My favorite part about Spring is getting to cultivate a garden. For weeks I’ve been asking… is it time? Is it time? Can I finally plant all of my flowers and herbs and vegetables? I feel like a little kid on a long road trip. But every time I thought the weather was finally improving, another bitter cold spell tripped me up. Well, I am happy to say…. I think it is finally safe to assume that the nice Spring weather has arrived in my neck of the woods. I wasted no time heading to the store to start buying some starter plants to get my garden underway. This year I decided to add a touch of Halloween to my Spring gardening with these DIY Halloween Inspired Skull and Spider Flower Pots.
A couple of months ago, I made some Halloween Decoupaged Wardrobe Hangers. They turned out so much better than I imagined and the response I got from my readers was so positive. I knew I needed to find a way to use the same technique to upcycle something else. With the arrival of Gardening Season, Terra Cotta pots were an obvious choice!
I bought several terra cotta pots from my local hardware store in a variety of sizes and shapes. The beauty of using terra cotta pots for this project is that they are so easy to find, very inexpensive, and because they come in so many shapes and sizes, you can find ones that are perfect for whatever you are wanting to plant and the space you have.
Some of these finished pots may look reasonably familiar to you. I used Halloween Paper Napkins to decoupage these…. just like those wardrobe hangers. And yes, I used two of the same napkin designs. Why change a good thing! I have collected so many of these Halloween Napkins, so while there are plenty of things one can use to decoupage, I really love how convenient and simple it is to use these napkins. If you don’t have stockpiles of them like I do, there are a ton to choose from on Amazon all year round. See below for some options I picked out for you!
Before we get started…. This post contains some affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission, which helps keep the lights on. Thanks! Click HERE for more details.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Terra Cotta Pots and Saucers – 5″ Pots, 6″ Pots, 10″ Bonsai Pots
- Black Paint
- White Paint
- Halloween Paper Napkins – Here are a few paper napkin designs you can order from Amazon that should work perfectly for this project!
- Outdoor Mod Podge
- Foam Brush
- Thompson’s Aerosol Water Seal
Paint each saucer, as well as the inside of each of the pots black. I used a flat black paint & primer spray paint. You can choose any coordinating color that goes with your napkins, but black is a pretty safe choice when working with Halloween Napkins. And I liked the consistency. There’s no need to tape anything off… it’s perfectly ok if you accidentally paint the outside of the pot… just make sure the inside is fully covered.
Once dry, turn each pot upside down, and paint the outside white. I used a flat white paint & primer spray paint. Again, there is no need to paint these perfectly since you’ll be covering them with the napkins. You may wonder why bother painting the outside since it’s getting covered anyway. I’ve tried this decoupage method without the white base, and find that the design of the napkin stands out much more with the white base. It simply provides a better contrast between the design and the napkin background.
Separate the plies of your napkin. Most cocktail napkins come as two or three-ply. You will only be working with the single ply that has your image on it. Carefully pull each ply apart. You may want to set aside the blank plies…. this project can get messy and you’ll be happy you had a napkin nearby!
To apply the design, tear the napkin ply into smaller pieces. I tend to tear each piece one at a time as I adhere it. This ensures I have the size I need, and can control exactly where the pattern sits on the pot. I also prefer to tear instead of cut the napkin apart. There is something about the torn edges that simply blends better as you begin to layer.
Tip: if you have a focal design element (like the skeleton for example), layer that piece on last to ensure overlapping layers do not cover it up.
To adhere the torn pieces, brush the Mod Podge onto the pot and lay the paper napkin onto the glued surface. I have seen tutorials recommend applying the mod podge generously. I disagree. A single ply of napkin is extremely thin. Once it becomes wet, it can easily tear. So, work in one area at a time, apply the mod podge lightly, and very gently smooth out the paper. Know that a few wrinkles in the paper is practically unavoidable. I think it gives a nice weathered look once the project is complete anyway! I use my finger to dab a bit of mod podge on the edges of each piece I work with to ensure the entire piece was mod podged.
Warning… Mod Podge is basically glue, so if you get any on your fingers beware of touching the wet paper that had been adhered to the pot… it’s very easy to get stuck to it and accidentally rip it off!
Continue to add and overlap layers of torn paper until the entire pot is covered.
Warning… work on one section at a time, and allow to dry for a bit. If you continue piling layers of paper over already wet layers, the paper will tear, leaving gaps.
Once the pot is completely covered in paper, AND completely dry…. brush on a heavy coat of mod podge over the entire surface. Now is the time to be generous…
Allow to dry completely.
Lastly, spray each pot with the water seal. This product can become a bit greasy if applied too generously, so be careful. I would also recommend leaving it on for at least 48 hours to soak in before planting any pots in it and leaving outside.
There is no question that the elements will eventually get the best of your pots, but the outdoor mod podge and the water seal should help protect the pots for a while. Luckily this project is super easy if you ever needed to make more!! Or – you could always skip the water seal, and just make these pots for your indoor plants!
this post contains affiliate links…
These are absolutely gorgeous! And they combine one of my favorite craft projects – decoupage – with my love of all things spooky. Thanks for sharing this with us, Alexandra. 🙂
Glad you like it Miranda!! 🙂
I LOVE this idea! I’m going to try this on one my big planters. I think it will look great with my Bird of Paradise or Monstera deliciosa vine. Since the pot nests down inside the planter maybe that will help preserve the decoupage?
That’s true… if the pot sits in a planter, I’m sure you’ll get a bit more life out of it. These would really looks great with those awesome plants! I haven’t started working on all of my large plants and flowers yet… just kicked off the season with my herb garden, so I had to work with what I had… but I’d love to see how a large planter turns out! I’m working on a way to allow readers to upload images to these comments so I can see how these projects turn out!
Is the 50 50 glue mixture basically the same thing as mod podge?
Hi FESOFAP – I have not tried the 50 50 Glue mixture. I know there are some out there that say to save your money… just use glue instead of paying for the mod podge. However, I did some quick research for you, and it appears that there are several crafters out there who have done some side by side comparisons, and it looks like the overwhelming response is that Mod Podge is a better, longer lasting product for decoupage projects. In this particular case, because I was making pots that would sit outside, I used the outdoor Mod Podge because it has an added sealer that helps to protect from moisture. If you choose to try the 50 50 mixture, just make sure you have a good sealant to protect the final product.
I am looking forward to some warmer weather here in Idaho as well so I can plant my fun goth veggies, and a project like this will keep me busy until those days come! Thank you for another amazing idea!
oooohhh… goth veggies! I like the sound of that!