It’s almost time to transplant the little herb seedlings, probably next weekend. In preparation for that I bought some Terra Cotta pots. They’re cheap and nice looking, but I’m not a fan of the “brand spanking new” look. So thought I’d pretty them up and give myself some painted flower pots.
I love the “springtime feel” they bring to the room. They’ve been sitting on my kitchen table for a few days now as I worked on them and let coats of paint dry. And every time JM or I walk into the room they bring a big smile to our faces because they’re so cheery!
*UPDATE* When I made these pots I did not remember to seal them, and my beautiful paint job bubbled up and was ruined within weeks! I learned my lesson, so after you have painted your pots, make sure to check out this tutorial for sealing your painted flower pots!
Painting your own Terra Cotta pots is super simple, you need:
- paint
- a paintbrush
- a Terra Cotta pot
- chalkboard paint (if you want to add the chalkboard label, here’s a simple 2 ingredient recipe for making your own)
The beginnings of a cute flower pot! |
Step one is to rinse your pot super well with water to get any dust off of it. Also, Terra Cotta is very absorbent and your paint will stick to it better after it soaks up a bunch of water.
In order to get a thick opaque color like my pots above, make sure to let the pot air dry for a few minutes before you start painting. The less water on the pot, on your brush, and in your paint, the better. Squirt some paint onto a plate and start painting with a dry brush so the paint doesn’t get thinned out by the water on the brush.
On the other hand, if you’d rather a translucent “white-washed” look then you can start painting right after you rinse the pot, while it’s still dripping wet. Grab a cup of water and make sure your brush is very wet so that the paint is thinned out. Paint thin layers until you are satisfied with the amount of color.
I painted three layers and let it dry about an hour in between. I made the mistake of painting the first layer with too much water (I got my brush wet before starting to paint, and it was all downhill from there!) so it was fairly translucent and the second layer wasn’t quite enough to fully cover the brown Terra Cotta color underneath.
I made sure to paint a little bit of the inside as well, but the rest of the brown will covered by soil once we transplant the seedlings.
Since I’ve got a ton of un-sanded grout from the last time I made chalkboard paint, I decided I’d use chalkboard paint to label the plants rather than soil markers.
First I cut a label template out of some contact paper with an exacto knife. (If you like the label shape I used you can download the template here)
Then I peeled the contact paper off the backing, stuck it to a pot, and painted inside the template with chalkboard paint. To get the best chalkboard surface on your finished pot you should do two thin layers, one painted with horizontal strokes and the second with vertical strokes. Let the first layer dry for about an hour before painting the second layer.
If you’re painting more than one pot like I was, about a minute after you paint the second layer of chalkboard paint onto the pot you can pull off the label template so you can use it on another pot.
A little bit of paint seeped under the contact paper and the borders weren’t as clear as I would have liked. (*sigh* I really want a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine so I don’t have to do this with the exacto knife anymore, but they’re just so expensive!) But a little bit of paint and a really skinny paintbrush fixed that right up!
I gave each pot a little colored border in an accent color and it totally made the whole project! It covered up the rough edges of the label, and it gives it a handmade look that I love.
Even though the weather isn’t great right now, these little pots are already making it feel like spring is here. It’s awesome!
Have you decorated for spring yet? (Not that I have done any real decorating, but these pots are pastel-colored, so I’m willing to count it :-p) Do you have any flower pot decorating ideas?
I link up at these awesome parties!
Charlie says
I love how these planters turned out! I just included them in a round-up of terra cotta planter pot makeovers over at Match Made on Hudson 🙂
Charlie @ Match Made On Hudson
Jessi W says
I know! I keep wishing I was artsy at all cuz I want to draw little graphic plants on the label showing what they will look like once they're all grown up! Ah well…
Breena says
This is just so darn cute!! Love it!! I'm your newest GFC follower 🙂
Blessings,
Breena
mommyknowslife.blogspot.com
Beth @ Through the Eyes of the Mrs. says
I love these and the colors you decided on. I would love these for my herbs. Thanks for entering and good luck, xoxo
Amy says
Girl, you know how I feel about this project! I'm so glad you took the time to enter One Crafty Contest. Good luck!
Cherished Bliss says
These are awesome! Gotta love chalkboard paint! So glad you entered these into the Once Crafty Contest!
-Ashley
http://www.cherishedbliss.com
Lauren @ The Well Crafted Home says
Oh my gosh these are soo cute!! There was a time when I was trying my hadn at growing herbs but that didn't work out too well. I would have loved to have these though!
I would love for you to come and link your project up at my party – Well Crafted Wednesdays! You can find it here:
http://thewellcraftedhome.blogspot.com/2012/04/well-crafted-wednesdays-link-party-1.html
Becky says
These are super cute! I definitely need to try this!
Janis@All Things Beautiful says
Totally love these pots!!! The shape of the label is so cute! Colors are sweet and springy. Excited to follow!!
Jen says
These are very cute! Love the colors you chose!
Leanne says
These turned out so cute. I love the colors you chose to paint the pots. Thanks for linking to the Home Decor and Organizing Link Party. I'm featuring these today.
Apples and Peanut Butter says
These just turned out sooo cute!!! Love them. Following you now. Stop by http://www.applesandpnutbutter.blogspot.com and follow back if you like!! Thanks!
Miss Hannah B. says
love your flower pots. I just popped by your blog via TT&J. I am going to have to steal your idea and make some for my house. adorable!!
Maria says
Ohhh what pretty flower pots! I love what you did with them, isn't it fun to take a plain thing like a flower pot and pretty it up?! I love what you did! SO cute!
Bonnie @ Uncommon says
These are just precious! love the chalkboard label! 🙂
Jessi W says
I added a link to download the template above the picture in the post, feel free to grab it and use it if you'd like!
Jessi W says
Thanks Amy! I didn't really find the label template anywhere, I just designed it in a photo editing program, printed it out, and cut it out on contact paper. 🙂 If you want though I'll email you the picture file and you can feel free to use it for your pots (or whatever) too!
Amy says
Oh my gosh, I LOVE these!! I'm pinning them right now! I've been wanting to paint my own flowerpots this year but wasn't sure what design I wanted…now I know, I'll just steal yours! 🙂 Where did you find the template? Also, I never knew the pots would take paint better if they'd been wet first. My son and I have painted tons of them for various projects and I never tried that trick. Thanks so much for the tips and the idea; so glad you linked up at Shine on Fridays!!
Kristin @ Brilliant Like Fireflies says
Love these. The colours you chose are just perfect.
Visiting from Mingle With Us Blog Hop. Hope you'll visit me. 🙂
Kali at The Vintage Milk House says
I'm in LOVE! Just the inspiration I needed to get using my chalkboard paint & silhouette! I found you via the mingle! & now following via GFC – I'd love for you to stop by The Vintage Milk House! – Kali
Our Pinteresting Family says
Such a great project. They turned out great. Megan
Betsy @ Romance on a Dime says
Love this! So darling. I've already pinned these pots. Thanks so much for linking up to Romance on a Dime!!
Jessi W says
You should Mom! Just paint them out on the deck, and sit in the sun reading a book (or playing WWF) while you wait. Quick and painless!
audrey says
Awwwww….. These are great! I HATE crafty stuff (making it, not seeing it) and I'm sorely tempted to make these! Darling. And the label idea – really, what could be better? Thanks J.
Jessi W says
I know! I'm so excited at how they turned out! Thanks Katie 🙂
Katie says
Those are too, too, TOO adorable, Jessi!