DIY Home Decor: Hanging Succulent Planter

I am so excited because I'm joining some amazing ladies for a monthly challenge called "The Home Depot Gift Challenge." Each month a member chooses an item from Home Depot and we have to create a project with it. Also each month our project is a gift. This month's gift is for ourselves! :) We do have a gift for you so when you are finished head on down to the bottom and sign up for our giveaway!
I love the "idea" of plants in my home because any time I've had plants they...die. :( I thought a good starting point would be to start with succulents. They don't need to be watered that often. :) This month's item was a house repair clamp so I wanted to make a succulent planter using the hose clamps.
I started by staining piece of wood I had cut to the size I needed at the store. I used Rust-Oleum Wood Stain in Weathered Gray. I love this color and it goes great with my gray walls! You start by applying a coat of stain and only about 2 minutes later you rub the excess stain off with a cloth, I used a paper towel.

After the stain was dry I laid out the the pots and succulents on top of the wood to put them in the right place. I then marked the wood where I wanted each pot to be placed. (By the way, the pots and succulents were both purchased at IKEA.)

hanging succulent planter, container gardening, diy, flowers, gardening, succulents, woodworking projects

This project took a little trial and error. My original plan was to screw the hose clamps into the wood so we started by drilling holes into the wood with drill bits.

Then my husband tried drilling holes into the hose clamps and it was not budging! These thin metal clamps are tough cookies!
Thankfully our neighbor was hanging outside with us, while our kids played and suggested trying out her jewelry metal punch! I had no idea this little tool existed and it worked like a charm! I couldn't believe it! You just put the metal punch in place and screw it until it punches through the metal! I was dumbfounded!