Dutch Wooden Clogs as Upcycled Planters

Dutch Wooden Clogs as Upcycled Planters

I’ve had a quiet fascination with all things Dutch for most of my life. Between the tulips and the windmills and summering near Holland, Michigan, I suppose it couldn’t be avoided. I also had my own pair of Dutch wooden clogs, and while I no longer have them, I still wanted to turn some into upcycled planters for our front porch.

Yes, this is me as a Dutch girl for Halloween with my personalized Dutch wooden shoes. Incidentally, these came in quite handy for St. Nicholas’ Day, too!

Sarah Ramberg in a Dutch costume

I had previously seen this idea that had repurposed some Dutch wooden shoes as craft room organizers. I just had to give my idea of converting them into unique planters a go!

Since I no longer had my “Sarah” shoes anymore, I acquired a couple of vintage Dutch shoes. These are the smaller (6″ long, or so) souvenir versions, rather than wearable versions.

Dutch wooden clogs

With the changing of seasons on my mind, I was ready to try out my plan to turn them into upcycled planters. And I suspected that it would be INCREDIBLY easy to do.

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Upcycling the Dutch Wooden Clogs

First, as I mentioned before, I needed some vintage wooden clogs since my childhood ones were long gone. So, I went on Etsy and snagged a couple.

The shoes were perfect as-is and there was no need to significantly alter them at all for this project. The only thing I really needed to do to them was add some drainage holes. 

First, I used my power drill and a small bit to do so to drill holes up through the bottom of the toe into the opening of the shoe. I was careful to not drill through the opening into the top of the shoe, however.

Drilling holes in Dutch wooden shoes

Since I had decided to incorporate my Dutch wooden shoes into front porch decor, I needed to prop them up on something. Thankfully, each vintage wooden shoe had a hanger nailed into each heel, which saved me a step!

So all I needed was some scrap wood to hang them on. AND we just happened to have plenty of after Mr. Seasongoods replaced our the ramp for our garden shed last year.

Next, I placed the wooden clogs on the board to determine where I wanted them to hang. Then, I tapped a couple of nails into the board.

Hanging porch planters from wooden clogs

Chippy and summer sky blue- I mean, it’s perfect!

Lastly, I headed to a local urban gardening shop for some dainty plants. Once I had them, I repotted them into each of my Dutch wooden clogs, using basic potting soil to fill in the toe.

Upcycling the Dutch wooden clogs

I added a couple of other pieces to my Spring vignette and my front porch decor was done! 

Dutch wooden shoes as upcycled planters

Dutch Wooden Clogs as Upcycled Planters

Dutch wooden clogs truly do transform into seriously adorable upcycled planters. And they take little to no work to transform them.

Upcycling shoes as hanging porch planters

I love the cheerfully bright colors, too. Normally, front porch decor for Spring focuses more on the pastel colors of flower blossoms, so this is a nice aberration from the norm.

And here’s a little watering tip for any dainty plants you may have! I’m a biologist in real life and worked in a water quality lab for several years. And these little plastic pipettes are incredibly handy around the house- and now I use them to water my tiny plants! They hold just a wee bit of water, and you can “inject” the soil instead of simply watering from the top!

If you enjoyed this upcycling idea for Dutch wooden clogs as hanging porch planters, then you may also enjoy this idea for a DIY mosaic stepping stone. The best part, however, is the secret UNDERNEATH the stepping stone!

DIY mosaic stepping stone with key hider

Craft on!

S

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Upcycled planters from Dutch wooden clogs

Upcycled planters for the front porch

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. Peggy Gooch says

    Really a neat idea. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Denise at Knothead's Landing says

    Oh, I could just kick myself! I passed up a pair of wooden shoes at a flea market last weekend! Argh!

  3. chris aka monkey says

    sarah serious awesome sauce here love it xx

  4. GREAT idea! I have a pair “floating” around somewhere in this house! I think I’ll find them & try this!
    Thx for sharing! 😉

  5. What a cute idea! I’m a Michigan girl too! I remember that song “Tulips are blooming in Holland…Michigan”… 🙂

  6. That is such a cute idea! Here’s my tips for succulents – lotta sun (5 hours or more) and very little water (like once every two weeks. if not less than that. Think cactus when you water….

  7. Cute idea! I have not seen any wooden shoes in YEARS!

  8. Oh gawd, we have some uber big wooden shoes we brought back from Holland. Such a great idea!!! LUV IT!!!!!

  9. This is so cute!!

  10. ohhh also Sarah, what a huge surprise to see my blog featured at TALK OF THE TOWN today!!!! WOWSER’s!!! Thanks so much for the honor girls! Christine from Little Brags

  11. What a clever use of wooden shoes, I think I have seen them with succulents as well.
    Thanks for sharing on the #OMHGWW this week!
    Hope you have a great week!

  12. Wow, that is cute and so creative! I love it!

  13. Adorable, love your little planters, made me smile!

  14. We live in Saginaw and when I was in junior high (a hundred years ago!) we took a field trip to Holland every spring. It was magical!

  15. Love what you did with the shoes, I am from The Netherlands, so naturally everything Dutch touches my heart. Found your blog through Creative Spark.

  16. Super cute and ingenious use of a wooden shoe! Very spring-like. Visiting from Creative Ways party.

  17. Great upcycle! I’ll have to keep a lookout for some wooden shoes to try this. We live in an apartment so vertical gardening is key. This fits that theme perfectly.

    I would love it if you would share this with everyone on my weekly link party : )
    http://www.twentysomethinginthe2010s.com/peace-love-link-up-001/

  18. This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing at Creative Ways Link Party.

  19. handmade by amalia says

    A wonderful idea. It is so unique.
    Amalia
    xo

  20. Beautiful, 🙂

  21. Sarah, this idea is so cute! I seriously have a pair of wooden shoes that I bought in Amsterdam back in the day! They are sitting on a shelf in my craft room collecting dust. I have never thought outside the box when it comes to using them functionally. Thank you for the inspiration! I must ask…does your brain ever get fried? You are full of endless possibilities!!!!!!

  22. Love it – pinned it! 🙂

  23. I’m kicking myself because I just passed up a pair of wooden shoes at Goodwill. I just love this idea. Thank you for sharing at Vintage Charm. Tweeted and pinned.

  24. At my favorite place for all things beautiful (Southern Exposure, the subject of my TOTOH post this week!) they do fun things with wooden shoes and I almost bought some at the gift shop this week except — well, I’d bought rather a lot of other things (and besides, I’m going back!) After seeing this I will make certain the wooden shoes are in my cart! It’s just lovely and looks so very perfect here!

  25. What a clever idea Sarah! We used to have a pair of those clogs in our garden house on the wall, when I was a kid! I wish I had them now, cause I’d totally copy your idea, it’s so lovely! Thanks so much for sharing this at Sweet Inspiration #1!

  26. This is such a cute craft Sarah! I may have to dig out my shoes from Holland. Your post is such a happy addition to Thoughts of Home on Thursday. Thank you SO much for sharing the joy.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

  27. Pondside says

    These are adorable. I happen to have 5 pairs of wooden shoes. ‘Why?’ you ask. Well, I have the pair my parents bought for me when I was 7 years old and visited the Netherlands – and then when my husband and I took our children there in the 90s we bought a pair each. They languish on a shelf in the basement, but I think that the largest and smallest will make a nice set of planters. Thank you!

  28. Wow…what a neat idea!!

    I would love for you to share this at my Facebook Group for Recipes, Crafts, and Tips and Tricks!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

  29. Sarah, these wooden shoes turned planters are awesome!!! The wooden shoes and chippy blue board were meant for each other, looks perfect!!

  30. I love the klompen with flowers on the wall. It reminds me over my mothers garden. #InspireMeWednesday

  31. This is precious!

  32. I had a pair of these an elderly neighbor gave me years ago, but with all the moves, I don’t know what happened to them. Wish I had them now!

  33. Such a beautiful and creative idea! I love the look of them mounted on the plank board (and I too seem to have lost my green thumb when it comes to succulents).

  34. Oh my gosh, this is the most darling idea. I love the picture of you in your shoes too! Thanks for sharing at The Creative Circle.

  35. What a clever idea! Thanks so much for sharing this last week at Friday Favorites. I just wanted to let you know I have chosen it as one of my features this week. I hope you will come back and party again with us this week 🙂
    http://aheartfulloflove.com/friday-favorites-week-316-featuring-cute-graduation-craft/

  36. Darn! I just got rid of a pair – Now I’ll be checking the Goodwill again!! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party

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