Hand Painted Mother’s Day Flower Pot

As a mom of two, I wanted to give my mother a gift for Mother’s day that would be from the family.  We have a 9 year old and a 1.5 year old and combining the skill levels from the two, is not an easy task.   One will not sit still and the other would rather play with his legos.  To accommodate both, I decided to let one make polka dots with their finger and do foot prints with the other.  She was happy to walk on the paint and he was happy to be creative with little effort. Not to mention, his feet would not fit on the flower pot.

To make this personalized gift for mom you will need:

• Paper Mache Clay Pot
• Black Sharpie Marker
• Acrylic Paints and Paint Brushes
• Mod Podge
• Plant in plastic pot
• Pencil
• One pretty plant

Start by painting the bottom half of the pot.  I like to start with the bottom so I can work on the bottom half while the top half is drying.  Let the pot dry.

Turn the pot right side up and paint the top half of the pot.  Allow plenty of time for the pot to dry.  If it is still damp the next step will not work well.

Use a pencil to draw the outline of the letters.

If you notice, I made one letter too large.  That is okay, because you can take the base coat and go over the pencil line.

My son painted in the letters, then I added polka dots. I painted the tips of the kids fingers and let them have a go.  They both really enjoyed this part.  I let my son paint the rim and the inside of the pot.  I cleaned up the shape of the letters with a Sharpie marker.  I also wanted to have a little fun so I added the scallops at the bottom.

Lastly, my son painted his sisters feet.  He thought it was crazy fun and she was wondering what in the world we were doing to her.

I added both of their names and ages for the finishing touch.  The last step was to coat the pot with  Mod Podge.  This will help to save the paint if water drips on it when watering the plant.

Add a pretty plant and voila’ you have created a great personalized Mother’s Day gift, hand (and foot) painted by the family.

NikiMeiners

Niki is known for her distinctive, high quality creations that feature a diverse mix of styles and highly creative approach to even the smallest detail. Her creations are simultaneously beautiful and functional.

Visit her site at www.365daysofcrafts.com or her blog, Niki Meiners – Live a Life Handmade at www.nikimeiners.wordpress.com