A while back we were given a whole box full of old rusty lanterns by a friend of ours. Love it when that happens 🙂 We managed to repurposed bits and pieces and made some enamel cup lanterns for our holiday home. We even turned two of them into charming lantern planters and filled them with succulents. Here’s the thing though. I really, really wanted to hang them from an antique pulley.

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging from an antique pulley. Make your own with this super tutorial. #DIYHomeDecor #Planters #farmhousestyle

But those things are as scarce as hen’s teeth here and if you do find them, they’re way over our budget. No ways am I spending so much money on something that’s going to be used as décor in the garden. Nope not going to happen.

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

So I had to figure out a way to make my own. And I love how it turned out.

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

The antique pulley looks like it’s been doing some heavy lifting for a few years. And it’s such a simple concept too. All you need is a grooved wheel or sheave and some kind of casing.

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

Okay, before we get to how we made that pulley and turned lanterns into planters, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!

Making a Faux Antique Pulley

I must admit I had to dig around quite a bit to find something that would act as a grooved wheel. We don’t have a lathe so making one from scratch wasn’t really an option. What I did find though was this little wheel thingy here.

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging from an antique pulley. Make your own with this super tutorial. #DIYHomeDecor #Planters #farmhousestyle

That’s the wheel that normally sits under an electric gate, something that’s quite common here in South Africa. In the larger cities we all live behind 6 foot walls and have a remote controlled electric gate. It’s much safer than the ones you have to open by hand. Nobody wants to leave their car running while they try and open a gate, that’s like putting up a neon sign and saying “Come hijack me”. Sad I know, but that’s what it is.

Okay lets get back to that faux antique pulley. Since I had a grooved wheel all I needed to do was make a casing or frame to house the wheel. Pretty easy, just cut two sides and a top bit from scrap wood. The wooden top bit should be the same length and width as the top of the metal casing on the gate wheel.

What I used to make a DIY pully using a electric gate wheel

Screw the the top of the gate wheel casing to the cut wooden top.

Screw the wheel metal casing onto the cut piece of wood

Glue and screw the two side pieces onto the wooden top.

Glue the two wooden sides onto the top

Stain or paint the wooden casing and you should end up with something like this.

After staining the wooden wheel casing

Glue the faux old railway bolts on either side of the casing and tie rope around the bolts. If you can’t find any bolts you can screw the hanging rope into the casing.

Tie rope around the bolts to hang the pully

Thread more rope up around the metal wheel and hang the lantern planters of either end.

 

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

Old lanterns can be repurposed in so many different ways. They make beautiful pixie dens and they are pretty easy to convert into planters too.

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

How to Turn Lanterns into Planters

First off remove the chimney, wick, and cap on the oil reservoir. Save those bits to make these beautiful electrified enamel cup lanterns. If there’s still oil inside the reservoir dispose of it safely. Never pour old oil down the drain or toilet.

 

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging from an antique pulley. Make your own with this super tutorial. #DIYHomeDecor #Planters #farmhousestyle

Mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with really hot water. Add the mixture to the reservoir and use a bottle brush to scrub the inside of the reservoir and get rid of any tough deposits. Pour the water out and fill the reservoir up with hot water again. Let the soapy mixture sit in the reservoir overnight and rinse with hot water the next day. Once the reservoir is nice and clean, your lanterns should be safe for planting.

Our lanterns were a bit rusty and I was worried that the little stones needed for drainage would fall through the holes so I added some shade cloth on the inside first.

 

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging from an antique pulley. Make your own with this super tutorial. #DIYHomeDecor #Planters #farmhousestyle

Before planting the succulents we sprayed the outside of the lanterns a lovely bronze color that contains a rust inhibitor.

 

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging from an antique pulley. Make your own with this super tutorial. #DIYHomeDecor #Planters #farmhousestyle

I normally don’t mind a little bit of rust, but I want these lantern planters to last a few seasons before they disintegrate completely 😉 Fill the lantern with easy to care for succulents.

Add succulents to the lantern

I’d love to know what you think. 

 

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

Do you love old pulleys too?

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

And if you like the idea of hanging lantern planters from a repurposed pulley, please don’t forget to share.

These charming old school lantern planters look amazing hanging on our porch. This tutorial will show you how to make your own pulley from scratch and convert lanterns into planters. It's easy once you now how ;-) Get the step-by-step guide at A Crafty Mix

Or if you plan on using an old lantern as a planter, this pin is for you.

See how easy it is to turn old lanterns in to gorgeous hanging planters. The tutorial includes how to make a pulley from scratch and has tips on prepping and cleaning the lanterns before adding the plants #DIYPlanters #DIYHangingPlanter #UpcycledPlanter #ACraftyMix LanternPlanters

Oh and just in case you want to make your own antique pulley I’ve added a few affiliate links below. That way you won’t have to try to find the materials we used. Disclosure: If you click on the links, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft tutorials for you 😉

 

weyleity 2' Groove Wheel, Sliding Gate Roller, Heavy Duty Rigid Caster with Bracket for Inverted Track, Rolling Gate, Sliding Gate, Industrial Machines, Wire Rope Rail, Loading Capacity 661 lbs 4 Pack
Sale Stansport 12' Hurricane Lantern (127), 12inch, Red
ATERET 3/8 Inch by 100-Feet Sisal Rope I Natural Fiber Twisted Sisal Rope I Multipurpose, Lightweight, Weather-Resistant Rope for Indoor/Outdoor Use, Rugs, Marine, and DIY Projects (1-Pack)

And if you would rather buy than DIY maybe one of these beautiful pulleys are more your style.

 

Deco 79 55408 Metal & Rope Block Tackle
Design Toscano Vintage Wheel Farm Pulley Industrial Decor, Medium, Full Color
Special T Imports Set of 2 Antique-Inspired Rustic Metal and Wood Pulleys with Hooks - Vintage Wall Decorations for a Timeless Interior Accent - Easy Install - 30.5 Inches High

And as always, wishing you a beautiful week filled with lots of love.

Made with love by a Crafty Mix