Playful Pots

DIY Playful Pots by Jill Nelson

Looking for an inexpensive craft project to do with your kids this summer?

Start by grabbing a few tiny terra-cotta pots and succulents from your local garden center or home improvement store and some craft paints and brushes from Hobby Lobby or Walmart.

One design idea is to paint the entire pot the color of your choice first, allow to dry, and then add a liberal amount of your second color only on the bottom inch or so of the pot. Flip it upside down, tilt it to the side, and let gravity do the rest.

The eraser end of a pencil makes for perfect polka dots. Allow the base color to completely dry before adding the dots. Blot the eraser lightly on a paper towel after dipping into the polka dot color. Dip and blot again as needed.

If you have a brown thumb and don't trust yourself not to kill the succulents, you can create your own "cactus" with rocks.

Choose three or four different shaped rocks and paint in various shades of green. Once dry, use an artist's brush and a pencil eraser to make the signature cactus markings with white paint.

Fill your painted pot with sand about three-fourths of the way, nestle in the cactus rocks, and fill in with some unpainted pebbles.

Younger kids will naturally need more supervision with this project while older ones can really go to town with it and come up with their own designs. Perfection isn't the key; it's the time spent with your children. And when mishaps occur, it's just paint and you can start all over and try again.

Jill is a mom to two, a decorator, and Waco blogger at justplainjilly.com.