Upcycle Progress – Cottagecore Hanging Decor

My upcycle project is a static piece of hanging furniture that serves as decor for my apartment. The piece will be a three-tiered combination of a wooden shelf storage display, a hanging plant-holder adorned in patchwork fabric, and a floral art piece. I have decided to call this project “Floating Bits of Life,” and it is coming along well! Modifying my initial idea, I have redesigned the overall piece to fit a more flattering, feminine shape:

Vertically, I want the edges of each tier to align. The space between each tier is meant to draw viewers’ eyes to the midpoints and create a graceful appearance. Twine will hold the top and middle tiers together in a triangular fashion, allowing each element to blend together in a delicate, pretty way, representative of the cottagecore aesthetic. The bottom tier will now have a pyramidal shape that matches this style. I have also decided to make the wooden shelf circular instead of rectangular to eliminate harsh edges in the piece.

Regarding fabrication progress, I am still in the beginning stage. With beads that I already own, sourced from a previous jewelry project of mine, I have added some to a piece of twine. This element (number 5 in the image to the left) will hang from the center of the floral art tier. Below is piece 5:

The following table outlines the rest of my fabrication timeline:

An important aspect of my timeline is to gather materials, a process I have started! From The Home Depot(1), I found wood in the discount bin and was lucky enough to take two pieces for no cost.

Regarding fabric for the patchwork pot holder, I have taken old clothing from my closet unworn for over a year. I am excited to arrange these prints together, pictured to the right. To make sure the pot is sturdier than only thin sewn fabrics, I will be purchasing quilt batting from Michaels (2), priced at $9.99, and using this as an inner layer for the pot with the upcycled fabric sewn on top. With this thicker, sturdier material, I will be able to shape a plant-holder that fits the dimensions of a two-gallon sized houseplant pot (9-inch diameter, 8.5-inch depth). This way, I can interchange house plants as I desire. 

For the bottom tier of this piece, I will be dipping my old flowers in Paraffin Wax purchased for 6 dollars at Michaels. This will strengthen the crumbly dried flowers, ensuring longevity for my creation. I learned about this method for dried floral prep from Proflowers (3). Below are the flowers I will be using. Those still alive in the water cup have about a week left before dying, at which point I will treat them with the wax. 

Post Sources:

1. The Home Depot, 2000-2024, https://www.homedepot.com/
2. Michaels Stores, 2024, https://www.michaels.com/?cm_mmc=SearchBrand-_-google-_-MICH_Search_US_N_Brand_TrademarkCore_Branded_Exact-_-Trademark+-+Branded+Core+Term&kenshoo_ida=tm_brand&kpid=go_cmp-324266651_adg-24658685771_ad-348913281960_kwd-92295400_dev-c_ext-_prd-&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E40l4QGjQLW3KmQzITpte6TIRlHFC83WLFg9IRYcGgYAtBEN8i6QbxoCtW4QAvD_BwE
3. Proflowers, 2020, https://www.proflowers.com/blog/how-to-dry-flowers