First DIY: Flower Pots

Welcome to my 1st DIY. It’s super easy, don’t be afraid. I made the most awesome flower pots, from your basic $3-$5 terra cotta pots. I really love the way they came out, so I’m going to share a little tutorial. Even though I could probably just post a picture of the finished product, and you could figure out what I did, I’ll post a tutorial anyway.

1. First, I cut out blocks of color from old magazines (mostly Vogues, and Cosmos). It was kind of painful to cut the magazines apart, as I just love them, but I suffered for the good of the craft. Any expanse of a pretty color that lacked text was cut, and then put in an envelope with the name of the color written on the front. This part is time consuming but I did it while just hanging out with Jon and Dean, (my bf and his bf respectively), or while waiting for Jon to cook me dinner.

2. Next I cleaned old terracotta pots that I painted as a preteen and were therefore worn and ratty.  I used an old rag and water. I had to clean them twice, because after I cleaned them the first time, I put them in a flower bed on newspaper to dry, right near where my dad subsequently mowed the lawn and got grass all over the newly cleaned pots.

3. I took spray black board paint, and sprayed the bottom of the pots. ( As per my father’s instructions, I went all the way back near the woods in my yard. As per my own notions of not making a mess, I placed the pots  on old newspaper and then on the grass. Since I never used spray paint before I did not realize that the paint would get everywhere, EVERYWHERE. I guess that’s why my dad wanted me to go all the way in the back by the woods instead of on the patio.) Oh and I wore gloves.

4. After the paint dried, (like 20 minutes in the heat of the sun), I got my magazine color strips, and some Mod Podge. I put the Mod Podge on the pot, put a strip of color on the pot put the Mod Podge on top. I repeated this about 300,000 times (this is an extremely accurate amount), around the rim of all three pots. I chose to do each pot’s rim in monochrome. I thought it looked nice like this. I also alternated putting the strips horizontally and vertically.

5. I’m still currently letting the pots dry. Eventually before I plant anything in them, I’ll spray them with sealer (or make my dad do it). I’m unsure about the chalkboard paint half though. I imagine, I don’t need to seal that part, because we’ll be using chalk to draw on them at my sister’s graduation party. What do you think? Should I seal them too? It would stink if the paint ran during the first time it rains.

Also I made a pot with nothing but magazine strips. It took a very very long time, and I don’t really like it as much as the others. Here it is just to show you.

I really loved the (nearly) finished product. What do you think? Should I make more? What type of flowers should I plant in the pots? What’s your favorite way to decorate pots?

Frankly,Me.