Micro-mini Greenhouse Planter

Jim Cox
by Jim Cox
5 Materials
$24
2 Hours
Easy
A micro-greenhouse I made for a gardening buddy out of picture frames and a craft box
shopping at Walmart for materials
A friend wanted me to make her a planter that looked like a mini-greenhouse. After seeing some great picture frame lanterns and lamps here on Hometalk, I knew just what to use for glass.
I removed the glass and backing from the picture frames
align the hinges against the frame
I drilled the edge of the picture frames with a 5/64" bit and installed two hinges along an edge. Note that I only used the outside screws, as not to interfere with the glass.


Hinges make a great adjustable bracket in a lot of situations, even if the finished product doesn't have to move.
I then installed two more hinges on the other side of each picture frame. These will attach to the craft box
To prevent any damage to the glass, I went ahead and marked and drilled the holes in the craft box for the bottom hinges before the glass was installed/painted
I then re-installed the glass in the frames and taped off the "Muntins" (or Mullions if you prefer) with masking tape. BTW the blue masking tape doesn't stick to glass very well, I would recommend trying the old school yellow stuff.
Brush the spaces between the tape, and the frames themselves. I used white acrylic chalk paint. Cover the hinges too. Don't worry about getting outside the tape, it cleans up easy with a razor knife/scraper
Remove the tape, and attach the frames back to the craft box using the previously-drilled holes. Now you can touch up any part of your window. I added some chalk paint to the craft box so it would look a bit more uniform to the window using a dry brush technique.
As hard as it was to mask the glass, I think painting the whole pane and scraping off the 'windows' might have been faster and easier. As far as the costs go, I already had the paint and tape.



I'm really happy with how this came outicon


Don't be surprised to see a cart near my front lawn with some re-purposed house windows attached in the same manner some time in the near future.icon  icon
Looks right at home!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 8 questions
  • Connie Forte Connie Forte on Apr 28, 2019

    I absolutely love love this. Can you seal it for putting it outside at entry way???

  • Phillis Green Phillis Green on Jun 07, 2022

    What size picture frames? What size tray?

  • Roberta Roberta on Aug 27, 2022

    Could you possibly use a double picture frame if it is big enough for the top of the 'greenhouse'? Just trying to save a bit of time. Plus, I am an impatient person.... LOL 😆!✌️🌈💜🌻😊

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