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.
Last update on 2026-04-23 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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