Lamp Into Planter - A DIY Reuse Conversion

OK, we’ve heard lots of stories of everything under the sun being made into a lamp. I’ve got a wagon wheel lamp I made myself here in my office. We’ve also seen everything from boats to bathtubs turned into planters. But here’s a way to turn an old lamp into a planter, and a hanging one at that.

It started when I replaced a couple of fried ceiling light fixtures with new compact fluorescent ones. The new lamp uses a fifth of the energy and will last years longer. But what to do with the fixture I’m replacing?

Bad lamp! No biscuit!

Well, the metal parts I took to my local transfer station for recycling. But the plastic and glass domes are not recyclable, yet I didn’t want to just throw them out. Eureka! I saw a way to reuse them both as two different kinds of hanging planters. One will be outfitted with rings and chains (for the Gothic, heavy metal folks) and the other we’re going to hang in an old macramé sling (for the “peace, love and macramé” generation).

Let’s do the chain one first. We’re going to use the plastic dome for this, because we can drill holes in it easily. We bought some decorative chain at the hardware store, 6 feet of it, that we’re going to divide into 3 two foot lengths. You could reuse any small chain you have laying around the house or attached to your piercings.

Then we measure around the lip of the dome, and drill holes spaced evenly at 3 intervals.

With needle nose pliers, open a link of the chain and slip it into the hole and close it back up again. Repeat with the other two chains and holes.

Then take the ends of the three chains and link them together with a split ring, keychain ring, or this nifty carabineer hook thingy I saw at the hardware store.

You can put some pebbles or packing peanuts on the bottom for a little drainage. Add a plant-one that doesn’t mind wet feet is best.

Hang in your favorite window, or even outdoors (Not recommended for New England in winter). Repeat until you run out of domes, chains or plants.

The second one is even simpler. Take or make a macramé plant hanger - try yard or garage sales for these ‘60s and ‘70’s refugees - and simple fit the dome inside it. Find a suitable spot, toke up a doobie, and hang! The more doobies you toke up, the better it looks.

Go get some jelly donuts, sit back and enjoy.

There you have it. You reused the domes and maybe an old bit of chain, rope or macramé, added a little CO2 sucking, oxygen spewing machine to your living space, and made the place look a little better too. Don’t use it as an ashtray. Put the spent doobie stub in the compost. Or pass it over here, man. And one of those donuts.

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