Let's dive into this DIY before we get to some more super interesting things about carton recycling.

MAKE AN UPCYCLED CARTON PLANTER

I definitely recommend watching the video above for details because its way easier to understand if you watch my show you vs tell you — AND there are some other hidden gems you HAVE to see *cough* lizard story *cough*— but here are the written instructions too:

DIY Carton Terrazzo Planter

Active Time: 35 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

Make an upcycled carton planter with polymer clay

Materials

Empty Milk / Juice Carton
Polymer Clay —White for base
Polymer Clay —Mix of colors for stone texture
Faux plants / floral picks —You can also use real plants
Floral Foam or soil if you're using real plants

Tools

Clay Roller OR Rolling pin — one not used for food
Box Knife
Scissors
Knife to cut clay
Oven
Pan / Cookie Sheet for baking clay

Instructions

01. MEASURE & CUT YOUR CARTON — Cut the top of your carton off all the way around — making sure it stays even on the cut edge. Recycle the top of your carton!! Set aside.

02. ROLL OUT THE WHITE CLAY — Roll it out into a long strip that is wide enough to cover the sides of your carton and long enough so that it can wrap all the way around your carton, with an additional square to go on the bottom — and about 1/4" thick.

03. CUT COLORED CLAY PIECES & CREATE TERRAZZO PATTERN —Cut little pieces of colored clay. Press these into the white clay, varying colors shapes & patterns. Roll over the entire surface to get these chunks flat and even into the white base.

04. WRAP IT UP — wrap the clay around all four sides, trimming the excess and attaching the edges. Leave a little room at the top to fold your clay over and into the carton for smooth edges. Trim and attach your bottom square.

05. BAKE IT — Preheat the oven and bake according to the temperature on the package. Optional — over with foil to prevent discoloration. Let cool.

06. ADD PLANT & STYLE — Add floral foam or a layer of gravel into the bottom of your planter. Add & arrange plant(s). You can also add a layer of rocks on the top if your plants don't cover the foam.

Notes

You can't really over bake clay, but you can under-bake so its better to err on the side of too long vs to short.
You can also re-bake it, so if you don't go long enough you can put it back in for longer.
If your clay is browning, your temp is too hot.

Measure and cut the carton

Decide how tall you want your planter to be, and measure up from the bottom.

Cut the top of your carton off where you measured — all the way around — making sure it stays even on the cut edge. Recycle the top of your carton!!

You can rinse this part out if you haven't, pat it dry with a towel, and then set it aside. You want it to be totally dry before you wrap the clay around it.

Roll out your white clay

Start rolling out your clay. You want it to be about 1/4" thick (thicker will take longer to bake).

Roll it out into a long strip that is wide enough to cover the sides of your carton — with extra so you can fold it inside to create clean edges — and long enough so that it can wrap all the way around all 4 sides of your carton, with an additional square to go on the bottom.

As you add a new piece to the strip, use your fingers to smooth the crack where the two pieces attach for a seamless look.

Cut colored clay pieces + create a terrazzo pattern

Cut little chunks off the block of your colored clay — sticking with geometric shapes.

Press these into your white base clay, varying colors shapes & patterns.

Once these are pressed in, roll over the entire surface to get these chunks flat and even into the white base.

Wrap it up

Starting on the side of your carton, wrap the clay around all four sides, trimming the excess and attaching both edges so that everything is fully covered.

Leave a little room at the top so that you can fold your clay over and into the carton to create smooth and polished edges.

Trim and attach your bottom square.

Work your way around the piece, smoothing it out with your hands and making sure to fix any wrinkles or tears.

Bake it

Preheat the oven according to the temperature on the package — mine was 300°. It's important not to exceed this temp since it can cause your clay to burn and turn darker, especially white clay.

You package will also note a bake time — usually referenced in terms of # of minutes per 1/4 inch thickness. My package said 10-30 min, but I baked mine for 50.

You can't really over bake clay, but you can under-bake so its better to err on the side of too long vs to short. You can also re-bake it, so if you don't go long enough you can put it back in for longer.

*If your clay is browning, your temp is too hot. You can also put a piece of foil over your pieces while backing to ensure they dont darken.

When your clay is done, it will bend but not break when you try to bend it. Hot clay will still break so let it cool before testing it.

Style it

Add your floral foam or a layer of gravel into the bottom of your planter.

Arrange and add in your plants.

You can also add a layer of rocks on the top to cover up your floral foam if your plants dont cover the foam.

Display & enjoy!

How do you recycle your cartons?

01. Empty out the carton

02. Put it in the recycling bin

03. Take it to the curb

While 63% of households across the country have access to carton recycling, you'll want to make sure carton recycling is available in your area. You can check using this locator from Carton Council.

When recycling, you can leave the caps on and push straws in — these items won't get recycled by themselves because they're too small, but can if you leave them with the carton.

No need to rinse — just empty the food / beverage out.

Don't crush your cartons — it's actually easier for the recycling robot (more on him next) to pick them out if you leave them uncrushed.

cara newhart

I'm Cara, the designer & diy queen behind Never Skip Brunch. I'm a color & prints obsessed DIY queen who's here to help you create a beautifully lived-in life through home design advice and chic DIY tutorials

diy terrazo planter from a carton + recycle your cartons!

Did you know you should be recycling your cartons?

MAKE AN UPCYCLED CARTON PLANTER