How to Recycle and Repurpose Floral Holders

I'm thinking that it maybe came from the film set of the cartoon Smurfs? Lol! It's a hollow, ceramic log shape in perfect condition except for the obvious....color!

First things first...change the color! Since it was great weather for spray painting outdoors one late Fall day I decided to get on with the challenge.

Now it's looking a little more realistic, I sprayed it with several light coats of the tan spray seen above. It dries pretty quick with warmer temperatures.

I also keep and recycle plastic flowerpots from nurseries as well so the color and diameter were a perfect match and fit but the height was too tall. Have you predicted where I'm headed with this ceramic log yet?

I simply trimmed the top rim off the flowerpot and I couldn't of asked for a better custom fit for the irregular opening.

Plants need drainage so in this case I used tiny pebble and seashell fragments collected from the seashore. Because they were collected by saltwater I rinsed the fragments thoroughly first because salt can be deadly for plants!

So here's where I plead for your pity and understanding...it's November, I don't live near any major centers to allow me to purchase beautiful succulents or cacti. Therefore I simply went outside and collected some very badly, neglected sedum from my backyard and carefully buried their legs into some potting soil.

Dont worry, the flower momma will nurse these little sprouts into a beautiful, rich mat of sedum for inside my home.

A little plant food, sunshine and warmth will bring these shoots back to normal! Speaking of normal, doesn't a brown log look a little more normal?

You may be saying this is all fine if you have a green thumb! I've prepared for that roadblock...the alternative is to use artificial cactus plants! I've seen some pretty realistic ones at the dollar store that you'd never need to water, trim or fuss over !

Update: After I shared this project I thought it looked a little drab so I remembered my Artistro Paint Markers, I chose to add dimension to the log! So the recessed areas would be the shaded parts and for that I chose darker colors like the dark brown and black. Once I colored in an area I smudged it off with a paper towel so as to mute out any sharp lines.

I went just the opposite for raised areas of the log, lighter browns and a creamy beige. Remember to blot off most of the ink or smudge it to soften the highlights.

There, its now finished and I can say that the challenge was accepted and now it's conquered! I took something most would view as useless, outdated and ugly and it became useful, current and pretty!