The Best Ceramic Planter DIY

It amazes me that I can start with a terracotta pot, add some molded clay and a few coats of paint, and end up with the best ceramic planter.

These ceramic planters are going to look fabulous on my fall tables. I love how easy they are to make and how great they look with fall colors.

Why I Love to Work With Clay

Isn’t this ceramic planter amazing? I love that it looks so unique and yet is really easy to make.

I have teamed up with three other very talented bloggers and we are sharing ideas for your fall tables which includes a DIY, recipe, and table design. Today we are all sharing the DIY’s. Be sure to see their ideas below.

You might have noticed this is the third DIY that I have made with Iron Orchid Design (IOD) products. The first was a Leaf Charger Plate, then I made a Cake Stand, and today I made the Ceramic Pot. Isn’t it incredible what you can make with an IOD design mould?

Iron Orchid Designs has the most incredible products for crafts and DIYs. Their designs are very creative and their products will easily help you to discover amazing new DIYs and crafts.

If you go to the IOD website you will find “DIY tools and tutorials to inspire your creative soul”. They have decor moulds, decor stamps, and decor transfers to make fabulous items for your home. Today I get to share how I made these chargers for my fall table!

Where can you buy Iron Orchid Designs products? Just click here to find a retailer near you! (You can also order online from most of the retailers.)

Once again I thought it might be fun to go with the fall colors instead of white. Although I am pretty sure I will be making something similar to this in white for the holidays!

 On this blog, I may sometimes use affiliate links, which means a small commission is earned if you purchase via the link. The price will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link.

How to Make a Ceramic Planter

Materials Needed to Make Your Two Ceramic Planters

• Terra Cotta Pots (see below)
• IOD Fleur De Lis 6×10 Decor Mould (for leaf)
• IOD Laurel 6×10 Decor Mould (for swag)
• One 14oz. package of Iron Orchid Clay or Sculpey Model Air White Dry Clay
• Titebond Quick and Thick glue
• Acrylic Paint in Yellow, Brown, Light Orange, and Cream
• Paint Brushes
• Water-based satin sealer (I use Varathane Triple Thick Polyurethane)

Before you get started you need to plan out your design. I measured the swag and the circumference of my clay pot and realized I could use three swags and three leaves. Since you will glue the clay when it is wet you have a lot of flexibility to adjust the “curve” of the swag depending on the size of your pot. You could also use more than one leaf, in between the swags, if needed.

I measured the pot into three sections across the top and drew a pencil mark. I glued on the leaves first (one at each mark) and then added the swag. It was so easy to do!

• one – Roll some of the clay in your hand to soften it. Place a generous amount into the mould. Flatten the clay into the mould. Using a scraper, flatten and scrape the clay until it is flat (as seen in the mould at the top).
• two – Lay the moulds flat but don’t let them dry. You will glue them on while they are still wet.
• three – Apply the Thick and Quick glue to the back of the clay leaf piece and attach to the pot. (I measured the pot into thrids and made a small pencil mark at the top for my guide.) Hold the leaf in place for about a minute until it won’t slide off. Next, glue on the swags. Let dry overnight.

Mix your paints for your pot. This is where it is hard for me to share my paint colors because I mix them. And I just keep mixing them as I go along. I used burgundy red, orange, brown, and cream and came up with these two colors. I used these colors, named Peach and Burgundy, for the cake stand I made and saved them in mason jars.

• four – I wanted to highlight the clay moulds so I painted the clay with burgundy paint first. Let it dry.
• five – Next I painted the rest of the pot the lighter peach color. Don’t worry about painting it too perfectly.
• six – Let the paint dry. I placed the pots outside in the sun and they were dry in about ten minutes.

• seven – Next I put some of the peach paint in a cup and thinned it with water. (I call this a “wash”.) You want the wash to be a thin consistency so the under color shows through but not too thin that it runs all over the place and won’t stay on the pot. A few drips are ok, just use your brush to get rid of them.
• eight – Paint over the burgundy paint with the wash.
• nine – Let the pots dry.

• ten – Next I made a wash with brown paint. Cover all of the pot with the brown wash. Let dry.
• eleven – Paint the entire pot with the peach wash again to bring out some of the colors. Do not worry about it looking perfect. The more uneven, the better. When dry, paint the pot (inside and out) with a water-based satin sealer.

Doesn’t this look amazing?

If you are enjoying my blog, you can sign up to receive my blog updates here. .

More Table DIY Ideas

Here’s How to Make Your Own DIY Fabric Chargers | To Have + To Host

A few weeks ago, I was in the mood for a blue and white tablescape so I came up with an idea for a DIY fabric charger, which I’m super excited to use on my Thanksgiving table – here’s how I did it.

Dried Orange Thanksgiving Place Cards | Modern Glam

These DIY Dried Orange Thanksgiving Place Cards are a beautiful way to add character and personalization to your holiday table. Learn how to make them with me!

Farmhouse Fall Centerpiece DIY | Happy Happy Nester

Here’s an unusual twist on a Farmhouse Fall Centerpiece. This gorgeous bouquet includes the rich color of purple flowers. I’ll show how I designed this floral arrangement step-by-step.

A Home to Share, by Leslie Saeta

Pin the image below to your decor boards on Pinterest (just click the Pin button in the top left corner). You can also follow along with me on Pinterest!

For more real-time updates, follow me on Instagram @My100YearOldHome