Flowerpot Makeover

I love succulents.  They have such a sculptural quality to them.  (Except for cacti of which I'm sure I have a slight phobia.  It may have originated during the time that two of my young-uns had a losing tussle with a giant potted cactus.  But, I digress...)  I've been wanting to bring a few plants of the succulent variety into my home but hadn't decided on a proper container.  

 Sharla from The House at Bluebird Lane (one of my favorite blogs) posted a darling terracotta pot makeover that I thought I would use for inspiration.

I found these two old pots that had been left outside a little too long after a previous planting.  (Possibly from the time we made our own Chia Pets.)    It's all about repurposing and reusing, right?

 I found two 4 inch potted succulents at Home Depot.  (Just an observation but there seemed to be an unusual amount of well-built gentlemen employed there.  Just sayin...)

 Back at home I started off by spray painting the pots with Krylon Black Gloss.  I then did a sugar coat of Krylon White Gloss.  It wasn't quite dark enough so I did another light coat.

 I then lightly sanded the pots with fine 220 grit sandpaper.  I used a sharpie to write No.7 on the pot but need to go back over it with black paint for a better look.  I thought it would make a great gift so I made a little gift tag out of a brown paper bag and tied it around the painted pot with some jute.

 I then added one of the plants.  So easy and so cute.

The second plant was Aloe Vera.  (That one I'm keeping.)  The juice from the Aloe Vera plant is widely believed to have rejuvenating, soothing or healing properties.   I remember my mom having a large Aloe plant near the sink in our kitchen.  She would break off the tips and squeeze out some of the aloe juice to fix whatever was ailing us.

I'm going to keep my little aloe plant near the sink in my kitchen, too

I like how the terracotta pots turned out and think they're a good pairing with the bright green of the plants.

Have you planted any succulents this season?  And if so, what nifty container did you use?   I think they would also look great in vintage silver.  (Or even an old boot--they look good in everything.)

Linking up to these fun parties:
Not Just a Housewife
Home Stories A to Z
Six Sister's Stuff
Tatertots & Jello
The Frugal Girls
Funky Junk