12 Creative Clay Pot Ideas (Terra Cotta Craft & Décor Projects)

Come see all the crafts you can make with terra cotta clay pots including birdhouses, fairy gardens, wind chimes, and tipsy pots. It’s a good way to repurpose chipped or damaged clay pots that might otherwise go in the trash.

Got the crafting bug? There are dozens more creative DIY garden ideas here.

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Terra Cotta Pot Crafts & Decor

There are all sorts of creative projects you can make from clay pots.

I find older, vintage clay pots very pretty and cannot bring myself to paint or alter them. But newer clay pots are not particularly attractive or strong and good candidates for all sorts of crafty, DIY projects.

There are zillions of these pots sitting unused in sheds and garages, so you might find what you need just by checking your own storage spots or asking friends if they might have some they don’t want. There are more tips for finding cheap or free craft supplies in the Resources section.

Contents

• 10 Creative Terra Cotta Clay Pot Projects
• Resources
  • How To Instantly Age Clay Pots (for Patina)
  • Thrifty Shopping Tips

10 Creative Terra Cotta Clay Pot Projects

1Clay Pot Lighthouse

To create a clay pot lighthouse, you need three different sizes of clay pots.

If you’re displaying it on your patio, add a dollar store solar light (Dollar Tree – US has them) on top for a soft glow at night. Otherwise, lighting a garden at night is not recommended because it is disruptive for nocturnal animals.

DIY Instructions: Garden Art Lighthouse DIY Project | Empress of Dirt

2Clay Pot Birdhouse

Turn some clay pots and saucers into a hanging birdhouse. You will need to create holes in the pots for this project.

Source: Project by Barb | Our Fairfield Home & Garden

3Fairy Garden in a Pot

Use a regular clay pot or choose a broken one to create a fairy garden with some small succulents or other miniature plants.

This guide to choosing living, miniature plants has lots of plant ideas.

The project (above) is from the book Fairy Gardening 101 by Fiona McDonald.

Project by Shanna | Restoration Redoux (site no longer active)

A broken pot also looks great in the garden with flowers spilling out, or, leave it empty to create a toad house. They like cool, shady resting spots.

4 Clay Tipsy Pots

If you see old, vintage clay pots at a yard sale, get them! They are becoming hard to find and look so much nicer than new ones.

Tipsy pots are a good use of vintage pots because you don’t have to alter than in any way.

DIY Instructions: Tipsy Pot Tutorial | Empress of Dirt

5Terra Cotta People

There are lots of these clay pot projects online. Some are goofy, others are creepy or funny, depending on your viewpoint.

Try a Google search of “clay pot people” or “clay pot animals” to see all sorts of ideas.

You will need various sizes of pots, saucers, a power drill, wire, and washers. Clothing is optional.

6Clay Pot Candle Planter

A clay pot makes a good candle holder for the patio. This one is surrounded by some gorgeous, potted red primroses.

DIY Instructions: Project by Stephanie | Garden Therapy

7Potted Plant Shelves

This project is from the book Big Ideas for Small Spaces.

The hanging shelf is custom made to fit the size of the clay pots.

DIY Instructions: DIY Hanging Shelf Project

8Bird & Bee & Butterfly Baths & Fountains

This is a really simple way to make a birdbath: place a large clay saucer on top of an upside-down clay pot.

If you want to secure the saucer in place, use GE II Silicone Sealant.

Source: Project by Barb | Our Fairfield Home & Garden

There are many ways to make a bubbler or water fountain. The main component is  a small recirculating pump with the right strength (measured by how much water it can move per hour).

DIY Instructions: Tiered Fountain Project | Katie at Ad’d 2 DIY

9Hand-Painted Clay Pots

How about hand-painting one-of-a-kind designs on clay pots?

DIY Instructions: How To Hand Paint Clay Pots | Empress of Dirt

10Mosaic Clay Pots

If you are new to mosaics, covering a flower pot is a good first project to get a feel for it without requiring a lot of materials.

DIY Instructions: Project by Carrie | Kenarry.com

More Ideas

• Mod Podge Pots | Mod Podge Rocks
• French Clay Pots | Image transfer project at The Graphics Fairy

11Wreath with Mini Clay Pots

I don’t have an image of a clay pot wreath so I made one in Photoshop. I guess you can tell (lol) as it’s kind of goofy looking but you get the idea. It’s a sweet project.

DIY Tutorial: Confessions of a Plate Ad*** for a tutorial.

12Mini Clay Pot Wind Chimes

Get a bunch of same-size pots and make a wind chime. Careful where you hang it in case the pots are fragile.

There are various tutorials online. Most use wire and metal washers to suspend the pots.

Resources

Finding Supplies

I hope you found ideas to get your crafty mojo going.

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~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛