Teacher Appreciation Gift - Succulent Garden

Teacher appreciation is around the corner and Designer Robyn has a sweet little gift idea for you - a succulent garden! Do you want to have the kids involved in the gift? Have them paint a design or saying on the outside of a plain terracotta pot before you plant the succulents. Grab your Glue Dots, popsicle sticks, twine, and a few succulents to make this cute Teacher Appreciation gift.  You don't need a green thumb to make this succulent garden grow!

Designed by: Robyn
Time: 25 minutes
Level: Beginner
Size: Approx 9" x 4.5"

I love sharing my appreciation with my children's teachers and am always looking for something fresh and new to give them each year. This year, I absolutely love this little DIY gift of a cute little potted succulent done up for them. It's a sweet and simple little DIY gift that is also really inexpensive and easy to make in just a little amount of time.

Here's what you need:

• Craft Glue Dots®
• Glue Squares®
• Succulent(s)
• Small pot (I used a terracotta one about 4 x 4.5)
• Soil
• Popsicle sticks
• DecoArt Americana acrylic white paint
• Twine
• Green paper (optional)
• Wood chip or paper tag
• Black sharpie (optional)
• Scissors
• Paintbrush

Here's what you do:

1. Plant your succulents into your little pot. I wanted a natural look, so I went with a terracotta pot.
2. Here's how to make your popsicle stick garden gate:
   1. Take your popsicle sticks and lay several of them out next to each other flat.
   2. Use your Stitch Glue Squares to adhere a popsicle stick across the top and the bottom of the sticks you laid out flat. Cut off the excess wood with scissors.
   3. Adhere one more popsicle stick diagonal across the top of all of the sticks.
3. Give your "gate a "whitewashed" look with Americana white acrylic paint.
4. Use Stitch Glue Squares to adhere two more popsicle sticks to the back of the gate to act as an anchor in the soil in the pot.
5. (Optional) Create a little mini wreath to hang on the popsticle stick garden gate by cutting out tiny little leaves from green paper and using Stitch Glue Squares and Craft Glue Dots to adhere them around in a circle on your gate. Add a bow to your wreath with your twine.
6. Place the new popsicle stick garden gate in the back of the pot and add some twine and a bow around the top of your pot.
7. Add a little tag to the front of your DIY Teacher gift. You can print one out or use a wood chip/slice and a sharpie to create one like I did.

I love this fun, fresh look that is unique and a fun way to let your children's teacher know that you are thinking of them. It will look great on the teacher's desk OR be something that they can take home and enjoy. AND succulents are super easy to take care of! It's a win for everyone! Love all of you teachers out there!

~Robyn

P.S. This would also make a cute Mother's Day gift!

Use either format of Craft Glue Dots for this project:

Glue Dots products are available at: