DIY Faux Aged Terracotta Pots Using a Secret Ingredient!

Spring to me is all about flowers, greenery, and pots. I love terracotta pots, but I feel like the actual color has it's place...in small amounts for me. I do love how they look when they have been painted and have good age to them. I have been faux aging my terracotta pots for some time now and thought I would share the super easy way to do it!

My favorite place to get the pots are at Hobby Lobby. These ones don't have a large lip to them like the others you may find at common hardware stores. They are just smooth all the way up and down. Plus, they are super cheap when you catch them at 50%...which is usually every other week. The smaller pots are about $1 and the larger one shown below is $1.50.

 Okay....ready for my secret ingredient? This makes aging the pot so easy and fast. Petroleum jelly. Yep. Get a small dab on your finger and run it along the top and bottom rim of the pot. If you want more aging, then continue it down into the middle on some parts of the pot. You don't need a lot. Just enough to change the color of the pot.

 Next, paint it. I have used many types of white paint and not one is any better than the other. Depends on the look you are going for with a matte finish or glossy. Matte is better for the aged look so go for a crafty acrylic in that case. On these pots, I used a satin enamel in white. Since it's satin, even though it's enamel, it doesn't show a gloss.

 Do two coats of paint. The terracotta will soak it in pretty quickly allowing for a quicker than normal dry time. Just make sure it doesn't sit to long before the next step or else the petroleum jelly will also absorb and make the sanding a little more difficult.

Now, grab a square of sand paper and lightly sand the pot. You'll notice quickly where the petroleum jelly sections are since it will come right off. Work on that area gently until no more paint comes off and continue on until you think you got all of it.

 Here's the before and after of the pots.

 How easy and fast is that? I think it's about 30 minutes per pot which includes dry time. You can easily get in 5 to 8 pots in that half hour...you know, if you really love pots to make that many :)

 As you can see, I do! I made them in all different shapes and sizes. 

 I had fun playing around with my collection on my dining room table. One would think that I'm a plant lady, but I definitely have a black thumb of death. So, the fact that these are still green means two things: One, I just got them. Two, they will not be staying with me or I got them as a present :) The three main plants are actually going as teachers presents for the end of the school year which I'll share more about below.

 And again, playing with how to display these. It was super fun adding something different and unique to my tablescape that just screamed spring......while it was snowing outside. Yeah. Don't get me started on that. The first day of summer break for my littles and the highs are in the 40s...

 Here's how I used a few of these pots for teacher gifts. The ones on the table above are called Moondrop plants, and this one below is a succulent.

 I tied them all with some jute, adding a cute little tag that said: Thank you for helping me grow.

 And done! The total for each was under $5 which includes the pot. Not bad!

I don't know about you, but teacher gifts are always so hard for me! What are your go-to ideas? Comment below and let's share! :)

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DIY Patio Umbrella Stand (Hide The Ugly!)

On the few days that the weather has cooperated...and I mean very few...I've had the chance to spruce up my patio...which usually follows by me sprinting inside to hide from the wind, rain, and lightning.  My patio became pretty drab over the winter. So, I decided to change it up a bit starting with this little project...my patio umbrella stand. Even though this was just on a whim project, and literally took me 10 minutes to do, I felt like it made a huge impact on this area.

 This is how it used to look. It's heavy as heck and made of granite. I think 40 or 50 pounds, and wouldn't you know that our winds still blow the thing over. Anyway, I got this one because it was the most sturdy one out there. I never cared for how it looked though.

 So, I decided to create a little box for it. My first step was to use 4 pieces of 2x4s, and case it in. The diameter of this stand is 18", so my 2x4s were two at 22" and two at 19". The 19" pieces sat inside the 22" pieces. I secured these with 2 1/2" screws.

 I then cut some scrap would 1x4s to go over the top. These were all cut at 22". The middle section was a little smaller than a 1x4, so I did some digging and found some 1x3s. I cut these to fit pretty close to the vertical part of the stand, but enough that it could come off if needed.

 Since these 1x3 pieces were only going to be connected on one end each, to prevent them from sagging, I added a scrap piece of 1x3 to the bottom portion so that it can rest on the granite. I secured all the top pieces of wood with 1 1/4" nails.

I then stained the entire piece Dark Walnut by Minwax.

 Besides hiding a complete eyesore, this gives a great extra place to add some patio decor. I was really have a problem with placement of that bamboo lantern, and now it fits on here perfectly!

 Here's a little sneak peak at more of the patio which I'll be sharing with you all next week....if it ever does stop raining. I'm telling you, 40 degrees in May is not cool... I feel like we are in the beginning of March. I want my hot temps back! So, weather depending...I'll show you the rest of this area with sources :) I also have big plans for the opposite side of this patio, which I can't wait to get started on!

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13 Ways to Repurpose Old Picture Frames

Over the years I have collected a ton of frames. The odd thing about it really is that for the first few years of living in my house, not a single one held a picture. I don't know why that is, but now you can't find a wall in my house without a picture....or 20. :) So, what did I do with all of these frames? I used them in various ways, few of them with their intended purpose. I decided to collect some of the ideas and ways I have used them in this post. Some have tutorials, some are links to tutorials, and some are just so obvious that you can hopefully figure them out.

#1. This first repurpose project was one of my first crafty projects as a newlywed. I turned a thrifted frame into a cute little bulletin/punch board. (tutorial below)

Step 1: Cut some cork board and cardboard the size of the glass, secure together with spray adhesive. 

 Step 2: Fold fabric over cork board/cardboard, also securing on the front and back with spray adhesive.

 Step 3. Place into frame, add original back that came with the frame. Hang from ribbon or from hardware.

#2. I have a love for chicken wire and wire mesh. They are a great way to organize jewelry. So, one of my favorite ways to use frames is to attach the mesh onto the back of the frame and hang earrings from it.

#3. Yes, frames are intended to frame pictures, but why not frame 3d art instead? I just hung glass bottles with faux lavender stems from some jute and framed them with Ikea frames to get this look (tutorial below).

Step 1: Grab about 12" of jute, wrap around bottle neck and knot into place making sure it's good and secure. 

Step 2: Place bottle in upside down frame. Eye where you want the bottle to hang, then tied a knot where the jute meets the frame. Using a staple gun, place a staple right below the knot. Cut off the excess jute on the top. 

 Hang your faux stems!

 #4. I realized one day how boring my hanging towel hardware was in my bathroom. So, on a whim I decided to frame it! You can find the tutorial on how I did this here.

 #5. As mentioned before, frames offer great organization. For this one, I just added jute and clothes pins!

#6. Frames also make great trays! I have at least 4 of these in my house right now. They offer a great unique look. You can find out how to make on of these easily here (tutorial).

#7. This wall was in my home office offered great repurposing ideas for frames. Besides the jute and the mesh, I turned a thrifted frame into a chalkboard. I just sprayed the glass with chalkboard paint that comes in a spray can. 

 #8 and #9. You wouldn't know by looking at it, but that floral pink wall art above the dresser is actually just fabric wrapped around a large frame I found at the thrift store. You can see another peekaboo option for decorating with frames here on the very left hanging on the ladder. These are cute scallop frames I handmade (tutorial here).

#10 and #11. On the left side, I secured burlap to the back of some thrifted frames then hung clipped flowers from the burlap. On the wood, that's actually just an empty Ikea frame. I loved the look without a picture in it.

 #12. Frame something that isn't meant to be framed. In the nursery, I hung a frame over one of the butterflies flying along the wall.

 #13. Add a frame to add interest. Take the glass and picture out of a frame to resemble molding on a wall, or to just add a little bit of interest.

There are many other ways to repurpose frames, these are just a few! Let me know what your favorite way to repurpose frames is in the comments below!

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