DIY Terracotta Pots for under $5
If you're anything like me, you wait until the last minute to do EVERYTHING. I am the ultimate procrastinator. Why do something tonight when you can do it tomorrow, right? While I'm not particularly proud of this, I am proud of the fact that I can throw something together at the drop of a hat. It's a skill honed over many years of rushed projects and last minute presentations.
So naturally, I decided to redecorate my entire office the day before we were scheduled to take photos for this website. Because I obvs. need some extra excitement in my life.
Luckily, these little succulents in terracotta pots took no time at all to transform a section of my office from boring to adorable! If you have about an hour (total!) to spend over two days and you want to spruce up your home with this project, you'll need:
- Terracotta pots
- Enamel spray paint
- Metallic (or a second enamel color) spray paint
- Washi or painters tape
- Tin foil
My original idea was to gold leaf the pots. But since it was last minute and I didn't have any gold leaf on hand, I just went with what I had, which is spray paint. Spray paint is the ultimate last minute BFF.
- Step 1: Wipe down the pots with a damp cloth and place on a drop cloth, or wherever you like to to spray paint.
- Step 2: Spray those little pots with your base color paint. I had this white enamel already, so that is what I used! Any color will look cute. I'm picturing a bright turquoise or hot pink.
- Step 3: Wait patiently and repeat. This is the hardest part for me. The endless waitingggggg. You should let the paint sit 10-15 minutes before adding a second coat. That means at least ten minutes, people! Flip them around until they are coated completely (I used three coats) and then...wait for it...we wait OVER NIGHT for the paint to totally dry. Ugh.
- Step 4: Luckily this part goes super quickly! Take your totally dry pot that we let sit overnight and use your Washi tape to tape off your spray paint pattern. When using spray paint, the simpler the better. Save your fancy schmancy patterns for acrylic and brushes. I don't actually have a photo of this step because I wasn't patient enough to take a photo.
- Step 5: Use the foil to block the rest of the pot outside of the pattern from the spray paint. We use foil because it sticks nicely around the pot without any extra work. Re-tape over the edges of your foil where your pattern starts. The line needs to be clean so that you don't end up with fuzzy edges.
- Step 6: Spray those babies with your metallic paint! I had this Krylon one on hand and it was extra metallic-y. I used 2 coats, waiting the requisite 15 (ok, ten minutes) in between.
Stay with me, now. One more step!
When they are completely dry, peel off the tape and foil and voila! Adorable pots that don't resemble those original terracotta ones AT ALL. Stick some little succulents in there and you're all set. These also make great hostess or teacher gifts!
Here's the kicker. The total cost of this project? ...$4.50! Yeah, you read that right. To be fair, I already had the spray paint and the Washi tape. BUT considering the pots I saw at the store were about $15 each, I'd say it's still a win even if you have to purchase everything on the list.
Photos (the pretty ones, not the iPhone ones) by Lainey Reed Photography