A website I regularly post to had a competition, and the theme was to make anything out of PVC Pipe.

This was my entry which won runner up.  This project was also inspired in part by my Great Niece who visits me on a regular basis.  On one of her visits, we planted some plants. And on every visit, she would want to water them.  She was a bit rough with some of my plants so I made these planters that were hers alone to look after.  So she was able to tell which were her plants I added her photo which turned out super cute.

How to make PVC Pipe Photo Planters

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Material Needed

• PVC Pipe
• Hand saw
• printer
• temporary tattoo paper
• Nail polish remove/Acetone
• Clear acrylic spray/ Mod podge

Cutting the PVC Pipe

The supplies for this project were leftovers collected from a construction site, I am very lucky to have a builder for a Son who can get all the leftovers when a job is completed. 

The only downside is the materials are never in great condition. I measured out the size that I wanted my planters to be which was 150 mm and 100 mm high and used a hand saw to cut the pipe.  The top of the pipes was left really rough, but a rub over with some sandpaper worked perfectly. 

Clean up the PVC pipes

Next, I washed the pipe with soap and water which removed most of the dirt.  Scrubbing did not remove all the numbers and the barcodes that were on the pipe.  I did not want to use sandpaper on them because the surface would then be scuffed up and would pick up dirt.  To remove all the black text you can use nail polish remover or acetone, they both work great. 

To attach the end caps I used superglue.   I did have a few people tell me that superglue was not waterproof but my planters have never leaked.  It is possible that the caps seal the pipe. If your planters leak you can add some silicone sealer around the base.

Transferring your images

I found the pictures that I wanted to use and used a free online programme called Lunapic to edit them. The images needed to be mirrored and altered to be black and white.  To transfer the images to the PVC pipe I used temporary tattoo paper.  This is one of the easiest and quickest image transfer methods I have ever used. The image is transferred in seconds no rubbing or waiting 8 hours for products to dry.

Print images onto temporary tattoo paper

The Temporary Tattoo Transfer Paper comes in two parts, the paper you print on and the carrier film that you use to transfer the image.  The paper is loaded into an inkjet printer face down like normal paper and you print as normal.  When printing is complete you do need to wait for a few minutes for the ink to dry.  Once the ink is dry you add the clear film on top of the printed image. Start at the top and smooth out any bubbles with a credit card.

Next, cut the images to the size that you wanted so you could have an accurate view of what it would look like.  Then removed the clear film and placed the image face down on the PVC Pipe.

Transferring you images

You can then use your fingers to smooth the image down to make sure there are no air bubbles. Next use a damp cloth, do not soak it.  Hold the damp cloth on the backing paper for a few seconds I am guessing about 15.  Depending on your image you can see it through the backing paper, which you can then just peel off.

Peel the backing paper off slowly so you do not lift the image with the backing paper.  I did have some very fine creases in mine I am thinking it was the way I pulled off the backing paper.  But I was able to gently straighten out then film even though the instructions say you cant. To seal and protect t the image, you can add a layer of mod podge to or add 2 coats of clear acrylic spray. 

Add your plants

To finish off my planters I added some pebbles into the bottom of the pipes for drainage because succulents do not like to much water.  You need to add a suitable soil for succulents, then add your succulents.  

I had to do an update on this post so I thought I would update the image (6 months later) so you could see they are still going well.

I have since discovered an even simpler image transfer method, no waiting and no rubbing and perfect images every time.  The image below is 12 months along.

More projects

If you are looking for more gift ideas check out these Unicorn spit glass vases.  No skill needed.

Or this really cool steampunk lamp made from galvanised pipes and given a mixed media makeover.

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