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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Decoupaged French Pots

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Using decoupage as a transfer medium is all over blog-land, and I've been inspired by so many creative bloggers! I wanted to try this method of transferring images onto pottery ever since I saw the beautiful pots done by Laurie @ Heaven's Walk. She has a wonderful tutorial on it that is so easy to follow, and I had so much fun trying this method.
This small clay pot from the Dollar Tree had this yucky green color and I wanted to transform it into something more pleasant to look at:)
I gave it a couple of coats of burnt sienna craft paint:
Then, I applied a coat of white gesso. Rosemary @ Villabarnes  has a beautiful blog that will inspire you to use gesso to transform simple, everyday objects into amazingly beautiful things. I just love her work!
After applying a coat of gesso, I simply dabbed on some grey paint using a paper towel.
I had so much fun transforming the clay pot that I raided my garden shed for more terracotta planters to transform. I used the same method on the garden pot below. I flipped the French script on a photo editing site after downloading it from Karen's lovely site @ The Graphics Fairy. Then I applied a coat of mod podge on the graphic side,centered it on the pot and rubbed it on smooth with my fingers to remove all air bubbles. I let it dry overnight (5-6 hours, just like Laurie said). This was the hardest part because I was so tempted to take a peek. 
 Next morning, I misted the mod-podge graphic with water, let the water soak in for couple of minutes, then slowly rubbed off the paper using my thumb. I had to spray water couple of times to keep the graphic moist as I gently rubbed the paper off.
Close-up on the graphic after misting it with water:
The finished product:
I'm loving the decoupage method of image transfer; it works like a charm and looks amazing:

The paper backing is hardly visible. That's the best part of this method of image transfer and the image is so clear:
The French typography looks absolutely wonderful and I'm loving it. Thank you so much, Karen!
I'm quite happy with these decoupaged pots and am having fun playing with them. 


I planted thyme in this one and love how it looks in the pot:
I've kept these pots outdoors for now and will bring them inside once winter sets in:

In the flickering flame of candle light at dusk, they look beautiful:

I hope you enjoyed your visit here today. I'm so glad you stopped by. 
And my thanks to Kathryn @ the Dedicated House and the lovely sisters Paula and Patti @ Ivy and Elephants for featuring my Garden Party HERE and HERE. Thank you, ladies! You are so sweet, you make me smile:) Drop by and say hello to them or participate in their weekly parties and share your creativity with others.

Thanks to these wonderful hostesses for the Linky parties:
Stone Gable: Tutorial Tips and Tidbits
The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party




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Sunday, June 10, 2012

A Garden Party


Don't you just love summer? Short-lived though it may be in this neck of the woods, I enjoy every precious moment. The bright sunny days, the surrounding greenery, blooming flowers, outdoor picnics, and planning summer vacations are enough to lift my spirits and make me smile :) I love outdoor entertaining! Remember the succulent peat pot party favors for my garden party? Well, today I thought I will share with you the outdoor table I had set for my guests: 
The elements that went into my impromptu garden tablesetting:
I love succulents, as you can probably tell! Planted in clay saucers, they make beautiful centerpieces for any garden party:

Two different sizes of shallow clay saucers (6" and 8") were stacked after spreading a layer of potting soil in each. Stones and succulents were then added alternately in each saucer:
Stones help improve drainage as well as look pleasant visually:
I added a mini clay pot at the top that acts as a candle holder:

An image of  Marie Antoinette from The Graphics Fairy was added as a tag around the candle, and a glass hurricane shade placed over it finishes off my centerpiece nicely:
Love how it turned out:

I found this urn at Michael's. I like the graceful shapes of garden urns. They make wonderful planters for ferns:

These beautiful glasses are from the Dollar Store. I adore the leafy green color of these glasses:

A small cream pitcher holds the spoons:
White luncheon plates with ecru napkins:

This plant stand from Ross is used as a stand for the plates:


I used peat pots to make these candle holders. Click HERE to view how to make these crown peat pots. After painting them with black craft paint I mod-podged a French label from The Graphics Fairy:
It's funny how this one says "rats in the basement." I certainly don't want those rodents in my basement (lol!)
The numbered tags around each of these candles are found from Pinterest HERE. Since I used taper candles, I placed a mini clay pot inside the peat pot to act as a candle holder for safety reasons :
Next, I cut out  the number labels and glued them to round metal discs, easy peasy!

While they do look adorable, one word of caution I would like to add here: never leave burning candles unattended. Next time, I am going to use votives or pillar candle candles which burn inward in lieu of taper candles that drip down. As the candle burned, the melting wax kept dripping over the tag (and thread), and, eventually, we had to remove the entire tag as it was a safety hazard....lesson learned!
See what I mean:


 The tag had to go. It is cute even without the number tags:

It is important to place the mini clay pot inside the peat pots to catch all the drips from the melting wax:
I hope you enjoyed my garden tablescape:
I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit. I always appreciate your sweet notes and thoughts. They make me smile!


Thank you Terri @ A Creative Princess for featuring my "Beachy" Living room HERE. Stop by and say hello to Terri  and be inspired by her many creative projects or take part in her weekly party along with other inspiring crafters. 
Linking to:
Fishtail Cottage: Cottage Garden Party
Stone Gable: Tutorial Tips and Tidbits
I Gotta Try That
The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday
No Minimalist Here: Open House Party



at 63 comments: