Here’s How to Make a Disco Ball Planter
Glitter balls or disco balls first made their appearance in the roaring twenties. These balls were hung from the ceiling in clubs and served to redirect light in various directions. This redirection of light added to the excitement of the nightclub environment. In reality, a disco ball is nothing more than a spherical shape with mirror squares attached. While the standard is mirrors, any material that is shiny and reflects light can be used, such as Swarovski crystals. In the end, their effect on the environment of the room they’re depends on the type and color of light they’re reflecting.
How to Make Your Very Own Glitter Ball Planter
Whether you’ve an old disco ball sitting in the attic somewhere, or you simply want to purchase one to add some life to your room, making a disco planter is probably one of the easiest crafts you can make. As such, we’ve classified this as a project for beginners.
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
Gather your materials before you begin. Items you’ll need are as follows:
- Utility knife
- Hot glue gun
- Pencil (optional)
- Chains, 3 hoop rings or 3 carabiners and ceiling hook for a hanging planter
- Stand for a tabletop planter
- Work Gloves
- Soil (optional)
- Pot (optional)
- Drainage rocks (optional)
Step 2: Protect Yourself
You’ll be working with mirror pieces and a utility knife. Therefore, it’s absolutely necessary to invest in protective gear. For your hands, you’ll need a pair of cut resistant work gloves that allow for some dexterity. To protect your eyes from any contact with glass particles, get a pair of protection goggles. When obtaining gloves, just don’t go to your family work bench. Even though some work gloves look tough, it doesn’t mean they are cut resistant. If you are unsure, buy a new pair.
Step 3: Ready Your Work Area
Ready your work area. You’ll need a flat surface. Cover the surface with newspaper. Next, find a bowl that is just the right size to place your disco ball in. This bowl will be your support as you remove some of the mirrors and make your cut. Place the disco ball in the bowl, and test to ensure it’s sturdy enough to keep the ball stable as you work on it.
Step 4: Remove Some Mirror Tiles
Put your cut-resistant gloves and protective goggles on. Take your disco ball and place it in the bowl for support. Begin to remove the top mirrors. Keep removing the mirrors until you get the diameter you want. In other words, you may want to remove all the mirrors from the top 1/3 of the ball, or maybe the 1/2 of the ball. This is up to you. If you are uncomfortable with removing the mirrors by hand, you can use tweezers.
Step 5: Cut the Ball to the Desired Size
With your gloves and goggles on, grab your utility knife and begin to cut the ball, removing the Styrofoam top, leaving only the bottom mirrored section. Important: Remember when using a sharp cutting tool, to cut away from your body. Depending on the ball you have, it will be hollow or solid. If solid you’ll have to take some time to hollow out the inside so you can have room for your pot with the drainage rocks and potting soil. However, you can leave the disco ball solid if you plan on making a floral design using fake plants. If you intend to use this for living plants, you must insert a pot into the ball, or the ball will leak when you water your plant. Disco ball tiles are laid in a spiral fashion. This means that when you remove the top the edge will be uneven. You can deal with this by taking unused mirror tiles and making a border round the top using your glue gun or simply leave it as it is as the plant will probably cover it.
Step 6: Hanging Your Disco Ball Planter
You have 2 choices: Hang your planter from the ceiling or place it on a desk or table. If you need to place it on a table top surface, you’ll need to find a support that will do this for you. Supports can include a small, decorative bowl or a pillar candle holder. If you have mirror tiles left over, you can take a round Styrofoam floral block or wreath and hot glue the mirror tiles to the surface. When done, hot glue your disco ball planter to the platform. If you intend on hanging your plant, it’s imperative that you select a load-bearing ceiling hook which can support the full weight of your disco ball, drainage rocks, pot and potting soil. To hang your disco ball planter, make 3 small holes in the planter. Take 3 jump rings or 3 carabiners and place them in each hole. Whether you choose jump rings or carabiners is up to you. However, you may find carabiners easier to use. Attach the chain to each jump ring or carabiner. If chains are not available, you can use macrame rope instead. Again, remember the ceiling hook you placed in the ceiling must be able to handle the weight of the planter, rocks, pot and soil.
What if I Don’t Have A Disco Ball?
If you desire the disco ball effect, but don’t have a disco ball, know that you can make a disco ball planter completely from scratch using a standard planter. As you can see from the video, she’s taking pre-packaged mirror tiles and gluing them to the planter of her choice. The process is slow, but it’s the best way to go if you don’t have a disco ball.
Final Thoughts
Making your very own, glittering disco ball planter can be a fun way for you and yours to spend an afternoon. As disco balls come in various sizes, you can use them not only as planters, but for Christmas tree decorations, in your garden, or as home accents. Taking a disco ball and placing it on a rotating platform can help create a unique atmosphere for sleeping, parties and even weddings. If you’re addicted to bling and have a creative mind, then let those juices flow and see what you can come up with.
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