How to Decorate Tables With Terra Cotta Pots

Transform terra cotta pots from earthy to out of this world for your dinner table.

Whether you are hosting a garden party or a ladies' luncheon, or just designing for your own enjoyment, table decorations make the meal feel more important. When you use terra cotta pots on your table you combine form and function. Pots can hold utensils, napkins and candy or can be decorated to serve as place markers, party favors or simply a rustic piece of art.

Things You'll Need

• Candy
• Stirring sticks
• Paper
• Cellophane tape
• Sponges
• White acrylic paint
• Serving plates
• Chalkboard paint
• Small sponges
• White chalk
• Duct tape
• Sand
• Candles
• Green spray paint
• Star shaped sponge or stencil
• Gold metallic paint
• Gift boxes
• Rusting solution
• Clear sealant spray
• Potting soil
• Ivy plants

Instructions

1. 

   Mini pots add a delicate touch to a garden party table.

   Fill miniature terra cotta pots with candies and a small drink stirring stick. Print out names of dinner guests on strips of paper and tape them to each stick to designate seating.

2. 

   Inexpensive sponges can be cut to any shape and used to stamp pots.

   Using large block letters, sponge paint your dinner guests' initials in white paint onto medium-sized terra cotta pots. Fill the pots with party favors that relate to your dinner theme.

3. 

   Overturned pots offer a steady surface for plates.

   Stack overturned terra cotta pots of various sizes and heights down the center of a large dining table. Top them with small plates to hold candies, appetizers, napkins and utensils.

4. 

   Encourage guests to decorate pots with colored chalk.

   Paint terra cotta pots with chalkboard paint. Once dry, write conversation starters with chalk on each pot and scatter them along a table. Fill them with small sponges and chalk so guests can write their own messages or questions.

5. 

   Use ornate terra cotta pots with cut-outs to cover candles for a more diffused look.

   Close the drainage hole of medium-sized terra cotta pots with duct tape, then add sand to a depth of 3 inches. Place votive or taper candles in the pots and light them. Place them down the middle of the table to add a pleasant glow.

6. 

   Gold metallic paint adds a sparkly touch to painted pots.

   Spray paint a large, medium and small terra cotta pot a deep green, then overturn and stack them. Cut a star shape out of a small sponge, then dip it into gold metallic paint and place it over your "tree." Place this in the center of a Christmas dinner table and gift-wrap small boxes to place around the bottom.

7. 

   English ivy is a fast-growing plant that almost anyone can grow.

   Brush rusting and antiquing solution on small terra cotta pots to give them a weathered and rustic appearance. Spray over that with a clear sealant. Fill the pots with ivy plants and set them at each place setting for a shabby-chic lunch party.

8. Bake flavored bread in small, foil-lined terra cotta pots and scatter them along an appetizer table.

Tips & Warnings

• Use only clean, new terra cotta pots to decorate tables. Even cleaned, used pots are not sanitary enough for a dinner table.

• Get the kids in on the act of decorating pots for a party. Hand-printed pots are delightful on a birthday party table.

• Don't wait until the last minute to make your table decorations. Many of these ideas require paint drying time.

References

• Country Living: Spring Centerpieces
• Theme Parties 'n More: Western Tabletop Decorations

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Craft Ideas: Crafts for Summer and All Seasons -- Antique Flower Pots
• My Recipes:Terra Cotta Table Bread
• Benjamin Moore: Cool Things to Do with Chalkboard Paint