My original intent in going to Home Depot last week was to find some new large plants to occupy terra cotta pots that I had given an overhaul. The updates to the old pots that were taking up space in the basement weren’t anything complex, just something that I had seen on Pinterest and decided it was worth trying for myself.
After all, I still had some leftover pieces of Urban Outfitters blanket fabric from when I made Cody’s dog bed. May as well do something with them, right? Burlap or an ivory fabric would be pretty too, but I didn’t have any around the house.
I made a DIY Modge Podge-like substance using a recipe I found online somewhere that called for a combo of Elmer’s Glue and water to form a loosened-but-still-sticky syrup, which I painted onto the pot before applying the fabric on top of it. And there was no “formal” recipe, it was just a little of this, a little of that until I was satisfied with the consistency and it held the fabric in place.
I used lots of smaller pieces of the same fabric which gave it slightly more of a patchwork appearance and made it easier to apply and cover the pots smoothly. I have no idea what nips and tucks the makers of the pinned pots had to perform in order to get theirs looking so smooth and flawless.
I didn’t apply Modge Podge over the fabric, but left the surface soft. Anniversary Jade is right at home in the medium-sized pot. (Note: It’s still planted in it’s original terra cotta pot, just set inside the other pot. Because terra cotta pots absorb and hold so much water, I wouldn’t plant directly into the fabric covered pot in the chance that the saturated clay repels or disinigrates the modge podge glue.)
A little fern that I salvaged from a clearance rack is thriving in the smallest of the pots (again, the fern is not actually planted in the fabric-covered pot), and the largest pot , which I thought was going to end up being perfect for the 10″ potted Umbrella Tree turned out to be a smidgen too small (unless I wanted to reduce the pot size holding the tree) but perfect for the Wandering Jew I bought on-the-cheap from Wegmans over the winter. Potted like it is and trimmed back, it sort of looks like a curly-haired man but I’m still adoring it’s pretty leaves with purple undertones.
Coupled together, the matching pots will be cute moving around the house with the sunshine.
8 Comments
Those turned out great! I would totally put one in my art room with pens in it, because I’m weird like that.
Not weird at all, in fact, a wonderful idea. I’d also use them in the kitchen for spatulas and spoons beside the stove if the pots I chose weren’t once filled with soil.
Great job! I almost chose this for my “challenge” ;)
Thanks Julie! If you do it, I want to know about it – I wish mine had turned out as smoothly as the ones that were pinned!
I considered this for my challenge too, but didn’t have any great fabric on hand. Love how your pots look.
Thanks Kara! If you ever try it, I’d love to see how they turn out.
I LOVE this idea to spruce up plain pots. In fact, I have two that I’m staring at right now that are going to get a makeover!
Thanks for sharing!
Emily
http://www.ilovefarmweddings.com
Glad you liked it, Emily! Thanks for the nice comment.