Welcome back to summer 2015’s LAST round of Knock Out Knock Offs, an incredibly fun series brought to you by a few blogging friends and myself! Each month, we tackle a DIY project inspired by one of our favorite home decor stores, and the theme we chose for August was Crate & Barrel. (Don’t forget to catch up on my Anthropologie, Land of Nod & CB2 inspired projects too!)
Scrolling through the Crate & Barrel website looking for inspiration, I fell in love with the Reflection Black Metal Centerpiece, although it wasn’t actually the tray that made my heart skip a beat, but the way it was styled in the photos. Instead of trying to figure out how to perfectly recreate the product itself, I decided to take the idea of a black tray + rocks + candles + succulents and run with it.
I ended up with a completely different end result than my initial inspiration, but I absolutely love how it turned out!
Don’t be afraid to use retail products as a jumping off point for your creativity – what is it that you love about the inspiration and how can you incorporate that into your budget and your home? Make it work for you!
I set out on an epic shopping adventure to pull together the pieces to create my own DIY succulent rock garden. I found a tray at the thrift store, picked up the faux succulents and moss pieces at Michael’s, and bought the river rocks and candles at Hobby Lobby.
*Today’s post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission. You can read my full disclosure here. I hope you all know by now that I do only share things I really truly love!
Supplies:
- Faux succulents – My secret: I found several faux succulent arrangements in the summer clearance section at Michael’s (70% off!) – they were glued into things like broken flower pots and bird’s nests with fake sand. I just popped the succulents out of the arrangements to use on their own!
- 3 lbs. river rocks
- Pillar candles
- Faux moss rocks – I also found these in the summer clearance section and decided they would be a fun addition.
- Tray – Look for something with clean lines and a modern shape. Color or material doesn’t matter too much! I found mine at the thrift store for $5.
- Black spray paint – The sheen is up to you! I used a glossy spray paint since I already had it in the garage.
- Fine-grit sandpaper
Step 1:
Use the fine-grit sandpaper to rough-up the surface of your tray. My tray was smooth, green plastic, so I spent a few minutes lightly sanding the plastic so the spray paint would adhere well.
Step 2:
Spray paint the tray black using multiple light coats of spray paint to avoid drips. I’d recommend allowing the paint to dry/cure at least overnight, if not 24 hours before moving on to the next step.
Step 3:
Now comes the fun part – filling the tray! Start with a layer of river rocks on the bottom, then play around with adding your other supplies until you’re happy with the arrangement. There’s no right or wrong answer for this!
If you’re really feeling crazy, set up a tripod and snap pics so you too can make a gif of the process…
Once you’re happy with the way your tray looks, find the perfect place to display it and enjoy your soothing new centerpiece!
And relish the thought that the succulents, while surprisingly lifelike, are forever safe from your black thumb. (Oh wait, sorry my black thumb.)
Happy [faux] gardening, you guys!
Ready for more DIY projects inspired by Crate & Barrel? Links below:
DIY Round Medallion Art | Bigger Than The Three of Us
DIY Succulent Rock Garden | you are here 🙂
DIY Place Card Holders | Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body
DIY Rustic Tea Light Candle Holder | Upcycled Treasures
Colorful Striped Coasters | Delineate Your Dwelling
I love it! You could even switch out the succulents for berries during Christmas if you wanted. =)
Oh, what a great idea, Ashley! Love it!
I love that you were inspired by the styling of the products from their site and how you pulled yours together! Oh boy, I am really trying to outgrow this black thumb thing, but my fiddle leaf fig tree isn’t doing too well and then there’s the fact that my cats like to eat the plants and then get sick all over the house, bleh. Not even my cactus can deter them!
I hadn’t even realized these were faux succulents but I love the look and now I want to create something similar!
Thank you Katie! My cats are exactly the same – faux plants are a lifesaver! I seriously can’t believe how realistic the faux succulents look – it’s magic, I tell you! 🙂
I really enjoyed the fact that it isn’t so much of an exact replica, rather using the images as inspiration. Also loved that you were able to re-purpose a thrifty tray with just a touch of spray paint. Everything came together so well, especially those white candles to add a little extra mood lighting. Such a great idea to use clearance pieces from other broken castaways.
You know me! If I can incorporate a thrift find, I will! 😉 Thanks Trisha!
So cute, and I have to say I prefer this version to the Crate & Barrel! I never in a bazillion years would have known that your tray started out lime green or that the succulents weren’t real. Awesome job!
Aw, thank you so much Brittany!
Those succulents are mind-bendingly realistic… Or maybe it’s just that real ones look so fake? 😀
I love it!!! The styling is on point and those photographs are gorgeous! 🙂 Good job!!
Thanks girl! That’s so sweet to hear! I took the scary leap to completely manual photography, which I should have done ages ago! 🙂
Totally amazing Brynne! I love those moss rocks too. I haven’t seen them at my craft store. I will have to look 🙂
Thank you Katja! I had never seen the moss rocks either (well, they’re actually just miss-covered foam in a rock shape) but they are so fun!
lovely! I love simple centerpieces that can be switched up easily with the seasons (and that can be taken off the table all together easily!)
Thank you Gretchen! Yes! We had friends over for a game night the other day and LOVED that we could just lift the whole thing off the table!
Wow, love how this turned out! You can never go wrong with succulents and faux plants… a great DIY.
Thanks Amy! 🙂
This turned out great! I love that you found things at the thrift store and on clearance for this project, too!
Thank you so much Julie!
Very beautiful!
Thank you Corinna! 🙂
I would be way more successful at this than having real succulents. I can’t keep anything alive *pouting emoji*
Me either! I’ve gone completely faux and I’m okay with it! 😀
This is great! You can find a lot of the decor stuff in the floral section at the dollar store too; ours sells the river rocks and moss plus candles and tray could probably be found there too. I’m inspired!
This is beautiful! I’ve recently fallen in love with succulents and love what you did with this centerpiece!
I hope to use your work as inspiration for a living piece for my built-in bookshelves. Keep up the great work!!
Hugs
-js