Why should you throw away your old china? Upcycling old porcelain is a wonderful way to create something beautiful and colorful. We give you some simple ideas for the garden in this post!
Make your own teacup bird feeder from old porcelain
Make your own teacup bird feeder in just a few steps! All you need is a tea cup, a saucer, glue and string for hanging!
Here's what you need to make your own teacup bird feeder:
- an old tea cup and saucer
- Hot glue or ceramic glue
- cord
- Bird seed
- a hanger for a bird feeder
How to make the cute garden craft from old porcelain:
- First, glue the teacup onto the saucer. Apply a line of glue to the teacup from the rim to the bottom, just opposite the handle. Then hold the teacup by the handle and press it into the saucer. Make sure the cup is in the back half of the saucer so that the bird seed can “slosh out” in front of the cup. Both the craft glue and the clear silicone glue need to be nice and thick. Glue usually takes an hour or two to dry completely.
- Simply tie a piece of string around the handle and hang it from a tree or bird feeder hook. First, cut three long pieces of string, about half a meter long. Tie all three strands together at one end, then glue the knot to the bottom of the saucer, right in the middle. Make sure to pull the three strands apart a little before gluing the knot.
- Then pull all three strands toward the sides of the saucer, making sure they are as evenly distributed as possible. Glue these strands to the saucer near the edge. If you wish, you can use a dot of hot glue to temporarily attach the string to the saucer and hold it in place while the glue dries. The hot glue will hold the string in place pretty tightly, but you can also use ceramic glue.
- Once the glue has dried on the saucer, take the three strands of string and place them together over the teacup to support the weight of the cup and saucer. Align the three strands so that the saucer hangs perfectly horizontal, then tie the three strands together in a knot above the teacup.
- Hang your teacup bird feeder outside now! Hang it from a tree or bird feeder hook and add more string if you want it to hang lower. Once the teacup is hanging, add some bird seed, then sit back and enjoy the birds!
Upcycling old porcelain: turning an old teapot into a flower pot in the garden
What you need:
- In the teapot
- Flowers of your choice, compost and gravel or small stones for drainage.
- A drill, safety glasses and gloves.
How to make your own porcelain flower pot:
- Prepare your area. Make sure you are in a well-lit room because drilling requires caution.
- Drill drainage holes in the bottom of the tea kettle. You will need to drill small holes for water to drain out. Before we drill, we need to mark a hole where we need to drill.
Note: Most hardware stores have a drill specifically designed for drilling holes in ceramic or tile.
- For drainage you will then need to add some gravel to the bottom of your teacups. Once the bottom of the cup is no longer visible, cover the gravel with compost.
- Now it's time to plant the flowers, and this is when things get really messy! Remove them from the container and pull out the roots. Plant the flowers in the teapot. Choose flowers that can be matched to the colors of the teapot.
- Add more compost to ensure the teapot is full. The narrow opening at the top can make it difficult to get the plant in and even more difficult to then fill it with soil. But with a little effort everything will be done right. So simpleyou can upcycle old porcelain.
Making artificial garden flowers from old porcelain plates
Porcelain plates can be so pretty, even if they are old. Why throw it away instead of making a colorful craft in the garden? Colorful flowers made from old porcelain plates – try this exciting DIY idea for the garden!
What you need:
- At least 3 old porcelain plates: dinner plate, salad plate (or bowl), a centerpiece
- 1 tube of silicone sealant, clear, for outdoor use
- drill
- cloth rag
- galvanized piping for the post
Methods for making artificial porcelain flowers in the garden:
STEP 1: Drill.
First, drill the largest panel. Porcelain plates are quite easy to drill and rarely break. Drilling takes some practice, but you can do it! Much easier than glass which can be very delicate.
Instructions for drilling a plate:
For this phase of the process you will need:
- Cordless drill
- round diamond drill
- Pack of 2 machine screws
ONLY drill the large dinner plate. You can glue on the other parts of your artificial garden flower. Use hot glue or ceramic glue that will fix them perfectly. It would be safe if you drill your plate under cold water. The friction against the plate creates a lot of heat, and the cold water cools the drill bit and prevents the plate from breaking. Use an old tea towel or cloth rag to protect your sink.
IMPORTANT! Turn the plate upside down so you can see the back of the plate. In this concave position, the surface of the plate rests above the bottom of the sink, creating a gap in between. You will notice immediately when you have drilled through the plate without damaging the sink. If you still have concerns, drill into a different container.
Start with the drill at a 45 degree angle. Hold the side of the drill against the board. Drill a crescent-shaped depression. This will act as an anchor to hold the round tip in place while drilling the hole.
STEP 2: Glue.
Now you can glue the panels together. Press them lightly so that they fit snugly and air bubbles escape. Apply a layer of glue around the edge at the bottom of the salad plate. Wait a bit before adding the final centerpiece. Allow the finished flower head to fully cure for 3 days before attaching it to the post and displaying it in your garden.
STEP 3: Attach the porcelain flower
Now attach your artwork to the post. A galvanized installation pipe can be well suited for the post. Use a simple hacksaw to cut the post to the desired length, keeping in mind that approximately 30cm will go into the ground. Drill a hole through the post using a regular drill bit. You can hold the flower head against the post to mark the location of the drill hole.
IMPORTANT: Use a file to file off the sharp barbs at the exit hole.
Attach the flower head to the post and tighten the nut tightly, but not too tight or the pressure will cause the plate to break. Only tighten enough to prevent the plate from rotating on the post. Now you have created a colorful beauty in the garden!
A work of art made from old porcelain in the garden
And how about a real colorful work of art on the side of your garden shed or on an outdoor wall? All you need are porcelain plates of different sizes and colors for the artificial flowers, garden hoses for the stems, and hot glue or ceramic glue! It's that easy to make your own garden craft!
- Arrange themPorcelain plates as desiredand stick them one by one to create a meadow of flowers. Apply enough glue and hold each plate for a few minutes until you are sure the glue has dried and the plates are stable.
- Then cut the garden hoses to the length you want to make the stems. Then glue the stems under each flower
