Crafts: Painted Flower Pots

My garden is my extra summer room, and like all gardeners, I love sharing its bounty. Painted terra-cotta flower pots not only add color to your patio, garden, and front steps, but they also make a personal and pretty way to package extra herbs and flowers–or fill them with favorite seed packets, tools, gloves, and markers as gifts for your gardening friends.

Make sure the pots are clean. If you’re using old terra-cotta pots, give them a good scrubbing with a cleaning brush; if they do need a wash, let them dry overnight to make sure they’re moisture-free.

I use water-based paints; they don’t smell, they dry fast, your brushes will be so much easier to clean, and most of all, they’re earth-friendly.

Materials to Make Painted Flower Pots

• Terra-cotta pots and saucerspaints
• paintbrushes
• varnish or sealer (optional)

Instructions to Make Painted Flower Pots

1. Apply one or two base colors.

2. Let dry completely.

3. Start decorating! Use your imagination or get inspired by nature, wallpaper and fabric patterns, or the works of artists such as Matisse, Picasso, or Haring.

4. Use a water-based varnish to seal the paint if you like. I prefer the weathered look the pots get after a season out in the elements, though.

5. These little works of art make colorful, cheerful additions to any home and garden. Happy painting, planting, and harvesting!