This is definitely the summer of DIY flower planters at DIYShowOff, isn’t it? We’ve always been so busy with projects INside the house, that decorating outside hasn’t been a priority but this year, I’ve been especially happy to celebrate summer. I wanted to spruce up the yard a little with some colorful flowers and flower pots and that’s exactly what I’ve accomplished. I do promise (I think) that this is the last DIY flower pot project of 2013.  

Materials:

• Terra cotta flower pots (5 different sizes from smaller to bigger)
• DecoArt Patio Paint (1 Blue Jay Blue, 1 Robin’s Egg Blue, 1 Blue Bahama, 2 Cloud White, 1 Woodland brown)
• Vinyl stencils (I created mine with my Silhouette Cameo and vinyl from my sponsor, Happy Crafters). 
• Krylon Clear Coat
• Rebar (mine is 42″)
• Potting soil and flowers
• Optional: Curtain rod finial (I found mine at a thrift store and spray painted it white)

Ombre flower pots Tutorial:

I purchased three colors blue and two bottles of white patio paint to create 5 colors in styrofoam bowls:

• Blue Jay Blue
• 50/50 Blue Jay Blue and Robin’s Egg Blue
• Robin’s Egg Blue
• 50/50 Robin’s Egg Blue and Blue Bahama
• Blue Bahama

For each pot, I started with one of the base colors above. Using a foam brush, I started on the bottom, “feathering” the paint. I then elevated my pots to make painting/drying easier. 

Then added white to the paint and feathered another row on the same pot, working my way around the pot.

And added more white and repeated.

When the bottom was dry, I flipped the terra cotta pot. Then added more white to my paint and finished all the way to the top and a little down into the inside. 

I did the above steps for each paint color for each terra cotta pot.

Then I mixed all of my left over paint together and painted the insides of my flower pots…

then flipped and painted the bottoms and let them dry overnight. 

Next, using my Silhouette Cameo and vinyl from Happy Crafters, I created vinyl stencils with this little quote:

Your mind is a garden.

Your thoughts are the seeds.

You can grow flowers.

Or you can grow weeds.

making sure that the sizing was correct for each pot. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut vinyl stencils.

Since I’m using the vinyl as a stencil, I peeled away the lettering.

Applied the transfer paper and peeled away the wax paper like backing…

and applied the stencils to my terra cotta pots. Since the pots are curved, I found it easiest to apply each line of stencil text individually. Rub with a credit card then peel away transfer paper.

Next I filled in the lettering with brown patio paint.

I removed the vinyl stencils as soon as I was done painting and let everything dry for 72 hours according to the patio paint’s instructions.

Then gave the insides and outsides a spray of protective clear coat. 

Once that was dry, it was time to plant! I even tried to find flowers in purples ranging from dark to light for more ombre effect… 

And followed Beth’s instructions for stacking my flower pots at Home Stories A to Z utilizing rebar.

Watered them too. 

Then topped off the rebar with my finial…

Colorful and happy! More DIY planter tutorials:

How to Make a Chandelier Flower Planter

How to Make a Tire into a Planter

How to Make House Number Flower Pots

How to Make a Vertical Pallet Herb Garden

This post is sponsored. Vinyl and transfer paper supped by Happy Crafters.