DIY Aged Terra Cotta Pots

Happy Monday! It was a fun weekend filled with St. Patty’s Day festivities and getting some things done around the house! Most weekends, my daughter asks to take a trip to the craft store or garden store and this weekend I obliged on both requests. I ended up getting some inspiration at the craft store and I wanted to share a very easy project that I completed in minutes! I made several aged terra cotta pots and filled them with live plants. I’ve talked about this before, greenery adds so much WARMTH to the home! These terra cotta pots are all the rage and are popular as part of the fixer upper/farmhouse look.

You need just a few supplies to make this project. It is so easy to do! First, you need to select the size of the pot you would like to make. I started off with smaller pots and then ended up back at the craft store for a larger size.

The paints were in the same aisle as the pots so it was easy to make a quick decision. I picked out paints from the DecoArt line: cloud white, sprout green and antique mum. I wanted to try a few different looks, but you could easily just stick to a white paint.

Supplies needed:

Terra Cotta Pot and Base

Acrylic Indoor/Outdoor paints (You’ll definitely want to use outdoor paint if the plants will be residing outside.)

Paint Brush

Paper Cups 

Paper Towel 

Directions

Start by filling paper cups with paint and one cup full with water. Since, I was using multiple colors,  I had three cups full of paint and one cup of water. Next a spoonful or so of water to each cup to water down the paint. You can always add more water as you go, so start off with adding just a little at a time.

Then dip the brush in the paint, then into the plain cup of water (for even more watered down look) and then start painting the pot. Work on sections at a time and stop after each section to wipe the area with a damp paper towel. This step will help to smooth out any brush lines you’ve made. You can rub on certain spots for a more aged look or leave alone for a more smooth look.

The great thing about this project is you really can’t mess up! If you’ve added too much paint, then just dip the brush in the water cup and then right onto the pot. This will help to ‘erase’ some of the paint and lighten it up.

Don’t forget the paint the top half of the inside of the pot as it might show even with your plant inside it. Also, paint your base (that goes under your terra cotta pot) to match the pot! I originally forgot to buy the bases for the pots but quickly realized you need a base in case any water drains out of the pot.

You can have so much fun playing around with different pot looks. In the picture below, I used two paints for the pot on the left–cloud white and antique mum. I first painted the antique mum all over the pot and then before it was completely dried, I added a layer of the cloud white. Then, you use the paper towel to blend the colors together.

I used all three colors for this pot. The first layer was the green, then the antique mum and last the cloud white.

Since we ended up with two smaller pots and two medium size pots, I let my daughter pick the plants for the little pots. She picked succulents–her favorite plants! None of the succulents looked very healthy at our Lowes, but my daughter was all for rescuing a plant that needed a little TLC.

I picked two varieties of  Lavender plants for the medium pots. They smell AMAZING! You can find so many unique plants for less than $5 at home improvement stores! Pick a plant that has personality!

Total Cost to Make Aged Terra Cotta Pots

Did I mention this project is super inexpensive?

Medium Terra Cotta Pot with Base: $1.77

Paints: $1.25

Brush: I had one but you can use a cheap dollar store brush!

Lavender Plant: $4.25

Potting Soil: No cost as I had some leftover from last year.

Total Per Pot: $7.27

Considering I have seen aged pots at antique fairs and craft shows selling for $20-30, making your own is so much cheaper than purchasing! Plus, you can customize with whatever plant and look you want to go for!

Styling Your Plant

I love having real and faux indoor plants around the house. Greenery just adds so much coziness and texture to a room! My daughter has already snagged the succulent plants for her room, but not before I got a few quick pictures.

Plants look great on shelves, cake stands, in tiered trays–everywhere and anywhere!

These plants have so much character. No two pots are alike!

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Now if we can just be sure we can keep them all alive. Do you have a green thumb or are you better with house plants of the faux kind? Either way, consider adding some plant life to your home!