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Easy Painted Flower Pots with Stencils

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For the past few years, I’ve really gotten into painted flower pots. It’s such an easy way to take plain terracotta pots and give them a glam makeover. In this tutorial, I’m sharing a few techniques to make pretty pots with a boho vibe.

If you have a Cricut or Silhouette Cameo cutting machine, this is the perfect project for using stencil film. If you don’t, you can always get creative with painter’s tape and pre-cut stencils!

Plain terracotta pot and 3 painted terracotta pots with text overlay reading "Painted Flower Pots"

This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. For more information, please see my disclosures.

Special thanks to Plaid Crafts for providing the paints used in this tutorial.

How to Make Painted Flower Pots with Stencils

I’ve had my fair share of Silhouette Cameo projects on the blog, and now I’m finally upgrading to the Cricut Maker.* With either machine, you can make these pretty stenciled flower pots.

But what if you don’t have a cutting machine? You can still use pre-cut stencils or painter’s tape for this craft. (I’ll share a few budget-friendly stencil options at the end.)

*The main reason I’m upgrading to Cricut is that I’ll be able to cut thicker materials more efficiently.

Terracotta pots, clay pot sealer, outdoor paint, and stencil film supplies for painted flower pot crafts

For this craft, you’ll only need a handful of supplies and a little patience waiting for the paint to dry.

Supplies for Painted Flower Pots

If you’re looking for a painted pot craft that doesn’t require a cutting machine or stencils, be sure to visit my fingerprint flower pot tutorial. It’s the perfect craft for kids! You can also use paint pens as I did for these Halloween flower pots.

Step 1: Clean and dry the flower pots

Plain terracotta pot after sealing and before painting

Before beginning your project, wipe down your clay pot with a damp rag. This removes any dust or particles that may wreak havoc on your painted design.

Make sure the pot is completely dry before proceeding.

Step 2: Spray the sealer on flower pots and saucers

When painting flower pots, it’s always a good idea to use this sealer to prevent moisture from seeping through to your design.

I’ve used the same sealer when making decoupage flower pots and mosaic flower pots. I swear by it! This extra step will help your pots to hold up in the outdoors.

Allow the sealer to dry for 24 hours before beginning to paint your pots.

Step 3: Apply 2-3 coats of a base paint

Paint the flower pots with 2-3 coats of acrylic paint that is suitable for outdoor use. Most labels will indicate if the paint is multisurface and/or appropriate for terracotta.

Wait at least 1 hour, if not longer, between coats.

Pro Tip

In high humidity climates, wait longer between coats of paint to prevent sticking and peeling. If sticking occurs, you can always touch up your project.

Of course, you can skip the base coat if you want the natural terracotta color to shine through after stenciling.

Step 4: Cut stencils (Cricut or Cameo option)

Stencil design in Silhouette Studio software with images of leaves and border for flower pot painting
Stencil design in Silhouette Studio Business Edition

For my stenciled design, I used a combination of designs from the Silhouette Design Store and my own doodles.

Save up to 40% on Daily Deal designs in the Silhouette Design Store! There’s a new batch every day!

You can find a similar design for the tropical leaves here.

Note: I measured the rim of my terracotta pots to make the rectangular pattern for the pink and brown flower pot.

Always be sure to measure your design and make a few test cuts before cutting the stencil film.

If you don’t have a cutting machine, you might like some of the stencil options below.

Shop for Pre-Cut Stencils

Step 5: Apply stencils

Stencil applied to white painted flower pot

When applying your stenciled shapes, you can choose to paint a traditional stencil or a reverse stencil. Either way, make sure you remove any air bubbles in the stencil film.

For the green tropical leaf pot, I used the traditional method of stenciling. For the other two pots, I painted around the stencil to reveal the underlying base coat of paint.

Confused? See the next step for the full visual.

Note: For the more delicate shapes, I used transfer tape to pick up the design and transfer it to the flower pot more easily.

Step 6: Paint inside or around stencil

Now the fun part begins! Begin painting inside or outside your stencil shapes with the color of your choice.

You can blend colors, too. Check out the stippled look of the tropical leaves below. I used two shades of green to create more texture on this little boho flower pot.

Steps to make painted flower pots using stencils
Regular stencil (top) and reverse stencil (bottom)

You can also apply painter’s tape to create angled edges and geometric patterns.

Painted flower pot with gold and white paint with reverse stencil technique
Flower pot with 1 coat of paint over the stencil

You’ll want to apply 2-3 coats of paint to make sure your design really pops, especially with the reverse stencil. In the above photo, you’ll see the reverse stencil with one coat of gold paint.

Painted flower pot with gold diagonal line and reverse stencil
Flower pot after 3 coats of paint

In most cases, three coats of paint will do the job to get enough coverage. You can see how the gold paint stands out after three layers of paint in the above photo.

Step 7: Remove stencils and touch up

After the paint dries completely, gently remove the stencils.

Stenciled flower pots with white base coat and green monstera leaf stencils
Painted terracotta flower pot with monster leaf stencils

I think this is my favorite flower pot with its little tropical vibe! In most cases, you can easily peel the stencils off the pot. However, now and then, you might run into challenges…

Flower pot painted with stencils showing some peeling after removing stencils
Paint peeling after removing the stencils

As you can see above, one of the paints didn’t dry fully before I applied my stencils. This resulted in some paint peeling off when I removed the delicate stencil.

No worries if this happens to you! I did a little manual touch-up painting, and all was good again.

Painted flower pot with stencil design and succulent plant next to house plant

All you have left to do is pick your favorite plant to move into your cute painted flower pots! I chose a variety of succulents to tie my three painted flower pots together.

Three flower pots painted with stencil designs, pictured with gardening gloves

Pin it for later!

Painted pot with green tropical leaf pattern and steps to make it with stencils. Text overlay reads "DIY Painted Flower Pots"
First Day of Home signature
Stenciled flower pots with white base coat and green monstera leaf stencils

Easy Painted Flower Pots with Stencils

Author: firstdayofhome.com
Make these pretty DIY painted flower pots to customize your container garden for any season.
Use a Cricut or Silhouette Cameo cutting machine to create your own stencil, or buy a premade stencil of your choice. This is a great project for beginner crafters!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 1 hour
Additional Time 1 day 12 hours
Total Time 1 day 13 hours 10 minutes
Project Type Arts & Crafts
Cost (US$)5-10
Yield 1 pot

Equipment

Supplies
 

Instructions
 

  • Clean and dry the flower pots with a damp rag. Make sure the pot is completely dry before proceeding.
  • Spray the clay pot sealer on the inside of the flower pots and saucers. Allow the sealer to dry for 24 hours before beginning to paint your pots.
  • Paint the flower pots with 2-3 coats of acrylic paint that is suitable for outdoor use. Wait 1-2 hours in between coats or until each coat is fully dry. If you'd like the natural terracotta color to shine through, you can skip this step.
  • Pick a stencil design for Cricut or Cameo, if desired. Make sure you resize the stencil to fit the size of your terracotta pot. You can also use a precut stencil instead.
  • Apply the stencil design to the pot, painting either inside the stencil shape or outside the shape for a reverse stencil. Paint 2-3 coats until you reach your desired coverage. You can also use painter's tape to create geometric patterns or sharp edges.
  • After waiting 1-2 hours, gently remove the stencils from the flower pots. Touch up any areas that may have peeled with a small paintbrush.

Notes

In areas with high humidity, you may need to wait longer in between coats of paint to prevent sticking.
Tried this project?Mention @firstdayofhome or tag #firstdayofhome!

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6 Comments

  1. These stenciled flower pots are so pretty! Love the leaves you created with your cutting machine! Great idea! Pinned!