Crafts: DIY: Distressed Painted Terra Cotta Pots

I'm so glad spring is around the corner, I'm ready to start planting. These clay pots were some that I found at a garage sale this winter.  I have been waiting to be inspired by some warm weather to do anything with them. Well it's here and time to have some fun with my pots. I wanted to jazz them up a bit and make them some fun colors, but I don't like the look of just plain painted pots. I love the way the old, chipped and weathered painted terra cotta pots look. So I thought of a way to help give them an aged look. It's an easy way to get that look without all the time. They turned out gorgeous 

Needed:

Terra Cotta pot

Acrylic paint: regular or outdoor (I use the regular that way they age nicely)

White crayon

1. Remove all stickers and adhesive from the pots. If the pot has been previously used make sure it's been rinsed of all debris. 

 2. With the flat side, run the crayon around the edges and on part of the surfaces. I added small clusters of small dots or dashes.  You can add shapes, phrases or designs. The more crayon you add the more the white/clay color will show through. 

3. Paint a thin coat of paint to the outside and inside of the pot in your desired color.  For the sake of time and paint, I just painted the inside of the pot half way down. Let dry

-For best results painting, try not to paint from side to side, keep the brush strokes going up and down as much as possible. 

-Use a small amount of paint on the brush at first, for a thinner coat.  The thicker the coat of paint, the harder and less it wipes off. 

4. Once dry, using a slightly damp rag, gently rub the paint off in the areas where you had applied the crayon. The harder and wetter the rag is the more the paint will come off. If for some reason you rub off more paint than you would like, just apply another thin coat, let dry and start again. 

5. Optional: For second color (which is what I did)- apply the crayon again, in the same areas and also in different spots than before. Use the crayon more this time, to make sure that the original color and base color show through. 

6. Paint on the second color the same as before and let dry. Then wipe off paint like you did in step 4. 

Lime green base and a pale yellow topcoat. 

Purple base and teal blue topcoat. 

Pink base and teal blue topcoat.

Paper Craft: Coffee Filter Flowers: St. Patrick's Day Hanging Flowers

I love to make crafts that I can decorate with. Especially ones I can make from things around the house. This craft started with the scraps from my shamrock coffee filter craft. I always try and find uses for the pretty scrap paper.  You can always make more flowers, you can never have enough.  

Needed:

• Tacky Glue 
• Scraps from the Coffee Filter Shamrock craft or cut colored coffee filters see Coffee Filter Shamrock for coloring instruction 
• Twine
• Stick from outside or the store (I chose a thinner stick so it would bow a little with the weight of the  the flowers.)

Steps:

1. Cut the coffee filters around the edge with longer dips cut in toward the middle. Use the picture as guide. I used the scraps from the shamrock craft, they are perfect.  

2. Cut 6 - 6 in pieces of twine.I made 6 flowers to put on the stem.

• The smooth rounded edge will be the top of petals and the cut part with the dips will be the bottom of the flower.  Put glue at the end of one strip of paper, placing the string tip almost to the top. Place it so the remaining string flows out the bottom of flower. Roll the paper around the string putting glue down the middle as you go. Making sure that the string turns as you roll the paper or it will become unstuck and fall out. If that happens just unroll it and start again. Let the glue dry. 

Tip:  Messy is ok. I found that the randomness of it is what made it look good in the end. 

3.  Starting with the top stick, tie the twine to the stick.  About an 1 1/2  inch's from the base of flower and 1 1/2 in. from the tip of stick. Add a dab of glue to help hold the knot.

4. Then put glue on the stick and wind the end of string around till you get to the place where the second flower will go, about an inch down. Holding the string in place, tie the second flower on overlapping the end of the previous piece. 

 

5. Continue this pattern. Making sure to alternate the side that the knots are on, so they hang staggered. 

• After the last flower, wrap extra twine around the stick down towards the bottom, so that the twine covers all of the stick.

6. To finish, wrap and glue the tip of the stick with twine. Then I glued and wrapped one last paper around the end of the stick over the twine.

7.  Let dry, put in vase and decorate! 

Let me know how this turned out for you 

Kid Craft: Coffee Filter Shamrocks

St. Patrick's Day is something we have fun with at our house. So to add a little green around the house we are making shamrocks. Over the Christmas break I found a new interest in coffee filters. I keep finding myself coming up with new things to do with them. So here's my coffee filter spin for shamrocks.

Needed:

• Green, yellow and blue food coloring 
• Small paint brush
• Coffee filters 
• Small pan or container (to contain the dye)
• Tacky glue
• Sticks from outside or store

Steps: 

1. Cut shamrocks out of the coffee filters. I did multiple ones at a time.  

2. In three separate container add:  2 tbsp of water in each container. 

• 1st container: 7 drops of green
• 2nd container: 4 drops green and 3 yellow
• 3rd container: 4 drops green and 2 blue

3. Using a small brush, paint the coffee filters the 3 different colors inside the pan. Let dry

4. Cut two small slits into the center of the shamrock.

5. Two at a time insert the the tip of the stick through the two holes.  Add a drop of glue to hold them together and to the stick.

Then your finished. Put into vase to display the flare.

I love to hear from my readers so let me know how this worked for you.