Hello again, sweet friends!
I am SO happy to be popping over again from Making Joy and Pretty Things where I write about our journey making our house into a joyful home.
You guys, I LOVE summer. Like crazy love it; will cry when it’s fall and snows again kinda love.
My favorite part of summer {if I could choose just one thing} has to be how I can feel the abundance of life surrounding me.
Leaves fill the trees, the grass is blowing in the breeze, the laughs {and screams/whines/cries, hehe} of children are plentiful and there’s a never ending supply of colorful flowers seemingly everywhere.
I wanted to feel that life indoors, too.
There is something so magnificently peaceful and calming about bringing nature indoors.
I am SO thrilled to share some DIY farmhouse decoupage pots with y’all today. These are just the right size to bring some greenery into your home. But, they still hold true to my neutral farmhouse style vibes.
I am SO excited about these 2 littles guys. And no, I’m not talking about my actual little boys.
You know when you have a project in your head and it doesn’t turn out how you pictured? Yes, girl, I’ve been there {more times than not}. But these little pots, no these pots came out EXACTLY how I pictured. I am beyond thrilled!!
I started with some basic terra cotta pots and painted them with my favorite Rustoleum Chalk Paint in Linen White.
I found some amazing craft paper that had pastel leaves and flowers on it, but you can use whatever paper you’d like! I also picked up some Mod Podge in Matte finish and this brilliant little scraper to help adhere the paper and got to work!
Now you guys, I am an absolute amateur when it comes to decoupaging; this was actually my first try!
After googling how to decoupage, as any person would (right?!), I decided to make up my own way.
I dumped a bunch of the Mod Podge out into a paper plate and dipped the paper in. Oh, and I cut the paper to roughly the size of the pot, leaving some extra on either side.
I laid the paper over the pot and used a paint brush to smooth the paper. I used that all important Mod Podge tool to press out any bubbles.
To my surprise, this actually worked! If you get too many bubbles, just add some more Mod Podge on top and use that handy tool to smooth them out again.
This technique probably elicits gasps of horror from any expert decoupager. It was messy, but it worked.
You could totally just leave your pots “as is” at this point. They were decoupaged and pretty…but…they looked too finished. I know that sounds crazy but I just didn’t want them to look like I had decoupaged them.
I wanted them to look like old pots. Like the paper was just a part of the pot.
So, I brought out some sandpaper and sanded them down to “roughen” them up a bit.
Looking better but still not quite right.
So, I decided to whitewash them.
{If you don’t have whitewash just dilute some white paint and you can get a similar effect!}
I used a paper towel to wipe on a decent amount of whitewash over half the pot. Using a clean rag, I quickly wiped the excess away.
Only do half of a pot at one time because this stuff dries quick and you don’t want it to be completely covered in white.
I was so so thrilled with how they turned out. It was perfect!
Doesn’t it look like the paper belongs on the pot?? It’s like I had found these pots in an old village in Italy. Ok, maybe that’s taking it a little too far 😉
Some areas were distressed more than others. One spot I actually rubbed a hole in from sanding too much. In my mind it all added character.
I picked up some sweet greenery from a local nursery that paired perfectly with the little farmhouse pots.
I am loving how they came out exactly how I had envisioned.
I so hope you guys try them! Decoupaging seems so intimidating but you can do it and make it your own. It will turn out uniquely YOU, even if there are bubbles.
These pretty pots now sit on some farmhouse shelves in my dining room. They are a sign of the beautiful summer outdoors. I love the life they bring to the room.
Even when the weather gets colder and outdoor life pauses for winter, I can still feel that life and warmth indoors.
And that’s it my friends! I’m so glad I was able to share these DIY farmhouse pots with y’all today.
Wishing you a joyful day!
Kristi I love this share. I just bought some new plants I think these pots would be great with just pinned 🙂
Oh good! Sarah has THE absolute best ideas to share!!! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much!! I hope you make a beautiful home for those plants 🙂
Very pretty!!
Thanks Kristen! Sarah always has the sweetest ideas to share!
Aww thank you Kristen! I love how they turned out!
These are absolutely adorable, Sarah! I had no idea you could decoupage over terra cotta. The distressing and whitewashing was such a brilliant idea. I think it was the perfect finishing touch. LOVE!
Aren’t they the cutest Sarah?! I love the way they turned out with the decoupage AND whitewashing. Brilliant!
Thank you, Sarah! I didn’t know you could decoupage over terra cotta, either. I definitely wasn’t planning on distressing or whitewashing, but I’m so glad they came out when I did. I’m SO happy you like them!
These are so pretty, Sarah!!! What a great idea! xo
Thank you, Kendra!!! You are so so sweet!
The whitewashing really finishes the look! And I love Sedum 🙂 Great job!!
It truly does! Sarah is so creative! Thanks so much!
Thanks, Lora! I’m sort of crazy about whitewashing everything now 🙂
Well, at first I thought the paper was part of the pot…ha ha! Great job sanding it to make it look like it is! It is amazing what a little creativity can do for our homes. I once tried using Mod Podge on a project and gave up on it. I love how these pots turned out and I need to get some of these easy care greenery!
I absolutely love how these pots turned out too Zan! Sarah did such a great job of really giving them that farmhouse look! Thanks so much!
Haha I’m SO glad you thought the paper was part of the pot, because that’s what I was going for! Mod Podge can be scary but you can do it, girl!
These are fabulous, Sarah! I would have never thought to whitewash the paper afterwards but the affect is gorgeous. Pinning 🙂
Aren’t they incredible Marie?! Sarah is seriously so creative!
Aww, thank you SO much Marie! I’m so glad you like the whitewashing. It wasn’t planned, but I’m so happy with the result.
Whitewash=genius! Perfect farmhouse touch!
Right?! Sarah is just so creative! Thanks so much Cristy!
Thank you, Cristy!! I’m so glad you like them.
So pretty, love how you muted it down with the paint!
Thanks ladies! Sarah is amazingly creative – that’s my favourite part too!
Thank you!!! I’m so glad you like them!
So fun! I love that you can make these pots completely your own by mod podging the paper on.
Thanks Shani! Isn’t that brilliant?! Sarah is so creative!!!
Thank you SO much Shani! I love any DIY that you can make your own, however that may be. And someone that maybe doesn’t like farmhouse style could use different paper and make a totally different pot. Thanks so much for reading!
I love it! The white paint was the perfect final touch. Need to find some pretty paper napkins for this. Just got some little pots for succulents in my teeny, tiny bathroom!
Aren’t they beautiful Peggy! Sarah did such a great job, I can’t wait to try making some too!
Could I whitewash the pots instead of using the chalk paint? I just painted all the walls in my house with Alabaster and have a lot leftover
Absolutely! I think that’s a great way to use up some of that extra paint!