The Cutest DIY Flower Pot Painting Ideas
During the summer, I like to get a little creative with the kids. They love crafts, and they love them even more when we do them together! I don’t have it in me to do crafts with them every single day, but once a week or so, I like to come up with something fun for us to do together. This past week, we made some really simple painted flower pots, and I wanted to share our flower pot painting ideas with you!
This was such an easy and affordable project. Terra cotta pots are only a few dollars at Lowe’s & Home Depot, and I know many of us parents already have a plethora of paints and paintbrushes on hand. We didn’t use anything fancy here – just some acrylic paints I already had in their craft closet. You could also use leftover latex paint if you’re brave.
10 DIY Flower Pot Painting Ideas
Before we got started, I pulled up some images on Pinterest and Etsy of painted flower pots to give the kids some inspiration. Sometimes when presented with an open-ended craft like this they can feel a little paralyzed with indecision, so it helps to give them a starting point!
Of course, beyond that, you really can’t control what they actually do. I had visions of super cute, elaborately painted flower pots. Instead, they both gave up after about 20 minutes and moved onto other activities while I sat by myself and finished. Typical!
We had a blast, even if it didn’t last as long as I had hoped. And, the kids are so proud of their creations! Here are a few of the pots we painted, along with some other ideas I found while I was browsing.
Ice Cream Cone Painted Flower Pot
This one was my very favorite and I had so much fun painting it! You just start by painting the bottom part of the pot a tan color, then using a pencil to trace your “ice cream”. Paint the ice cream white and once the first layer of paint dries, you can add in the details. It was a really easy one to paint – the hardest part was making the cross-hatching on the cone look good.
Vines Painted Flower Pot
I had a lot of fun with this one too, and it’s a very forgiving design! I just grabbed a couple of different greens and drew little vines coming out of both ends of the pot. Then, I used the opposite green to add some accents. This one is largely foolproof!
Animal Flower Pots
These animal painted flower pots are SO CUTE and such a fun idea. They’re super simple, too! Grant declared he was going to paint a cow, but got bored and quite about 3 minutes into painting the pot white. He’s not a big craft kid! But, I love how these look and it would be a great option for younger kids who need simple designs.
Black & White Designs
I love these really simple designs! They would be so easy to make and can fit in with any decor. Plus, something like this is a design that any kid can do, which I love! The imperfect hand-painted lines are so charming, and you can also play with other color combos if you want something a little more colorful.
Simple Geometric Pattern
via Dream Green DIY
A simple geometric pattern is always a good choice! This is one of those “there are no rules” designs, and you can really get creative with what you do. Personally, I’d leave my planters mostly terra cotta colored and do white and green designs (or, you know, any color combo).
Stripes, Lines, & Angles!
via Bitte Shop
Talk about simple but beautiful! You can create angles with painter’s tape for a really simple geometric design. Or, just grab a thick paintbrush and paint some white lines on it like the pot on the left! These are ones your kids can easily do, and they’re also great for us adults who aren’t terribly artistically inclined!
Paint Some Faces
via Sugar and Cloth
I LOVE a face painted onto a planter. This is one of my very favorite flower pot painting ideas because it’s so simple and so adorable. Obviously, it will look best with a curvy planter like the ones shown above, but you can easily do it with any terra cotta pot, too! Bonus points if you put a really fun-shaped plant in it for make it look like hair!
Hand Painted Daisies
I looooove this super simple design! You could paint sunflowers, stars, little suns, or daisies! Basically, anything that’s small and you can easily paint. Just paint a bunch of them and it’ll look incredibly charming on your painted flower pot!
Create Aged Terra Cotta Planters
via Cherished Bliss
I absolutely adore the look that terra cotta planters get when they’ve been used for a long time. That aged, worn, whitewashed vibe is so pretty. But, of course, it takes time to get there. Thankfully, there are lots of really simple techniques out there to get the look in just a few minutes!
Just Let the Kids Go Nuts
Finally, perhaps the most charming option of them all – just let the kids have fun with it! Of course it’s a blast to pick a specific design and create some really beautiful and unique painted flower pots. But, what is more important and rewarding is having a fun craft time with your kids! I sometimes have a hard time just letting go when I have a vision in my head, but the kids always have a better time if I just let them be free. Plus, their designs are pretty darn adorable, too.
I hope this inspires you to try something new with your kids this summer! This was a really cheap and fun craft to do together, and they’re so proud of how their planters turned out. And really, that’s all that matters in the end.