Faux Pottery Planters

Definitely something that it is not! #upcycling

I don't know about you but I am always rather intrigued by things that are not quite what they seem - things which started life as something else (and far less) and have been raised by upcycling.

Looove that cactus vase in the background that my son gave me for Mother's day too :-)

You would have to live under a fairly well sealed rock not to know that we produce a lot of rubbish in our world and upcycling is a great way to reuse things and to try to do our bit to reduce the burgeoning problem.

To fool the eye, pay attention to the details - the edges can give the game away.

This week's offering is a jam jar. Just a common, garden variety glass jar now living its new life as a pottery planter!

The glazes maketh the pot.

See what I mean!? I am counting this one for the win. What was destined for the rubbish heap, is now living a bright new existence as a little pottery planter.

Dem textures!

And of course, it is super easy to do. Start with a nice clean jar....

Start with a nice clean jar and turn it into something else!

What else do we need.....
-Air dry clay. I am using DAS brand in white.
-DecoArt Acrylic, water based paint. Mine is flesh tone, and terra coral
-DecoArt Texture Sand
-DecoArt Triple Thick Brilliant Brush On Glaze
-DecoArt DuraClear Matte varnish
-1" flat paintbrush (you don't need any particular skill though)

-Your usual painting needs

-Oh and a little plant and some potting mix

Begin by cleaning your jar so that it is near enough completely clean. If there is a little bit of label and glue on it, that doesn't actually matter. You won't see it and it can help the clay to stick.

Next roll out the clay so that it is reasonably thin and use your hands to mould it around the jar, gently persuading it into nooks and crannies (like the thread around the top) and also slightly over the rim.

Perfectly smooth is actually not needed!

As you can see from mine, it is quite artisan looking and a bit on the rough side. That is absolutely fine. Pottery comes in all sorts of styles and right now, the trend is for a slightly rough hewn style. Lucky too because it is easier to do!

If you don't want it so rough, wet the clay or your hands with a spray bottle and smooth it gently.

Trim the inside and underneath. The base is important so that the pot sits flat. Mine will be getting a little more neatening later on....

Tidying needed.

By extending the clay over the top and into the jar, when it is filled, it will look more like the real thing. The glass however will mean that watering it possible because it is glazed inside.

Allow the pot to sit somewhere and dry slowly and naturally for about a day. The slower the drying, the less likely to end up with cracks. If it does crack, either love them and incorporate them into the design or mix some clay with water to make a loose sludge and fill them in.

When the pot is dry, it is time to decorate!
Take the textured paint and paint the top two thirds only.

Keep the brushstrokes horizontal for this make.

This is a wonderful painted finish which gives real pottery texture (and fills in some of the pot holes too). I see that it is a bit harder to find now and if you do have trouble, recreate the look with some real sand mixed with white acrylic paint or another texture medium.

Don't use your most precious brush!

The clay is looking a bit smoother now. You can fill in as little or as much as you like.

Don't forget to extend the texture paint over the rim and inside too. basically, wherever there is clay, there needs to be paint!

Allow this coat to dry and then paint the whole pot with flesh tone acrylic paint. Just cover the top two thirds.....

LOOOOVE that perfect boho peach shade!

Don't worry if the edge is not perfect. This bit is supposed to mimic a pottery glaze.

Now come back in with terra coral and paint a band of that colour on the bottom 1/3.....

Don't  worry about the half smooth/half textured edge.

As you can see, the line between the two is not perfect. I have dry brushed it with what was left on my paintbrush to get a sort of 'desert sunset' vibe going.

The dry brush effect is really pretty.

Allow these to dry (trust me it is worth making a few of these and drying them all together). 

Seal the top with matte varnish. That bit is actually finished now. To add contrast, we need a shiny base like a glaze. The colour is already there. The next step is to coat this with a very glossy varnish. I am using a triple thick one and allowing it to dry between coats. I  gave it only one coat to get the look that I want.

The next shot will show how glossy this is - and how like a glaze!

Seriously, to a casual observer.....

This varnish is lovely and thick and it runs in a way that looks just like a glaze. 

One of its great properties is that it is self levelling. Like an epoxy but without the fuss.

I put it into my kiln airing cupboard and turned it every ten minutes until it was set a bit to stop it from dripping off the bottom or going too far up. Then it was left to dry properly.

One more!

Let this dry and cure - I like to let things cure in a warm dry place for about 10 days but it is up to you. You can carefully plant straight away and then it will cure as it sits on the shelf!

Um....I might not have mentioned it but the plant is not real either! Trust no one!

By the way, 'curing' means to allow the paint and varnish to reach its maximum hardness.
And that is all there is to it! Fill it with your potting medium next and then add a little plant. I guarantee that once the bug is biting you, you will not let any containers into the rubbish again!

I am going to do HEAPS more of these!

By the way, this works on bottles and tins too....
Happy painting and thanks for dropping by!
Debs
xx