Shabby Terra Cotta Chic

I have a penchant for terra cotta pots, I love their look, their price and their versatility.  My only gripe about these pots is the "new" look, when you buy them "new" (vocabulary failure).  I prefer an aged look, shabby or mossy or both!

Okay now, these are more to my liking...more of a shabby chic look to them.  This patina comes at a price though, literally.  Patina means age, age means old and old means said terra cotta clay pot could bite the dust soon.  It's just so depressing and sad.  I feel old and patina-ed now.

On that happy note...did you know you can create a patina and have a shabby little pot in no time?  Hooray for cosmetic applications!

I found several variations of the aging technique, of course I went to scary Martha first but hers includes the use of lime. I live in the middle of nowhere, no lime powder.  Another technique involved dry wall mud, too messy!

This is the technique I settled on presented by the clever... 320 Sycamore!  So easy, clean, tidy and available at all hardward stores.

All you need is a terra cotta pot and a can of spray stone finish.  Spray your pot.  After the finish has dried completely, start sanding the finish off to your liking.

And there you have it, shabby terra cottta chic!

Here's a couple of ideas for your shabby new pots...

How cute is this?!

A shabby little birdbath, simply by stacking terra cotta pot and saucer.  Notice the frog entrance at the bottom?  Sweet!   

Great method to keep your garden tools sharp and rust free:

Plug the drainage hole of a

terra cotta pot, fill with sand and spray/mix the sand with oil.  WD-40 or even vegetable oil will do.

Plunge your tools into the oiled sand.  I like to repeatedly plunge several times to really get the tools clean and oiled.

In the springtime when you're ready to use your beloved garden tools again, pull them out of the sand and wipe off!  They will be rust free, happy tools.

Don't you just love terra cotta even more now?

Go forth and get your shabby on in the potting shed!

Rebecca