What you’ll need
Terra cotta pots
Wood accents (stars, flowers, circles)
Deco Art Patio Paints and clear coat
Paintbrush
Multi-purpose sealer (optional)
Newspaper
Toothpick
Household Goop or similar adhesive

I often find myself telling my kids that they have to wait their turn. Waiting is never easy, especially when you want something really badly – like spring, for example.

When I look out my window and see snow, I have a hard time practicing what I preach. I don’t want to wait for spring.

Perhaps all Mother Nature needs is a bit of encouragement.

Let’s start by getting rid of all things winter. Take down the now brown evergreen wreaths from the house, put away those cute little snowmen figures and for goodness sakes, please pack up your “Let it Snow” signs.

Think spring. Think flowers. Think bright colours.

Think about making this fun and easy spring craft.

I guarantee, if you make it, spring will come, eventually.

Spring flowerpots

• For this craft you need terra cotta pots. Buy the size and amount you like (the number will depend on how badly you want spring to come). You will also need paint. On my pots, I used Patio Paint by Deco Art. This paint is weatherproof. Once painted, the pots do not need a topcoat varnish. They’re ready for the great outdoors. If you don’t plan on subjecting your pots to the elements, regular acrylic paints are just fine.
• To begin, spread newspaper over your work surface. Next, make sure the pots are clean and dry.
• Before you start painting, here’s something to keep in mind. Terra cotta is very porous. If you are going to put soil and a plant directly in the pot, you will need to seal the pot first. If you don’t do this, paint blisters could appear on the outside whenever you water the plant. There are a few ways to seal the pot. You can paint the inside with Patio Paint, coat the inside using Deco Art clear coat (or a similar product) or use terra cotta pot sealant. I used a spray sealant made specifically for terra cotta. It was easy to apply, however, the fumes were bothersome and the smell took a while to go away. The choice is yours.
• If you use the terra cotta pot simply as a pretty container for an already potted plant, you do not have to seal the inside. Most plants come in a plastic pot. You can just drop this inside the decorated one.
• It’s time to paint. Again, because terra cotta is so porous, it will really drink up the paint. To speed up the process and conserve paint, I coated the outside and inside few inches from the top with a multi-purpose sealer. When the sealer dried, I applied two coats of Patio Paint. I also recommend using a bristle brush rather than a foam brush when painting the pots. The paint seems to go on thicker and fewer coats are needed.
• While the pot paint is drying, it’s time to paint the wood accents. For my pots, I picked up small stars, circles (plugs – to make the center on a flower) and larger stars (which I painted to resemble flowers). A huge array of small wood cutouts can be found at stores that sell craft supplies. I used Patio Paint on the wood accents. Again, if the pot is not going outside, regular acrylic will do the job. A helpful hint – use a toothpick to hold these small pieces in place while painting them. This will keep your fingers clean.
• When both the pots and accents are dry, let the gluing begin. Use Household Goop to glue the accents to the pots in a pattern of your choice. The wood accents add a dimensional quality and a touch of whimsy. And it’s hard to have too much whimsy!