How to give a shabby chic look to plain terra cotta flowerpots and personalize them for a pretty hostess gift this Easter and spring.
So we are being hosted at both sides of the family for Easter this weekend. That means hardly any cooking for me, no intense house-cleaning, grocery shopping, table setting and all the rest of the entertaining requirements. I love to do it but this time around it didn’t work out that way. I decided to get a little craft on and make a little something for the lovely hostesses to enjoy. (Plus one for me too!)
I followed what is pretty much a formula for me. Take a multi-purpose container (flowerpots are my favourite) + embellish it a bit and add a personal or seasonal touch + fill it with something pretty/tasty/useful = fabulous gift/decor/organizer. You can see other versions of it here and here.
There’s nothing complicated about this one. Here’s what I used… Terra cotta flowerpots which can be had in many sizes from many kinds of stores…mine are four-inch pots from the dollar store, two for $1.25 plus the saucers three for $1.00. Some antique white craft paint and a foam brush from my craft supplies. Retail tags (which I keep a big stash of). They have them in the scrapbooking supplies or sometimes the gift tags of a craft store. I get mine at Staples in the retail supplies. A new roll of vintage-feel ribbon from Creative Bag which inspired this look. Then some four-inch plants from the greenhouse…I got some succulents and grape hyacinth.
I painted just one coat of paint on the outside of the pot and the saucer. Using sort of a criss-cross stippling effect with the tip of the foam brush gave it a bit of texture and left some spots unpainted for a sort of imperfect, vintage-y, shabby chic feel. With only one coat of paint the finish was also more matte than glossy.
By the time I had finished painting the third set the first one was dry. I wrote a “Happy Easter” message on one side of each tag and a monogram of each lady’s first initial on the other. So that the tag could be flipped around after Easter and still be part of the pot, and give it a personal touch. Any message could be written on the tag…for a birthday, Mother’s Day or thank-you… I threaded the tag through the ribbon and tied it around the pot. Then I set the plant inside and done!
It probably took me about twenty minutes to make all three of these after I had the supplies assembled. Twenty minutes of fun therapeutic craftiness. And look how pretty they turned out! I love the little succulent in mine. I’m really hopeful that I’ll be able to keep it alive. But if not this pot will find a new home holding pens, or cotton balls, or maybe tealights…who knows? Maybe I’ll try an ivy.
For now it’s sitting here by a window as part of a little Easter vignette in the sun. Is that where you’re supposed to keep succulents? I guess I’ll find out, but help me out if you know.
Happy Easter everyone!
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