For the longest time, I thought that those thin metal molds that are common in thrift stores (often in a lobster shape), were cake molds. Turns out that copper doesn’t make a great baking mold, and they’re actually for gelatin. I guess they’re left over from the era when Jell-O concoctions were chic dinner-party side dishes. But since I won’t be making any of these hilarious recipes, I decided to turn some of the molds into pretty plant pots.

Materials:
Spray paint primer
White spray paint (I used Krylon Semi-Gloss White Interior and Exterior Decorator Paint)
Metal jello molds/pans

Methods:
1. Prepare your molds by cleaning them thoroughly with soap and water. Let dry.

2. Starting with the interior* first, spray the molds with two thin coats of the primer. Follow the instructions on your paint can, but let dry, and then cover with multiple thin coats of the white spray paint. I did four or five. Allow to dry, then flip the mold over and do the same on the exterior. (You may be tempted to skip the primer, but I tried it, and I learned the hard way that this is a bad idea.)

*I was tempted to just use the molds as-is, but I did a little bit of research, and the copper could actually leach into the soil and kill the plants over time. So they’d need to be sealed with a clear sealer on the interior if you wanted to preserve the copper color.  But this is why you need to paint both the interior and exterior.

3. Allow your paint to dry thoroughly, then fill your pots with dirt and put plants in them. Small plants that don’t mind shallow roots are a good choice.

My house is running out of surfaces for plants, so I think I’m going to turn at least one of these into a hanging planter soon. I think they’ll look really nice hanging from the ceiling.