12 Crafts of Christmas: Clay Pot Christmas Tree

I became obsessed with this project and decided I needed to do it when I saw it on Pinterest.  The inspiration comes from The O'Donnell Nest.  We approached the project in different ways, but I love both end results.

 

Clay Pot Christmas Tree

 

What You'll Need

 

 

Clay pots in varying sizes. The second smallest size will be used for the third tier of the tree and the base. I played with all the sizes in the store until I foun a combination I liked. That's right, I sat criss-cross-applesauce in the middle of that aisle stacking pots and it's okay if you do the same. 

 

Clay Dish. To find the right size, I turned all the dishes upside down and set the largest pot on them until I got to the one where the pot resing just outside the ring on the bottom.

 

Light green paint. Obviously I chose spray paint, but if you want a different color you can use acrylic.

 

Maroonish red paint

1-2 round sponge brushes. I used two so I could have size variation.

Brown Felt

 Wooden star. Mine is from the wooden craft section of Michael's.

Felt

Hot Glue

Yellow paint

Sponge brush

Dowel rod. It needs to be thin enough to fit into the hole in the bottom of the pot.

Pencil 

Knife or small saw

 

What You'll Do

1.  Paint your pots.  You're going to paint all the pots but the base and the dish.  I sprayed a coat of white paint first to lighten up the clay and cut down on green coats. I sprayed them upside down first and then right side up.

 

2.  Once all your pots are dry and looking snazzy, it's time to paint your "ornaments." Dip your round sponges in paint and polka dot the pots until you're happy.

 

3.  Once everything is dry, attach felt to the inside of the pot using hot glue.  I just did a strip around the top.  This will keep the pots from sticking to each other when you dismantle the tree for storage. It will also keep them from rubbing against each other when they next inside each other. the color doesn't matter because you can't see it once the tree is assembled.

 

 

 4.  Once the glue has dried, stack your tree.

 

5.  Put your dowel rod through the hole at the top of the tree and slide it through all the holes until it hits the plate that the larget pot rests on.  Use a pencil to mark the rod an inch above where it emerges from the pot.

 

6.  Using a saw or a knife that you don't plan on using again, saw off the end of the dowel rod. 

 

7.  Using a sponge brush, paint the star and the area of the dowel rod that will be visible.

 

8.  Once dry, hot glue the dowel to the star.

 

9.  Finally, assemble your tree.  Place the bare pot upside down, place the dish upside down on the bare pot, and then stack the rest of the pots on top.  Finally, slide your dowel with the star attached down the center of the pots. 

 

 

I may go back and add glitter to the bases of all the pots, but I haven't decided for sure yet. I was going to put it on the floor by the fireplace, but when I trie it out it was too small, so instead I put it on my hodge podge of a mantle. This cute little guy would also look great in a kid's room or an office that's in need of Christmas cheer.

 





12 Crafts of Christmas: Santa Planters

I was really on a roll this weekend with finishing up projects and actually writing about them.  That is probably due, in no small part, to the final paper deadline that is looming in my very near future.

 

I like to think that today's project could make a great gift for neighbors, teachers, coworkers...anyone! Also, like all my favorite projects, it's SUPER cheap to make.  I already had some of the items on hand (and you probably do too!) so I only spent about $5.

 

Santa Planters

 

 

What You'll Need

Clay Pot. Do you realize how cheap these suckers are?  Like, less than $2.  Crazy!

Red Paint.  If you've read any of my posts involving paint before, you know I spray paint everything and this was no exception. I use Krylon Fusion. You can get it at Walmart and it's the best I've found.

White paint or primer (optional)

Painter's tape

Black acrylic paint

2 Sponge brushes. You could just use one and wash between uses, but a lot of times you can find them for 20/$1 at Michael's, so I just stock up then and throw them away as I use them.

Metal Washer. I went to Lowes and got a pack of 4 for something like $1.50. 

Mod Podge

Gold or silver glitter

Hot glue gun

 

What You'll Do

1.  If you're using primer, apply a layer of it to the pot.  I just used .99 white paint to dull up the base color so I wouldn't need as many coats of red. Let dry.

 

2.  Paint the whole thing red.  I painted the inside too.  I applied 3 coats. I sat the pot upside down for the first coat and flipped it right side up for the rest.  Let dry completely between coats.

 

 

3.  Bring your pot inside.  Put painter's tape around the bottom of the lip of the pot. Mine wasn't perfect, but you can't really tell.



 

4.  Using a sponge brush and black paint, paint the area above the tape black, including the rim.  Let dry.

 

5.  Using a sponge brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to one side of the washer. Immediately sprinkle glitter over the washer and shake off the extra glitter.  Set aside to dry.

 

 

6.  Once the first layer with glitter is dry, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge on top of the glitter and let dry. The top coat will help the glitter stick to the washer. 

 

7.  Apply hot glue to the back of the washer and attach to the pot's "belt."

 

 

I'm going to fill mine with homemade candy or cookies for a Dirty Santa party, but you could also put a plant in it (I'd get a plastic liner if this is the case), put some foam in it and make a cookie or cake pop bouquet, fill it with fresh oranges, or really anything that you can think of.

DIY: Striped Letter Wreath

The trophies that I made for work put me back in the crafting spirit.  I've been seeing letter wreaths for a while and finally decided that it was time to stop talking about how I should make one and actually get to work.  As always, I got ahead of myself and didn't take details at every step, but 3/4 isn't too bad, right?

Striped Letter Wreath

What You'll Need

1 Wooden Letter

2 colors acrylic paint (I used Martha Stewart)*

Painters tape

Artificial flowers or felt flowers (or both!)

Burlap

Epoxy or hot glue**

What You'll Do

1.  Using the lighter of your two colors, paint both sides and the edges of your letter.  I did two coats.

(Yes, I used the latest issue of crime times as an impromptu drop cloth.  It really classes up this tutorial, huh?)

2.  When your base color is dry, use painters tape to mark off diagonal lines.  As with most everything I craft, I eyeballed the lines and it turne out fine. 

3.  Using the darker of your two colors, pain over the tape an the exposed part of the letter.  I kept the pain to the front, not wrapping to the edges. 

4.  As soon as you have all the coats you want (again, I did two), remove tape immediately. I think it's easier than waiting until the paint dries.

5.  Cut the burlap to whatever length you want it.  Using epoxy or hot glue, attach the burlap to the back of the letter.  I put one end on each side of the Y.  You don't have to worry too much about how neat it looks.  It is burlap, after all.

6.  Flip your letter back over and use your epoxy or hot glue to attach your flower wherever is most appealing to you.   

7.  Let everything dry/set over night and then hang!

Full disclosure, this is actually the second one I made. The first one I made what the same green, but it had light blue stripes and a yellow flower.  Paul thought it was a little too girly so I took that one to work to brighten up my cubicle and made this slightly manlier version for the front door. 

*The green is Martha Stewart an the blue is...not.  I'm not sure what brand it is.  But I didn't like it.  With the first Y I did I used all Martha Stewart an it was lovely.  This blue paint was pretty thin and kept sneaking its way under the painters tape. I'll be using Martha Stewart paint for crafting from here on out.

**If your letter will hang indoors or outdoors, but out of the sun, feel free to use hot glue.  If you're going to be hanging your letter in direct sunlight, go for epoxy.  That's actually my rule of thumb for all wreaths.  I've had two wreaths that hung by a ribbon secured with hot glue that I found on the ground when I got home from work because they were in direct sunlight all day.  Ever since I started using epoxy it's been smooth sailing!