Hello Pinterest friends. I hope you’ve enjoyed some baking, crafting, painting, organizing, sewing, building, or knitting lately, because it’s time to share this season’s Pinterest Challenge (not sponsored by Pinterest or anyone else, simply an idea from Katie to encourage people to stop pinning and start doing). The only rule is to pick a pinned project you’ve wanted to finish—big or small—and complete it. It’s an easy way to turn inspiration into real results.
Our project this season was window boxes. I had pinned two window-box images: one was a stylish pre-made planter I loved purely for the look, and another was a step-by-step tutorial to build boxes if we couldn’t find affordable ready-made ones. We thought window boxes would add dimension and soft greenery to our long, boxy ranch-style home. They weren’t a resale necessity, but we couldn’t move on without seeing how they would look. Below are the three windows we decided to dress up with planters.
We purchased window boxes, plastic liners, and mounting brackets from Home Depot after comparing the cost of buying versus building. The prices and effort were close, so buying made sense for our timeline. We chose clean-lined planters with a mid-century modern feel that complements a ranch exterior.
How we mounted the boxes on our brick facade:
Step 1: Mark and measure carefully. Hold the window box up to the wall to confirm centering, and mark pilot-hole locations for each bracket. Use a hammer drill to make the pilot holes in brick or masonry before installing any screws or anchors.
Step 2: Install the mounting brackets following the package directions. The brackets generally line up with the pilot holes; then you insert the masonry anchors or screws. We learned two important lessons you might want to avoid:
- Don’t rely on the short, inexpensive screws that sometimes come with kits. Use proper masonry screws—2″ Tapcon screws worked well for us.
- Don’t use a standard drill to tighten the masonry screws. A hammer drill gets the screws seated much more securely; the ones we drove in with a regular drill turned out loose and needed redoing.
Step 3: Once the brackets were secure, placing the box onto the supports was straightforward. Each bracket had a small metal tab that folds over the top of the box to lock it in place. The tab is soft enough to bend by hand, but if you need extra leverage, use pliers. Make sure each box sits level and that the tab engages so the planter feels secure.
Step 4: Fit the plastic liner into the planter. Before inserting it, pop out the perforated drainage holes in the liner—an old key or a screwdriver works well for this. The liner’s holes should align with the planter’s pre-drilled drainage holes, which helps prevent excess moisture buildup and keeps roots healthy.
While I worked on the window boxes, John and Clara spread new mulch in the front yard—a nice team effort. For filling the boxes, I used a practical trick: buy hanging baskets from a local nursery and divide them among the planters. Hanging basket plants are already grown to spill and cascade, which creates an immediate “spilling-over” effect for window boxes without a long wait.
I gently divided the hanging baskets into portions for each box, taking care not to damage roots. The result: instant, drooping flowers that give the windows a lush, finished look. The blooms we used included white, pink, and purple varieties—likely petunias and other common bedding plants. Even without identifying every species, the combination looks attractive and well balanced.
The window boxes are a subtle, simple addition—small and complementary rather than overpowering. Because the box color blends with the brick, the flowers become the visual focal point. As the plants continue to grow and spill over the edges, the overall effect should become even more charming and full.
In summary: three window boxes installed, tips for mounting them on masonry, and a practical planting strategy using hanging baskets for immediate results. The finished look is tidy, low-profile, and enhances the curb appeal without feeling busy. We’re pleased with how the project transformed those windows into a softer, greener feature of the house.
If you’re participating in the Pinterest Challenge, Katie, Emily, and Renee are sharing their projects as well—check their posts for more ideas and inspiration. If you’ve completed a project, please share details: post a link to your specific project, add a descriptive project name, and consider linking back to your inspiration so others can follow the source. If you don’t have a blog, you can share images on a public photo gallery or in the comment section so everyone can see what you made. I’m excited to see your projects and how you turned pinned ideas into finished work.