every once in a while I finally stop living on PInterest and make a project IRL (that's what the kids are saying nowadays, right?). After reading a few tutorials online and living vicariously through some people more willing to get their hands dirty, I decided to get up and ... send my boyfriend to Home Depot. It was hard work.

Anyway, you don't want to hear more about how lazy I am, you're here to learn how to make concrete planters - so I'll tell you. You follow this tutorial by Better Homes and Gardens. So go browse that and then come back.

Ok, see, it's not hard at all. It's squishing two buckets with some concrete and then waiting. There's an infinite amount of possibilities, especially if you have a backyard where you can pluck weeds and make them look like you baig the big bucks for them. If you don't have weeds that are this pretty, search around for some airplants (they're always on the floor and I'm sure would look great in here) or spring for a three dollar basil plant at Publix.

As for the containers that you use to make the mold, we scooped some plastic containers at Home Depot and went to Goodwill and found some sand buckets that worked just great. The trick to the molds is oiling them really, really well with some vegetable oil. No big deal, just wipe it around with a sponge or paper towel on the inside of the outside bowl and the outside of the inside bowl.

If you buy quick dry concrete like we did, it should only take about an hour or so to dry. Don't touch it while it's drying! It gets hot as Miami in July and will burn the eff out of your fingers (learned the hard way).

We were so into this project and the instant gratification that I got crazy and made a whole bunch of little concrete votives in different sizes for tealight candles. I thought that for a backyard summer party they would look super nice on a big picnic table full of food. I used plastic cups as the outside mold for those and the tealight candles on the inside. It was a little more experimental and hard to get out, but in the end, I jimmied them out with a knife or something and they look super nice.

Next up - giant concrete planters. They'll weigh a ton, even these tiny ones weight quite a bit for their size, but I love the eco-modernist look that they have and they cost practically nothing! Now, get up and go to Home Depot and try this and then send us the pictures @miaminicemag.

diy concrete planters: these are so solid