How to Decorate Terracotta Pots

Liven up a dull pot with some creativity.

Add some style and personalization to your garden by jazzing up your terracotta pots with painted designs or even sparkling jewels. Terracotta pots are useful for planting, and are pretty standard garden tools and supplies, but they are usually plain. Decorate your pots throughout your entire garden, or even for your indoor plants. Your pots may soon be just as popular with your neighbors as your azaleas.

Things You'll Need

• Mild dish soap
• Sponge
• Dry towel
• Latex paint
• Paint brushes
• Plastic gems
• Hot-glue gun

Instructions

1. Wash your pots with a mild dish soap and some water. Use a sponge to scrub off any dirt that has worked into the porous surface of the pot.

2. Lay a dry towel out in the sun and place the pot upside down, on top of the towel, to dry thoroughly inside and out.

3. Paint your dry pot with any color of latex paint you like to add a base layer of color. Allow it to dry according to the paint manufacturer's instructions. Paint the entire outside surface of the pot, but do no paint the inside, or chemicals from the paint could seep into the soil and damage your plant.

4. Paint a design onto the outside of the pot with another color of paint, or leave it plain if you want to use one solid color. Paint flowers, vegetables, people, or linear designs--depending on the style you are going for. Allow the painted design to dry according to the instructions on the paint label.

5. Place plastic gems around the rim of the pot to add some extra sparkle. To do this, place a bead of hot glue around the rim of the pot, and carefully press gems into the glue, all the way around.