Sorry to anyone looking for Weekly Crafty posts on Tuesdays, it seems that they’ve shifted to Thursdays for the past two weeks! Since my hands are still recovering from staple pulling, more wallpaper peeling, and more painting (we’re doing our stair risers today so we can hopefully install the runner this weekend and have that post for you on Monday), I wanted to pick something fun & easy for this week’s crafty little endeavor. And here’s where I ended up: with a big ol’ hand-painted planter full of succulents and colorful cacti.
You know I like sharing house plants that we’re adding/loving/killing every once in a while (like this and this), and this project all started when I found some glass/ceramic paint on clearance at JoAnn for $1.97…
I don’t think I’ve ever used specifically formulated glass or ceramic paint, so a maiden voyage like this is thrilling for a gal like me (seriously, it falls somewhere between finding a five dollar bill in my coat pocket and a new episode of The Walking Dead on my DVR). At first I gave a few other project ideas some consideration – like painting mugs, a vase, or some ceramic candlesticks – and then I saw this amazing planter and said “boom, I’m going planter.” Just like that. Out loud and everything.
The reason for a planter was two-fold. Clara had showed some interest in the colorful cacti at Home Depot the last time we walked by, and I’d been meaning to grab her one or two so we could care for them together. The second reason was that about a week ago I was going through our serving bowls and noticed there were some big winners we use all the time, and one shallow bowl that we hardly touched. But when I saw that inspiration planter, I realized the shape of my poor abandoned bowl was similar. And it was nice and big (around 17″ wide) so I thought it would make for a sweet centerpiece at the kitchen table when it was all said and done.
So Clara and I took a trip to Home Depot, where we got a little carried away. We stared at everything, discussed their merits and shortcomings (“I like this one because it’s extra pokey!” “I like this one because it’s yellow like a lemon!”) and ended up grabbing 10 plants. Five of them were colorful cacti and the other five were smaller/cheaper succulents to fill things in. All told, it was around $30 in plants (I told you we got carried away) so I’m pretty dang invested in this project now – but Clara is so excited. Begging: please share your cactus care tips if you have any! I don’t want to kill these guys.
As we were checking out the cashier sweetly told me to mix some sand into the soil when I potted them because they like that and dropped the fact that they actually sell Cactus Sand for a few bucks if I don’t have sand on hand to mix. After embracing her with tears in my eyes thanking her profusely, Clara and I grabbed a bag (when you put $30 into plants, $3 for the dirt they like best felt like a nice insurance policy for a black thumb like me).
Once home with our haul, the first step was ceramic painting, which had me torn. If I wanted to be literal about it, I could paint the entire outside of the bowl like the one that inspired me, but I liked the idea of some white with a fun slice of blue around those colorful cacti, so I decided to paint the inner lip of the planter with my teal ceramic paint. The best of both worlds. Kinda like Two Face. Except less gruesome and eye-ball-y.
Applying the paint inside the lip was easy enough…
I just followed the instructions: wiping down the part I was going to paint with alcohol, letting it dry, and painting a nice even coat with a small craft brush. I did my best to keep the line around the lip of the bowl even, and since the paint was really slow to dry, if I messed up and got a blob up on the lip, just wiping it with a paper towel left me with a nice clean edge once again. The paint was non-toxic so I could have done it with Clara (I did it right in front of her) but she said “call me when it’s time to touch the dirt!” Funny kid.
Oh and the reason I didn’t bother painting the entire inside of the bowl was because I figured I’d rather conserve my paint for another project instead of using it on a large part of the planter that wouldn’t be seen once the dirt was added.
To cure the paint on ceramic and glass surfaces, you can either let it air dry for a while, or you can speed things up by baking it in the oven. Although this was a serving dish, it was only microwave and dishwasher safe – not oven safe – so I skipped that step and just opted for the air drying approach. After a few days it was no longer tacky, so I decided the lip could continue to cure even after the pot was in use and Clara and I could commence the much anticipated Adding Of The Dirt.
The plants were spikey so we had to be careful, but she had a lot of fun dumping cups of dirt into the bowl and digging little holes for me to drop the plants into.
Now every night at dinner Clara and I talk about our favorite plants (they all have names) and check to make sure nothing’s giving up on us. So far, so good! Maybe the bean will grow up to be a botanist. Or a paleontologist. The dirt was definitely her favorite part…
In the end, this project only took about thirty minutes to gather my supplies, and another twenty spent painting that lip, followed by around 15 minutes to pot things with Clara in our special cactus sand, but I hope it’s a kitchen centerpiece that lasts for years and makes us smile. I actually really like the bright pot + succulents thing, so I’m thinking I might make a bunch more as holiday gifts and even some little ones for the neighbors (one small cactus and a little brightly painted pot should only be around $7 total – and I can try stripes and dots and a dipped bottom, etc).
Is anyone else out there painting ceramic or glass items? Or planting something inside to add a little life to the house as we head into the colder months? How about homemade holiday gift ideas? I’m flirting with the concept of trying to DIY all of them this year, but it might lead to final-hour hyperventilation, so I’m not sure yet.
Psst – Can’t shake the crafty? Check out nearly 50 other craft projects here.
Kari says
My sister is an agronomist–someone who literally studies dirt.. ahem, soil.
It’s a VERY lucrative profession, especially for women!! My sister is going to grad school in Florida on full scholarship (even with a few bad grades here and there)!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like the perfect job for my dirt loving girl! Does it occasionally involve sticks and rocks, because I think that would be her idea of The Life.
xo
s
Kelly says
So pretty! I might have to try this little project with my daughter, Annabelle. She is Clara’s age. She too fell in love with a little cactus at Home Depot. We took him home and she named him Spiderman.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Nicolette says
Number one tip is not to overwater! I’ve had the same cacti/succulents for years and they are still going strong. I water my indoor plants less than once a week. Usually when I plant some new ones, a couple may die. I just pull them out and replace or add a decorative rock or nick-knack.
Penny Smith says
Since these are dessert plants, don’t they need more than indirect/middle of the table light? I had a succulent in a planter on a shelf in the kitchen and it wasn’t enough sun. When buying them for a garden it would be full sun?? So aren’t they kinda a windowsill/greenhouse window kinda plant? (I really wanna know. :) lol!)
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone know? So far ours are happy on the table but there are 3 big windows about 4 feet away from it and it’s a north-east facing window, so it gets a lot of light streaming in and landing on the table. Will keep you posted if we have to move ours though!
xo
s
Penny Smith says
http://m.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-cactus-in-a-lowmaintenance-container-garden.html
I think it was all basically covered… But do you think maybe there are too many in the container for the growing season?
(I recently bought three random glass containers for succulents, so I am in the research phase. :) )
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure, I’ve heard from a lot of succulent/cacti pros and they seem to think it all looks good (just adding some gravel and drainage holes on the bottom have been the main suggestions along with watering it very very infrequently and giving it sun to make it happy. Will keep you posted if it grows like Jumanji!
xo
s
jillie says
OMG! I think we were on the same page today! I wrote about an herb window garden I made for the first time today, as a Gift for my mom! I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
thedogsma says
Cacti are the only houseplants that will survive my 4-dog 2-cat household–a plant that can’t bite back doesn’t have a chance.
I have kept 5 large ones going for a couple of years with the “holiday method”: I water New Year’s, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, & Thanksgiving. This keeps me from overwatering, & is also a cue TO water–If it’s not rattling its water dish & glaring it might get missed altogether.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s amazing that you can water them that infrequently! Love it!
xo
s
Bella says
Oi! I hope you didnt like the ceramic paint so much that you will paint your ceramic animals blue now?
xo Bella
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! I think they’re safe for now…
xo
s
christa says
please give updates on how your cacti survive?! I too want to buy a “bowl full” but I dont want to drop $30 on something thats just going to die….I have a major black thumb! Would love a couple month or even 6 month update….thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! I’m sure as we work on the house/kitchen these guys will be in some of the shots but we can include a nice close follow up picture down the line to reveal who’s still among the living!
xo
s
Ella says
Hey John & Sherry
Need some help or advice if you can offer it as we are in dire need of help ASAP.
we painted our house and the skirting, unfortunately when the skirting was painted some of the paint leaked through the green painters tape and is now on our new parquet floors on the edges. Which can’t really be removed easily at all, and it’s through a large portion of the living and dining area.
Do you have any advice on how to remove the white paint stains wnd leakage from the edges without damaging the floor?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, wood floors are almost always sealed with something so hopefully the paint didn’t deep into the wood, it’s just sitting on top of the sealer. I would try to pop it off with your fingernail and just scrape at it in an inconspicuous spot and hopefully that won’t hurt the wood underneath but will crack the paint right off (usually when it’s cured on top of poly we have luck with that).
xo
s
Nicky Tennent says
I am by no means an expert on cacti, but it is the only thing I can keep alive! The big point is DON’T OVERWATER. And if the plant is looking sad, this means you’re overwatering it – stop right now! I was told to only give my cacti 2 tsps of water every 2 weeks, and they seem pretty happy (for now!)
Katrina says
Hi guys,
I am pretty experienced when it comes to killing pot plants. I find that invariably most plants in small pots need to be repotted into larger pots or into the ground.
I would suggest that if the cacti start looking a bit sickly, it will probably be for one of 2 reasons. Either:
(1) they need to go outside – they usually need LOTS of sun – your open air sunroom might be a perfect spot?? and/or,
(2) the bowl they are in is not very big. If they start to struggle, I would try repotting some of them into separate pots – or one really big pot – so the roots have more room to spread.
On the other hand, if the cacti continue to thrive in their current spot, then I think I should take my gardening tips from you from now on. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Katrina! Will keep you posted!
xo
s
JenI says
My daughter Meg (8) and I are having so much fun with succulents. She bought one and it didn’t get enough light (we googled that). It’s now well over 40cm long, like a big curling snake searching for light. But not dead! And when it’s leaves fall off we just lay them next to the pot on the window sill and they start to grow roots and buds. Once that happens we plant them in tea cups, in the garden and we have a few bigger pots of them now too. That one plant is Mum to about 40 now, and many of those in turn have dropped leaves to grow more baby plants. The ones in full sun are nice and flat, and the ones indoors are tall and snakey. It’s been so fun growing new baby plants we had to get more varieties of succulents. Some work better than others. Some are a bit boring and look the same as they did 2 years ago. I wonder sometimes if we bought a plastic plant? But we still haven’t killed any! With tea cups (and your bowl) be very careful because they don’t drain so water can sit in them. We’ve found a quick spray only every few days is plenty. Don’t let them sit in wet soil. For pots with drainage, a little water once every few weeks is enough. Have fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jeni!
xo
s
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
This is so cute!what a great gift idea :)
Caryl says
The advice about over watering is good. Dont water on a calendar schedule, but instead WHEN THE SOIL IS DRY. You should actually put your finger in the soil and check to see if it’s dry. This could be a good job for Clara.
Also, note that many of the colored cacti sold are actually grafted cacti, meaning that the colored part is attached to another cactus. Thus, many tines the graft won’t take and eventually the colored part will fall right off the bottom, through no fault of yours. You can continue to grow the bottom cactus.
YoungHouseLove says
I love that. She’ll love that job!
xo
s
Rebecca says
Not sure if anyone has said this tip yet, but those round numbs that are forming on the colorful cacti can actually be pulled off and dropped in to the soil to make new cactus plants.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Rebecca!
xo
s
Kara says
Love this project! I’ve been wanting to get some succulents as well, and came across this info:
http://www.westelm.com/shop/design-lab/make-a-terrarium-design-lab/
Hope that helps a bit!
YoungHouseLove says
So cool! Thanks for sharing such a helpful link!
xo
s
Kara says
Here’s another helpful link from one of my local garden centers:
http://www.bachmans.com/divHomePage.ep?currentNodeBean=PlantCare&categoryCode=47&pageIndex=_pageIndexToken_cactiandSucculents
I’m done now, I promise.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kara!
xo
s
Erin says
I killed a fair number myself before I learned not to be a cactus helicopter mom. Here are some tips:
1) Water 1/month at most and don’t soak them. Cactus rot easily. If you’re concerned about their moisture level in between, spritz with a spray bottle.
2) Use succulent/cactus soil and feed specially formulated for cactus and succulents. They need different nutrients and can actually be flooded by the nutrient content in regular indoor potting supplies.
3) Cover the top with small stones to help retain moisture (remember – don’t soak). I think this also makes for a neater look as well and can help stabilize plants as they grow, particularly if they get leggy during the winter when they look for light.
Love your latest arrangement. Good luck!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Erin!
xo
s
felicia says
Keep your cacti healthy: do nothing. I have a container of succulents I put out in the hot sun every year, I never water them, they look great. Do nothing. They grow in the dessert! As for the bowl and the painting project, I love it! I can also tell you that you can paint almost any kind of smooth bowl — pottery, wood — and then coat it with pour-on epoxy and it will look like glazed ceramic. I have done that with several projects and been very happy with the results.
One last idea: In a little dish garden like this, aquarium pebbles (which come in lots of colors) can make a great mulch. Bright greens growing from black pebbles packs a color punch!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Felicia!
xo
s
Nikki says
This may have already been addressed in the comments (sorry, didn’t have time to read through!), but the soil is definitely key. When I first started with succulents and cacti, I used regular potting soil and they didn’t last long. I’ve wised up now and buy the soil that is made specifically for these (fast-draining.) Also, when using containers with no drainage holes, I would advise using gravel or plant-friendly charcoal to allow for drainage. You don’t want root rot! Sun is another key factor. They love bright light and LOTS of it. These are desert plants after all. The biggest key, which I’m sure you know, is DONT over-water. I try to stick to every 2 weeks, often longer in the winter. Definitely just make sure the soil is super dry before you water. Good luck!
Karen says
So cute! If you decide to do gifts you could put the plants in a mug you’ve painted. Then, if someone kills their plant (I probably would) they’d still have a mug they could use.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cute!
xo
s
Cathy M. says
Is it possible that the Tropical Surf is actually a Glidden color? I looked for it on Valspar’s site but couldn’t find it. When I did a search without naming a brand, a Glidden color with that name came up, and it looks pretty close. I just love it and want to get a sample of it.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, you’re right! Just checked and updated that image for ya! Sorry for the trouble!
xo
s
Kate says
Just another tip – like some have said these guys like drainage. If you’re using a bowl or planter that doesn’t have a drainage hole, it can help to put some gravel/stones in the bottom before adding the soil to create some drainage room.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kate!
xo
s
Megan says
You’re so right about the bright colors with the succulents- it looks great! Awesome idea :-)
Chelley @ AisForAdelaide says
GREAT IDEA! I have a succulent that needs friends and a bigger home. Off to the store now!!
Josh says
John, this is off topic, but if you haven’t seen this… I think you’ll be really interested. It’s an invisible bike helmet.
http://jalopnik.com/swedes-develop-invisible-bike-helmet-1460189477/@jasontorch?utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_facebook&utm_source=jalopnik_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing! I watched it and then had Sherry come watch it too. So smart.
-John
Christina says
Hiya! I’ve killed many a plant in the past but I’ve discovered (with the help of a local florist) that the best way to get some of these succulents to thrive is to actually grow them entirely outside of soil! The small leafy ones will sprout new roots and as long as you mist them with water once a week, they’re super happy :) I even saved a few that way that would have died otherwise. I have poor luck with Home Depot and Lowes plants, but by clipping the succulents off of their rotting stems and allowing them to root out in the open air, I brought them back to life! I’ll try to post a pic of what I mean. Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow, never heard of that! Would love to see a pic if you can post one!
xo
s
Emilie LaRue says
Hi, just did a similar cacti experiment…didn’t know about the mixing sand :major ugh, but it’s been a month and they look happy. What I did know is that they don’t like to have their roots wet (like any plants I guess), so you need to put rock on the bottom of your planter, I put cork. I keep them always since they becoming rare in wine bottle industry (hihi)…it’s lighter than rock if you have to move it often. (btw sorry for my English,I speak french.)I had my first baby girl 5 months ago and my first home a year ago, I read your entire blog during my pregancy, I really like your ideas, you are an inspiration for us…but I need to accept the fact that I’m not as good as you in term of décor. I did buy your book too! Keep up the good work, you are a source of positivism, happiness and MOTIVATION for me!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Emilie! And your English is great!
xo
s
Tiffany says
I love your blog :), I recently found it from a friend. I too planted some succulents recently, and tried my hand at acrylic painting last Sunday. I seem to see ideas everywhere and your blog is now adding ideas and inspiration. Thank you :)!
Christine says
Sherry,
I absolutely love this little project of yours and you have inspired me to give succulents a try! I have had terrible luck with plants in the past, but if these are as hardy as you say they are, then I will definitely try more! I started with just one little succulent from Ikea that I found yesterday and bought one of their adorable little white pots as well. I even gave you a little shout-out in my blog post as my inspiration :) Maybe next time, I will try a cactus or a terrarium!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Christine!
xo
s