If you really want to liven up a home during the winter months then be sure to have plenty of flowered plants around. Flowers in recycled items that are used as pots are a trendy and eco-savvy way to keep your home blooming with cheer.

For an elegant tall vase cut the top of off a metal olive oil can using a can opener and then place some white poinsettias in it. It is simple to keep the poinsettias in their original tiny pots and just tuck them inside the can. These cans have pleasant looking retro labels as well as a beautiful gold metal color that allows them to be used as holders for your favorite blossoms all year long.

You can also use old china chafing and serving dishes as the foundation for potted plants. Tiny pink hellebores and African violets look amazing potted in this type of antique dish. Blue and white or red and white china, the type that is so plentiful at flea markets, is perfect for this purpose.

For a look that tells others that you care about recycling try wrapping a shoe box in newsprint and then placing potted plants inside. A large paper lilly looks great in this type of home-made planter. The old fashioned method of applying layers of Aqua-Tec and tissue paper to a box to make it look fancy is also very contemporary looking.

You can take any type of pot or package and wind rope, ribbon or fabric remnants around it to create a planter. Simply wrap the carton or box with the fabric the same way you would a present and tie a bow in front. This type of planter makes a very clever and attractive gift.

Old garden pots or even metal cans are easily spraypainted gold, white or silver. These look nice decorated with cords of pearls, stickers or cut-out letters from the craft store.

Old china is another option. Many plants look great simply potted inside an old China teapot. Small ceramic expresso c ups also make charming small planters for succulent plants and small cactuses.

You can find things that can be used in an eco-concious way to make planters everywhere in yoru home and in your yard. Anything that was once a vessel can be turned into one and this includes old Jell-O molds, copper pots and grocery packaging. Old newspapers, wrapping paper and fabric scraps can also be used to decorate these planters.