DIY Painted Terracotta Pots

   There were pots painted in several different ways and styles, but I liked the idea of adding a decal of an image to the pots.  Several years ago, I made some styrofoam ornaments by making decals with Mod Podge and covering the ball with melted wax, encasing the decal. They turned out really neat.

 

   Wanting to use the same technique with Mod Podge and create vintage images to adhere to the pots, I started looking for images.  

 

   The idea was to try this technique on a small pot first to iron out any wrinkles before starting on the big pots.   If you know me, you know the understated is what I what I chose.   I may be boring, but I didn’t want the pots to compete with the flowers.   My thought was to use off-white paint and black line drawings. Not wanting them to look polished and brand new, I plan to brush on a hint of brown paint, too.  

 

   Many years ago, I made copies of these vintage drawings from the library at the University of Cincinnati.  The old copies will work with the Mod Podge.  Laserjet copies will work, (Staples can print these for you.) but inkjet, unfortunately, will not.

 Diy Painted Pots

    You will need a clean pot.  This little pot was pretty dirty, so I washed and scrubbed it.  The dirt was not coming off very well, but one of those Magic Erasers worked like magic!

 

   Choose your image and apply at least three coats of Mod Podge to the front of the image, allowing to dry between coats.   Then, pour warm water onto a plate. Cut out the image.  (At this point, I cut a rectangle around the image.)  Place the image in the warm water and allow to soak for a few minutes.

 

 

    Turn the image over, back side facing up, and in a circular motion, gently rub the paper off with your fingertip.

    Place the decal on a paper towel and allow to dry.  Cut around the edge of the decal closer to the image.  Don’t worry if it tears a little, you will be gluing it to the surface of the pot with Mod Podge.  

 

   One coat of Waverly Chalk Paint in the ‘Plaster’ color was applied to the pot.  My plan was to give it two coats, but I liked the ‘not so perfect’ look of one coat.

 

     Next, the decal was glued to the pot.  Using a brush, I  dipped the brush slightly into the paint and very sparingly brushed just a hint of ‘Truffle’ colored paint around the pot.  If too much was applied, I used a damp paper towel to remove a little.   Isn’t it cute?

 

   Three coats of Delta Ceramcoat Satin Exterior Varnish were applied with a paint brush, covering the decal and the pot.  I think I might buy some matte varnish for the larger pots.

 

   This little project turned out so nicely, there is a whole row of larger pots just waiting to be transformed into Painted Terracotta Pots!