Hanging Air Plants – Upcycled Thrift Find

With these DIY hanging air plants, you can hang them anywhere you have metal! Incredibly, with just 4 simple items, this easy air plant holder takes under five minutes to make.

IBC – Hang her Up Challenge

It’s time for another International Bloggers Club (IBC) challenge and this month our theme is Hang Her Up.

The IBC is a group from all over the world who challenge each other every month to make something using a common theme. You’ll find our friends’ hang her up ideas at the very bottom of the post. So don’t forget to check them out before you go. And if you don’t have time to browse today, pop back in later in the week to pick up where you left off.

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How to Hang Air Plants

It all starts with thrifted place card holders. You may even have some of these left over from a wedding!

Thrifted place card holder on table

Grab a cork back ruler and slot the place card holders onto the ruler at even intervals.

Attached place card holders onto metal ruler for hanging air plants display

Then place heavy earth magnets onto the back of the ruler along the length.

Magnets on back of ruler for hanging air plants display

Now we’re ready to pop the air plants* into the upside down place card holders!

Watch This Quick Video!

Watch this quick video to see the many places you can hang this, or continue reading below!

How to Display Air Plants

The possibilities are endless for how to display these hanging air plants. You can hang them anywhere you have metal that the magnets can stick to. Or, you can always add metal to a non-metallic spot you want to display air plants.  I specifically made this to display air plants on the filing cabinet in our home office.

Hanging air plants display on front of filing cabinet

Or pop them onto the front of a metal shelf. Here they are in Hubs workshop where he saves vintage sewing machines from the scrappers! Don’t they look lovely against his refurbished Singer sewing case?

hanging air plants displayed on edge of metal shelf in front of wooden Singer sewing machine case

However, they also look wonderful hanging above this crochet wall hanging pattern.

hanging air plants displayed on metal door with woven artwork hanging underneath

I love the hard industrial look with the texture of the ‘mock-rame’!

If you have a metallic display stand, you can even attach the hanging air plants as you see below! I borrowed this stand from the DIY Jewelry Display we did last year. I can repurpose it because I can now hang my jewelry on this pallet shelves DIY we did for the last IBC challenge!

7 hanging air plants displayed on a black metal stand with ruler attached across the top.

What Else can You put Hanging Air Plants on?

How about in the laundry room on the washer or dryer? Best to put this on a front loader. But the air plants would probably love the additional moisture!

4 air plants displayed on front of white washing machine

Once Spring is here, the best place to display our hanging air plants might just be on the fireplace surround! Our family room is South facing and they’ll get a lot of light there.

5 air plant on front of metal fireplace surround

Another good place for them would be on the fridge. But I’d have to clean off the finger prints to get a decent picture. So you’ll just have to use your imagination for now 😉.

If you’re not a fan of the original chrome metal, we have another version of this project you might like! We’ll have a post and video on how to do that later this week, so check back (see air plant magnet). And by the way, we cleaned the fridge to show you that!

Pin Hanging Air Plants

Pinnable image for hanging air plants

Want more planter ideas? Check out these amazing upcycled planters!

IBC Hang Her Up Challenge

Don’t forget to visit these awesome ‘Hang Her Up‘ projects from our creative friends for more unique ideas!

  1. Unique Creations by Anita – 3D Wooden Wall Art
  2. Tea and Forget me Nots – How to Decorate a Wall Clock with Decoupate Rice Paper
  3. The Fifth Sparrow No More – Repurpose a Wooden Hanger to Create a Unique Box
  4. Birdz of a Feather – Hanging Air Plants (that’s us)
  5. A Crafty Mix – Concrete Cross Sand Mod

Collage for International Bloggers Club Hang Her Up Challenge

* [If you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered (disclosure): Clicking on the affiliate links in this post means we may receive a commission. But don’t worry, you don’t pay a cent more and it helps us make more unique crafts to share with you! Thanks for helping to support our blog!]

16 thoughts on “Hanging Air Plants – Upcycled Thrift Find

  1. Now this is my kind of repurposing; quick, easy, functional and so darn clever. It’s like a mobile air plant holder that can go anywhere and so useful when the seasons change and the light moves around. Brilliant idea, Sara.

    • Thanks Michelle; I wish they were all this easy lol!

  2. You have so many ideas! It’s really useful as I tend to get stuck on one and done. Thanks for the suggestions.

    • I wouldn’t go so far as to leave it on our particular washing machine since it isn’t a front loader, but it was fun to move it around. I’ll have another version for our fridge later this week :).

    • Thanks so much Anita; I feel the same way about your steampunk and wood decor projects!

  3. What a super fun idea! I love the mix of the hard metal against the soft greenery of the plant, too…lovely.

    • That’s exactly what I love about it too. We’re not into modern per se, but do enjoy an eclectic mix of decor!

  4. Well dang, now I’m regretting donating all the place card holders from our daughter’s wedding. What clever idea for an air plant hanger!

    • Thanks so much Marie! Perhaps you’ll find some thrifting too. I may have to give these up when my neices and nephews get married lol!

  5. Pretty genius there Sara… I’ve always been intrigued by air plants because I am assuming they don’t die easily, right?! But you may have intrigued me enough to give a few a try! I want them EVERYWHERE like you’ve done!

    • I think you will love them Donna! Once you have a few, you will be hooked! You have to give them a good soak once a week but they are very easy to care for. They just need indirect bright light.

  6. How inventive! The soft plants against the hard metal is quite unique. Thank you for sharing with Whimsy Home Wednesday!

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