DENVER -- We've reached summer's high point--in terms of temperatures, at least. With the heat, container plants may look a little, peaked, as my grandmother used to say. Toss the ones that are too tired and weary, and replace them with leafy houseplants that will make the transition inside once fall comes.

To freshen up the look of your plants, make some funky flower boxes for them. Set them on windowsills on the north or east sides of your house (the reflected heat from the glass on the west and south facing windows is sure to burn most any window box plants placed there to a crisp) or along the edge of a patio or deck. You could even top a simple bench or stool with a flower box to create a free standing plant stand.

This project is simple because as usual, we aren't going to make the boxes themselves. We're only going to decorate them. Here's how.

1. First scrounge around the garage and basement for any type of wooden box that is the right size for a planter. If you happen to have an old drawer from a chest of drawers, it will work beautifully. Either incorporate the existing knobs on the front into your design, or unscrew them. The ideal drawer will have something going on on the front: a beveled edge, or perhaps a bit of carving. If you don't find a drawer or old wooden box that will work for you, go to the hobby or discount store and see what you can find. Remember, it doesn't matter if the box is the right color or design--you are just shopping for shape.

2. Next, decide what to use to add interest to the front of the box. We're going to focus on shape, rather than color: the plants we'll put in the box don't need to compete with patterns and designs on the box's surface. For the box shown here, I used small plant saucers and wooden balls to create a raised circle motif. You could also glue on buttons in rows, wooden shapes (glue each one first onto a wooden cube to give them height on the box front) miniature clay pots, either inverted or right side up, etc. Plan your design on the front of the drawer, then use wood glue to glue the objects in place. Let dry thoroughly.

3. One of the most important aspects of this project is the feet we'll add to the box. They lift up the planter and make it look much more interesting. On the one shown her, I used wooden balls from the craft store with one flat side (I think they are sold as "doll's heads") and glued one in each corner of the bottom of the box. You could also use wood spools, alphabet blocks, or cubes. Let dry thoroughly.

Spray paint the box, inside and out in your favorite color. It is amazing how the things you glued on the box lose their original identity and become part of the design when the whole thing is painted one solid color! If your box had another color of paint underneath, and you want to create an antiqued look, simply sand the edges lightly to expose some of the undercoat.