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Saturday, April 19, 2014

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots


How to give a shabby chic look to plain terra cotta flowerpots and personalize them for a pretty hostess gift this Easter and spring.

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.com

So we are being hosted at both sides of the family for Easter this weekend.  That means hardly any cooking for me, no intense house-cleaning, grocery shopping, table setting and all the rest of the entertaining requirements.  I love to do it but this time around it didn’t work out that way.  I decided to get a little craft on and make a little something for the lovely hostesses to enjoy.  (Plus one for me too!)

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.com


I followed what is pretty much a formula for me.  Take a multi-purpose container (flowerpots are my favourite) + embellish it a bit and add a personal or seasonal touch + fill it with something pretty/tasty/useful = fabulous gift/decor/organizer.  You can see other versions of it here and here.

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.com

There’s nothing complicated about this one.  Here’s what I used…  Terra cotta flowerpots which can be had in many sizes from many kinds of stores…mine are four-inch pots from the dollar store, two for $1.25 plus the saucers three for $1.00.  Some antique white craft paint and a foam brush from my craft supplies.  Retail tags (which I keep a big stash of).  They have them in the scrapbooking supplies or sometimes the gift tags of a craft store.  I get mine at Staples in the retail supplies.  A new roll of vintage-feel ribbon from Creative Bag which inspired this look.  Then some four-inch plants from the greenhouse…I got some succulents and grape hyacinth.

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.comShabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.com 

I painted just one coat of paint on the outside of the pot and the saucer.  Using sort of a criss-cross stippling effect with the tip of the foam brush gave it a bit of texture and left some spots unpainted for a sort of imperfect, vintage-y, shabby chic feel.  With only one coat of paint the finish was also more matte than glossy.

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.com

By the time I had finished painting the third set the first one was dry.  I wrote a “Happy Easter” message on one side of each tag and a monogram of each lady’s first initial on the other.  So that the tag could be flipped around after Easter and still be part of the pot, and give it a personal touch.  Any message could be written on the tag…for a birthday, Mother’s Day or thank-you…  I threaded the tag through the ribbon and tied it around the pot.  Then I set the plant inside and done!

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.com

It probably took me about twenty minutes to make all three of these after I had the supplies assembled.  Twenty minutes of fun therapeutic craftiness.  And look how pretty they turned out!  I love the little succulent in mine.  I’m really hopeful that I’ll be able to keep it alive.  But if not this pot will find a new home holding pens, or cotton balls, or maybe tealights…who knows?  Maybe I’ll try an ivy.

Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots | personallyandrea.com

For now it’s sitting here by a window as part of a little Easter vignette in the sun.  Is that where you’re supposed to keep succulents?  I guess I’ll find out, but help me out if you know. 

Happy Easter everyone!


xo andrea