Dyed Tramp Art Planter DIY

My latest obsession is tramp art. Tramp art is often made from discarded pieces of wood to form geometric shapes. Popsicle sticks are a perfect example. You can find intricate baskets, lamps, picture frames and more from carved sticks. I decided to add to my collection and but a colorful twist on the theme.

DIY Mexican Painted Planters

It's Cinco de Mayo weekend and I know there is a lot of sombrero and chili pepper crafting going on, so I thought it was my duty to up the ante a bit and show a new side to Mexi-themed party decor! (I refuse to do sombreros and chili peppers for personal reasons, lol) How about learning to paint your own Mexican-style pottery?

 

Here at iLTC, we have a whole wall filled with shelves of blank bisque. This week I came across these wall planters that reminded me of Ensenada, Mexico. They had amazing, beautiful designs like this:

I decided to try my hand at the planters and give them my own spin! Here is what you need:

Pencil

Eraser

(carbon paper if you want to trace designs)

Duncan Blank bisque: 31531 Teardrop Wall Planter (you can ask your local paint on pottery store to order for you!)

Duncan® Cover-Coat® Opaque Underglazes or Duncan Concepts Underglazes

Red, blue, white, green, yellow, orange, teal, purple.

Duncan® French Dimensions™

Pure Brilliance® Clear Glaze

Assorted brushes

Fan brush or sea sponge

Draw your designs on the bisque. Don't worry, the pencil will burn off when you fire. Erase if needed. This is to get your design down, so you know where you want to apply the paint. I ALWAYS sketch my design first, it makes the process so much easier!

Once your base is completely covered with your paint, let it dry. For a traditional look, you'll want to add thin white lines to outline. I skipped that part because I wanted to give it my own spin!

Time to break out the French Dimensions, this is my favorite part! It's like Puffy Paint for ceramics! Make sure the liquid flows easily from the tip, otherwise your hand will cramp from squeezing. I always knead my bottle before I open it and turn it upside down and tap, tap, tap, so the paint goes to the top of the bottle.

Outline everything in black! In the picture above, the photo on the left is the paint dry, and the photo on the right is of the paint still wet. It will look super matte when it is dry, but will fire to be super colorful and brilliant!

Once it is all dry, you'll want to coat it in glaze. This will make it super shiny and bold. TIP: I ONLY use a fan brush or a sea sponge to blot onthe glaze, otherwise the paint can smear and you'll cry because your work will be ruined!

Here are my pieces, glazed and in the kiln! fire at cone 06, if you glazed the back of the pieces, make sure to add stilts!

 

How to Decoupage a Terra Cotta Pot

How to Decoupage a Terra Cotta Pot
Make a Mod Squad Planter
Margot Potter for iLoveToCreate

Terra cotta pots are absurdly inexpensive and perfect for patio planting.  It's easy to dress them up with things you probably already have on hand.  Tissue paper and decoupage medium are the perfect materials to take a plain terra cotta pot from drab to fab in just a few quick steps.

You'll need a pot, a foam brush, scissors, some tissue paper cut into strips, Aleene's matte decoupage medium and Aleene's glossy spray acrylic sealer.  Brush on some medium, attach a strip working from the inside of the pot edge around the bottom of the pot.  Layer the strips on top of each other so you get some color play.  Gently press the tissue strips from the top to bottom, add medium on top and smooth with your finger tips.  Let the decoupage medium dry and then spray it with two layers of the sealer so it's water proof.  Add a plant and you can dress up a windowsill or a patio table top in a flash.  The best part, with a little help from iLoveToCreate, you can make this retrofabulous project for under $10.00!