Sunday, June 2, 2013

Terra Cotta Flower Pot Girl

                             
  Terra Cotta Pot people are so cute and adorable and easy to make.  They are a wonderful addition to any type of garden.  Just take a look at this cute little flower pot girl I recently made.

You Will Need:
  • 12 Clay pots - 5" for legs
  • 12 Clay pots - 4.25" for arms
  • 2   Clay pots - 8.25" for body
  • 1   Clay pot  -  8.25 for head
  • 1   Clay saucer - 6"
  • 1   Pool Noodle
  • Jute rope - approx. 6 yards
  • Outdoor acrylic paint/sharpie paint pens  or terra cotta paint pens
  • Accessories to decorate pots
  • Glue (E6000 or non porous outdoor glue or wood glue)
  • Clear acrylic sealer

*Update (2015) As a result of the harsh winter, and leaving the pot girl outside, I would use nylon rope instead of jute twine.  Unfortunately, the twine deteriorated in places.


The directions might seem lengthy, but it really isn't. Once you get started, you'll be zipping through in no time.

Begin by painting the "face" onto the 8.25" head pot.  I found a pattern online, copied, and lightly traced with carbon paper onto the side of the pot. Next, I filled in the eyes with sharpie paint pens and outlined the nose and mouth. I smudged paint on with a q-tip for the rosey cheeks.

                                                                  
If you want to paint the body and or arms and legs, now is the best time to do that.  It will be difficult to go back and paint after you assemble. 
You can paint the pots to look like clothes or add different designs and shapes. Any accessories, such as the apron, can be added after assembly.
Let the paint dry and then spray with several thin layers of acrylic sealer. 

Mark the pool noodle foam in 1 1/2" increments and cut into 26 pieces with a large knife. You will need these to string onto the jute rope and fit into the inside bottom of the clay pots for spacing and support.
                                                                 

Assembling the Legs:  (5 inch pots)

I braided three strands of jute rope approximately three yards long, sealing the ends with glue and taping one end to make it easier to pass through the holes in the bottom of the pots. Tie a knot (I double knotted) in one of the ends of the rope and string one of the cut noodle foam onto the rope, pushing it down to the knot. Push the taped end of the rope through the hole inside the bottom of the pot and out. The foam piece and knot should rest against the bottom of the pot on the inside. (this is the first of six pots)
                                                           
 

Push the taped end of the rope through another piece of foam and through the inside hole of the second pot.  Make sure you push the second pot all the way down so the inside of the pot is on the foam.  The second pot should be overlapping the first pot a bit because of the thickness of the foam.  Continue to string on more foam pieces and clay pots this way until you have all six pots lined up on top of one another.   

                                     This is the first terra cotta leg.

Leave about 12 inches of rope between the last (#6) pot and this pot.  String another pot onto the rope, but face this pot in the opposite direction of the other six pots. Do this by pushing the rope into the outside hole into the pot, adding a piece of foam to the rope like before.  Add another clay pot, then foam.  Continue doing this until you have strung all six pots going in the opposite direction of the first 6 clay pots.

                                
Your legs should look like two sets of 6 pots separated by rope approximately 12 inches long (in a upside down u shape).  Tie a double knot in the last pot and cut off any extra rope.


Assembling the Arms:  (4.25 inch pots)
The arms are made the same way as the legs.  Follow the same directions for making the legs, first braiding the jute rope, using the pool noodle foam pieces and the twelve smaller pots.


Assembling the Pot Body:
Place one of the 8.25 inch terra cotta pots, right side up. Using what is left of the braided rope from the legs, wrap it under the exposed (12 inches) rope of the legs and insert it into the bottom hole of the body pot, pulling both pieces through the hole, and through a foam piece inside the pot. Double tie a knot. 



                                              
 
Do the same for the second 8.25 inch pot, only upside down,  using what's left of the rope from the arms, etc.  

To put the two body pots together, I laid everything (arms and legs) gently on their sides on a padded surface, so I could glue the two pots together with E6000 glue.  This is what I had on hand - not thinking that clay pots are porous.  After running a bead of glue around the top edge of each pot, I then placed the body pot with the arms upside down on top of the upright pot with the legs.  And let it dry overnight.  The body pots stuck together, but the glue stained the pots. This can easily be hidden using accessories.

Finally, to finish the Terra Cotta Flower Pot Girl, glue a six inch saucer over the top of the body pot (not shown) - this is optional, and place the painted face pot on top.  For an added touch, flowers can be planted in this pot.

To dress up my flower pot girl, I cut out an apron from an old printed plastic shopping bag and glue it to the body. I also tied mesh tubing to the top of the face pot for a bit of whimsey.

There are so many creative things you can do with making terra cotta pot people.  You can add an outfit, hat, gloves and shoes - even hair out of raffia.  It's unlimited and the choice is up to you. 

                  See where I added a little fabric butterfly onto the strap of the apron.

                                

                                                           Cute, Cute, Cute!

If you don't want to invest in getting all those pots, decorate just one by putting a face on it, adding flowers, and giving it as a gift.

Just know that with a little bit of imagination and creativity, this is a fun and eye catching way to create charming decorative figures to sit in any garden or landscape!  Have fun!


And take time to enjoy,













25 comments:

  1. Aw! Thanks for joining in for Simply The Best! :) She has the prettiest "hair" in town. Hmm. Maybe I should try that?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Arr love this, I want to make one now :)

    Thanks for sharing with us at Creative Mondays...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for linking up last week, featuring and pinning this week :)

      New GFC follower too, hope you can stop by this week and link up ?

      Delete
  3. love love love this, pinning for next Spring...Winter started Saturday and down the rains came!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I absolutely love her! I've always wondered how to make one of these. Thanks so much for the great tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow the ideas I have for her! I wanna make one and put earrings and a dress on her. She is adorable....great job Gail!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go for it Christine! I would really like to see that!

      Delete
  6. How cute it this! Thanks for the great tutorial! Adorable!
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so adorable! It is just the cutest thing I've seen in a while! Thanks for the tutorial too! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. How cute! I can see my son asking for a "robot" one, just break out the spray paint. What a fun fun idea!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gail - how cute is that!

    So glad you linked up with us at the BeBetsy BRAG ABOUT IT Link and Hop.

    Have a wonderful week~
    Sharon and Denise!

    Follow us:
    Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Bloglovin ~ Pinterest

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks so much for sharing your cute pot girl at Simple & Sweet Fridays! Have a wonderful weekend!

    Take Care,
    Jody

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your terra cotta mascot is adorable... I didn't know about those foam thingamajigs in between -- Brilliant!
    What a fab party, my friend!! Thanks loads for hosting.... :)


    hugs xx Crystelle
    Crystelle Boutique

    ReplyDelete
  12. She's adorable! I have a clay pot man called Fred ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. SO CUTE! I hope you will consider joining in for Fresh-Cut Friday!
    Your Flower Pot Girl would be a wonderful addition!

    ~liz

    ReplyDelete
  14. Gail, this is so perfect!!! I'm pinning right now! Thanks for showing how to do this. Linda

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Gail! I'm so glad you joined in for FCF! :) And thanks for following me. I'm following you too. :)

    Have a great Saturday!

    ~Liz

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've seen these before and have always thought they were really cute. Thanks for the tutorial on how to put them together. This is a project I'll have to put on my list of "to do's".

    ReplyDelete
  17. Gail, this is just so adorable!!! And thank you so much for your very sweet commments on my blog about my hand painted glassware. You were so very kind! And thanks for following my blog too! I am also adding you to my list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gail, I just found your blog from Claire's Blog Hop.
      Love your creation!!!

      Delete
  18. Pool noodles? I have wondered what kept the pots separated when joining them together. She is a princess!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is so flippen flippen cute!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Cute! Thanks for sharing at Pinworthy Projects.

    ReplyDelete
  21. So darn cute! Loved it!! Pinned for a future project!!
    Thanks for sharing!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  22. I appreciate you taking the time to explain this since I have strong feelings about it and I enjoy knowing more about it. Would you please consider adding more information to your blog as you acquire experience? It really helps me out a lot! Luxury Landscape Company Cambridge

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...