DIY: COLORBLOCKED POTS

I have a fun DIY for you today. I have grown herbs in the past and currently still have mint flourishing- can anybody kill mint??- but all the rest have sort of faded away... So, I decided to replant some this year AWAY from mint since it's like that pushy girl at Anthro during Christmas shopping, or...actually, anytime of year.

Anyways, the amount of cute pots is pretty lackluster so I decided to DIY my own. After seeing these images...

I wanted to paint a line of color (or white) on everything. I chose to do white after loving these images but I can imagine this would look awesome with neons or brights or any color as well, and with multiple colors too!

So, let's do this.

First up, gather your materials.

*terra cotta pots: I found two terra cotta pots at wal-mart for like 2 or 3$ a piece. They also happened to have a brownish color instead of the traditional color so I grabbed those as they pair better with our colors.

* sponge brushes

*acrylic paint (i had it on hand, i haven't tested this in the rain or elements so you may see that you want to use something different that may wear better? like spray paint or such)

*masking tape to give you that clean smooth line and

*some water for cleaning and thinning the paint if you like

**clear finishing coat, optional,(see note at end)

and you are ready.to.go.

Now, not that you really need instructions for this because it's pretty simple, but I will give you my run down of steps as well as some shots taken with my iphone (hence the "natural" photography).

First up, I wiped down the pots to make sure there was no debris any where on it. Then I eyeballed 1/3 of the pot (if you are more particular you can measure but I was ready to go go go. no time for numbers. that's pretty much how I live my life: english major vs. the math world and all...) You can do any increment you want but the designer in me likes things in odds like 1/3 over 1/4 -stuff like that (look at me and my numbers. it's like a beautiful mind up in this post). But, any increment would look great I'm sure. No rules, just have fun. You know this. (Also, you may have a worm helper as I did. They are everywhere here, everywhere.)

Then I applied the paint on and above the tape line. I added a bit of water to thin just so it would go on smooth but I wasn't really going for a white wash effect, though that would look great as well. I did another coat and let those dry. I left it overnight since it was later when I started. The next morning I applied another 2 coats (i was trying to get this junk on thick).

Then I let that dry and in go the herbs!

**Also, if doing white, you may want to do a clear coat at the end just to protect it. I have noticed the dirt clings to it pretty good since the terra cotta is a bit porous.

This is a great way to add some style to your plants and your porch! Enjoy!

-Elizabeth

(top images via Rue Mag and Anthropologie the rest are mines)