These plant shelves were made with a broken cello that was not worth repairing. I took the front of the rest of the instrument, attached two boards inside it, on which I placed two ivy plants.

Step 1: Opening the Cello.

First you want to take the front off the cello, using a parting/opening knife, that you will insert and slide through the joint. Mine was made of an old english butter knife, of which I thinned the blade. The front and body of the instrument are glued all around but it is a narrow joint (only a few millimeters wide) that should easily come apart. If needed you may carefully feed the blade with a drop of spirit/alcohol, that will help crack the glue open. Be very careful not to let it run over the varnish, as it will dissolve it.

Step 2: Cutting Two Boards for the Shelves

Then you want to cut two shelves that will fit inside the body : in the case of this instrument these were 14 inches and 8 inches long, and 4 inches wide.
Once these are cut, you place them : the shape of the body's ribs will make them hold in place but for safety you can glue a wooden stud under each side, like you can see on the photos. Then you hang the head of the cello to a hook on the wall, place your plants and decoration onto the shelves and have a nice new plant shelf !