Painted Terracotta Pots

Painting plain terracotta pots is a way of making something plain and ordinary into something pretty and quite special. You can mix and match the colour of the pots with different ribbons in either matching or contrasting colours. I have chosen to keep my colour range to a couple of light green and cream colours that looks very pretty with the plants that I wanted to use.

You will need: clean and dry terracotta pots/paint/paint brush/ ribbons/double sided tape/scissors/plants

Start off by painting the pots. I bought some very cheep plain 15 cm terracotta pots from Homebase for 79 pence each. You can use any plain pots as long as they are clean and dry. The pots are going to need two coats of paint to give a solid surface. I would also paint the inside top lip of the pot, it will look nicer in case the plant does not cover that bit.

The paints I used are three different greens from Farrow & Ball called Saxon Green, Breakfast Green and Calke Green. They are flat, chalky water based emulsions that dry very quickly. A small sample pot is plenty unless you are going to paint a lot of pots.

Leave the pots to dry before going on to the next step. 

  

To stick down the ribbon you need some double sided sticky tape. I have used a narrow 5mm wide florists tape. I like this kind because you can tear it, is water resistant and has a very strong stickiness.

Around a 15cm pot you will need four short pieces at equal distance around the pot. You might need more depending on what kind of tape and ribbon you are using. Attach the ribbon to the tape keeping it taut around the top lip of the pot. Overlap the ribbon at the other end, cut the ribbon and use another bit of double sided tape to hold down the end of the ribbon. You will need approximately 49cm of ribbon for a 15cm pot. 

I have used three different dotty ribbons from Jane Means. They are all 15 mm grosgrain ribbons in green and cream.
   

I put three very pretty white Campanula still in their plastic pots inside the painted pots. This way you can easily replace the plants once they have finished flowering. Depending on the size of the plastic pot you might need to raise it by standing it on a small glass or plastic container turned upside down. 

As I have used water based paints this kind of arrangement is only suitable for inside use or outside on a dry day.
   
Water the plants with care, preferably taking it out of the painted pot, as you don't want to ruin any table tops. 

You can also put some matching saucers under the pots to add to the whole arrangement.

Perfect as a centre piece on a dining table, in a window or on a hall table to welcome your guests.

Have a lovely day!

xoxo Ingrid