Alter a Terracotta Flower Pot
Bring in Spring With an Altered Art Project
Spring fever is here and with that comes gardening! Mixed media artists bring in the season by marrying gardening an art through alteration projects!
Spring is in the air and, despite how it may look outside, it is time to kick away the cabin fever cobwebs and get rolling with the new season. Gardening is a great way to get the ball rolling and pick up the pace again. Mixed media artists, bring in the spring season with an altered art project!
This project involves altering terracotta flowerpots. If children are present, this is a great project for them. Be sure to have plenty of cardboard or newspapers available to cover work surfaces and do not be afraid to make a big mess. These flowerpots will make great gifts, too.
For this mixed media art project, you will need the following materials:
- Small terracotta flowerpots
- Decoupage medium
- Seed beads, a variety of colors
- Small containers or bowls
- Plastic spoons for each bowl
- Metallic acrylic paint (your favorite color)
- Sponge brushes
- Small containers of water
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Garden themed charms
- Florist or craft wire
Follow these simple instructions to create this mixed media altered flowerpot project:
- If you would like to separate your beads by color, do so in the small containers before beginning this project. If not, simply place some beads into bowls and add a spoon.
- Around the rim of the flowerpot, brush on a few layers of the metallic acrylic paint. Allow this to dry completely before moving on to the next step.
- Brush on a generous amount of decoupage medium to one section of the flowerpot, and then spoon on some beads. Do this directly over the bowl or small container so the beads that do not stick will have a place to fall and be reused. Work in small sections so the beads do not fall off.
- Set the flowerpot aside to dry completely – be careful or the beads will fall off. While the pot is drying, go through the charms and start adding them to the wire. Create loops in the wire wherever the charms are so they do not slip.
- Add another layer of decoupage medium over the beads after the beads have dried on completely. This will create an additional seal. Allow to dry completely.
- Using the hot glue gun, wrap the wire around the pot tightly and secure it with glue. In some cases, the wire will stay in place without the glue. Experiment with winding the wire around a pot that has not been altered yet. Create interesting swirls, bends, and patterns. Once you feel comfortable with what you have created, determine if the glue is necessary or not.
There are glazes available specifically for pottery, but this tutorial did not touch upon that in order to keep things a bit simple. Speak to a customer service representative at your local craft store about your best options should you choose to explore this method. You may also wish to check some books out of the library to read up on the topic.
