One of the easiest and most effective ways to liven up a small or empty living area is with indoor plants. To those of you about to click away due to a total lack of a green thumb, wait a minute. This requires less effort than you think. In fact, many plants require only regular sunlight and very little water for good health and growth. In other words, leave it next to your window and throw some water on it once a day.
In an effort to bring some color and life into our respective apartments, my sister and I recently painted terracotta flowerpots and planted our favorite succulents inside for some great new décor pieces. A surprisingly simple and inexpensive DIY, these plants can also double as a thoughtful and useful gift.
First, visit a nearby plant nursery, or even a grocery store that has a decent succulent selection. Choose your favorites (a variety of sizes always look nice together in an arrangement), and pick up a bag of pebbles and soil for replanting. Then, head to a craft store, like Michaels, and find terra cotta pots that fit your succulents. You may also want to purchase the small bottom dishes that hold the excess drain water after watering. Or, try putting a medium-sized rock in the bottom of the pot to cover the hole. You will also need multi-surface craft paint in the colors of your choosing. We applied a little gold leaf for some shine (which you can probably find near the paint section!).
After lying down some paper towels (#neatfreaks), we set up shop and started painting our pots. Find inspiration on or just experiment – part of the fun is not knowing exactly how they will turn out! Use tape to achieve straight edges, and if you decide to use gold leaf, apply it after the paint has dried.
When your pot is completely dry, put a rock in the bottom to cover the hole and sprinkle some pebbles around the surface. Take your succulent out of its plastic pot and put it in your newly painted pot. Cushion the edges with soil and sprinkle some more pebbles on top to for a clean finish.
See? I told you — easy.
