapot! You amaze me with the ideas you come up with.
? Thank you my friend
How did I miss this? I loooove it and I will give it a try. I’ve seen other versions but I love this because it seems real water! I will just wait a bit for my succulents to grow and to find the stuff, I already have a fork
? Oh cool Pili. I think you’re really going to enjoy making this one. Hope you find the other stuff soon, I’d love to see how yours turns out
This is outta this world cool!!! I love this project to bits and how real the water looks coming out of the teapot’s spout! Genius, Michelle!!!
Thanks so much Sam. I really enjoy making planters for our succulents. We seem to have so many of them
That is the cutest tea pot repurpose Michelle! I love the water and of course the succulents, you give me tons of inspiration to for my own collection!!
? Oh yay, glad to hear that Katrin. Your collection is growing so beautifully
Wow is this cool. I just love the look of running water! (I found you from Funky Junk Interior’s Page)
Thank you so much, Sharon ? I really appreciate you coming round for a visit.
You can use 6000 glue; I use it for all my crafts and it is water proof. For the water you can use fishing line and place in the spout of the teapot and glue the line inside and attach tear drop crystal at the end of the spout….You can also take the spout and stuff it w/ cotton if you just want the crystal hanging and not see the fish line going in the teapot….Thanks for the fun DIY
You’re most welcome Linda, I’m glad you enjoyed the tutorial. Love your idea of hanging a teardrop crystal from the teapot spout and I might just have one of those floating around in our craft cupboard somewhere too ?
Linda, why not just love the tutorial and get your own website instead of post on one that is amazing. You give all these “instructions” that are half assed; we have all just experienced a articulate, well executed and wonderfully pictured instructions by Avery talented young lady. What I’m saying is Linda, give praise or ask a question this isn’t your site. LOVED YOUR PROJECT, I’m going to the 2nd hand store and Home Depot today. I’ve got to start this today!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment Elizabeth. I hope you find all the stuff and have fun making your floating teapot planter
Linda gave a couple of alternate methods. acraftymix even said she might try one of the ideas. I don’t know you or Linda, but I felt bad for her.
I totally agree. I think Linda just adapted a great idea. We all do that every day of our lives. Thank you Linda. Your idea is exactly what I was looking for. Special thanks to crafty mix for sharing her original project.
You my friend are crazy crafty!! I just showed my husband this because it is really an engineering marvel (his passion) and a decor dream (my passion). I am just awed…
? Thank you Kim, you made my day.
OK I give up! This really takes the cake. I can sit here and stare at that running water all day and there is no way I am going to believe my eyes! It is not glue, it is something else that the fairies have transformed! You just never cease to amaze me!
? ? ? It’s glue I promise Mary, and it does look really cool
OMG!!! Michelle,
I absolutely love this!!! I may already have these supplies and I just may try my hand at making one of these…. Love how it came out!! Thanks for identifying the columbine!! Mt neighbor 2 doors down has them in her yard and they have popped up in my front yard. I transplanted these from the front yard last year…..Thanks so much for stopping by!! I am doing okay as far as my recovery is concerned but of course, I would like it to go a bit faster so I can be more mobile…..
Hugs,
Deb
I’m so happy to hear that Debbie. I can just picture one of these floating teapots in your gorgeous garden and I’m happy to help WRT to the Columbines. They’re beautiful. It always reminds me of something a fairy would pick to make a hat or even a pretty little dress.
I’m even happier to hear that you’re on the mend, my friend. That op was long overdue ?
Wow, Michelle! This is a great idea! What a fabulous project! Thank you so much for sharing the instructions. Hugs, my dear friend.
You’re most welcome Mia and hugs right back at you