Sprucing up old flower pots – creative tips

Magazine

Is your windowsill a hotchpotch of mismatching flower pots? We'll show you how to decorate them to create a harmonious ensemble.

Pretty serviettes, simple borders, blackboard paint - it doesn't take much to give old flower pots a new look. If you enjoy painting, clay pots are perfect for unleashing your artistic talent. But you can create beautiful pots even if painting isn't your thing. All you need is some glue and a good eye.

Decorating flower pots with serviette decoupage

Your beautiful serviettes made a dazzling but extremely brief appearance during an evening meal or afternoon tea. Extend their use by decorating your flower pots. To do this, you'll need a suitable surface. The serviettes stick best onto clay or terracotta pots. Plastic surfaces are less suitable. For the serviette decoupage you need the following materials:

Simple clay or terracotta pots
Any type of paper serviettes
Special transparent paint for the decoupage (available in handicraft shops)
Any type of acrylic paint
A small, pointed pair of scissors
A soft brush

Got everything? The first step is to prime the clay pot with bright acrylic paint. Ideally, paint two coats on the pot to intensify the effect of the colour. Now you have to wait a bit until the pots are dry. Then create a template that you will use later for measuring. To do this, stand the flower pot on a piece of paper, mark the area that you will be sticking the appliqués onto and cut this out. Now you know size of the area that you can apply to. Cut out the serviette motifs that you will later use to brighten up the planter. You only need the upper layer. Remove this carefully from the paper napkin. In the next step, use the brush to apply glue evenly to the flower pots and carefully stick the motifs on. If the edges of the motifs also stick, wipe them with a clean brush or by hand until smooth. Take care with this, as the serviettes tear easily. Finally paint over all the motifs with a special adhesive and allow the pot to dry. Simple as!

Tip: you can stick different serviettes to a flower pot – such as an upper edge with an abstract pattern and a broad surface with pictorial elements.

Dot-dash-dot – painting flower pots

Another option for decorating flower pots is different kinds of colouring techniques. One timeless design is to give your flower pots an elegant black and white look.

Note: whatever the colouring technique, always use flower pots with a smooth surface. These are the most suitable for painting.

For your black-and-white project, you'll need the right paint and different sized brushes. Have a roll of sticky tape ready. First paint your pots all over in either white or black, depending on your chosen base colour. Turn the pot upside down. Ready? Add another layer of paint to make sure everything is covered. As soon as the flower pot is dry, you can show off your painting skills. You don't have to be da Vinci to decorate your flower pots. Use different stripes and spots designs, like mandala symbols, to create fabulous flowerpots. If you want to do this with precision, stick adhesive tape on the pots and then paint the spaces in-between. Tip: apply different amounts of paint for greater variations in colouring.

Of course you can also use beautiful motifs as a template for the painting. How about a heart, a star or simple shapes? Cut out the templates, stick them to the pot with adhesive strips and paint the cut-out designs. When the paint is dry, remove the template, and you're done.

Varied and original – blackboard paint

Wild garlic, rosemary, basil – would your partner or children know the difference? We've got a great practical idea for you – paint your flower pots with blackboard paint! You don't need to paint the whole pot, just a strip wide enough for labelling. Once you've painted the terracotta pot, you can write anything you want on it with chalk, such as the name of the plant. When the whole family finally knows all the names, change the captions according to your mood.

More decorative ideas – lace, stamping, newspaper

A great idea is decorating your flower pots with lace. It looks particularly nice if you decorate several pots of different sizes and use various patterns. Cover the large pot all over in lace and just stick a border on the top edge of the smaller pot. To keep everything in place, apply glue to the pot surface beforehand and the fabric will stick to it. Make sure the lace does not hang inside the pot. If you get it wet while watering, it could start to become mouldy over time. For a perfect arrangement, the herbs should also match each other. For example, plant the pots with cacti to create a pleasing contrast.

Something simple but beautiful – stick cords or beautiful ribbon tied into bows on your pots. If you want to create an old-fashioned appearance, press clippings or the pages of a book are a good idea. You can combine different techniques. Use a pretty stamp to decorate your flower pot or attach a bow with decorations to it. There are no limits to your creativity.