DIY Distressed Clay Pots
My DIY Distressed Clay Pots began their journey as a thrift store purchase. You never know what you might find in the thrift store. That’s why I go often.
DIY Distressed Clay Pots Stenciled Faith Decor
I’ve always been a sucker for clay pots for some reason. They have so much potential. I found these in the Hospice Thrift Store. I love going there because there is always something new to consider.
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Supplies Needed
- Clay pots
- 2 contrasting colors of spray paint
- Fine grit sand paper
- Lacquer

Sometimes you can find new or fairly new items at the thrift store. This was one of those times for me. I started not to purchase them because of the printed info but I knew paint would cover it. Plus they were only .49 each!

If you look close you’ll see the Terra cotta through the red paint. I knew the second coat of black would cover it.
Wouldn’t bright red pots look pretty in an outdoor floral setting? I think so but I wanted to use these indoors since they are actually small.

I added a coat of flat black spray paint on top of the red so I could give them a red and black distressed look. I am currently having a love affair with distressed black anything. My thrift upcycle project from last month is this Jewelry Box Makeover which is also distressed. I promise the next project is completely different, I’m already working on it.
I used a piece of fine grit sand paper to create a distressed look so the red could peek through just a bit.

Have you seen the price of faith decor? It’s super duper expensive but it’s such a pleasure to have pieces around the house as a reminder of our faith.
I picked up a set of faith stencils to create my own decor. This is my first time using them and wouldn’t you know I used them on a rounded surface! I taped them down with good old fashioned duck tape. Then I carefully painted on two coats of gray paint. After allowing ample drying time, I removed the stencils.
The last thing I did to my DIY Distressed Clay Pots was to spray on a coat of lacquer for a nice shiny finish.
I planted curled leaf parsley in the Joy pot and Basil in the Blessing pot. I’ve been using the curled leaf parsley in the kitchen so there isn’t much left right now. I need to get busy using the basil too!
Anytime you use pots for plants which have no drainage holes, you can do one of two things. One, add holes or two, add rocks. I added rocks to the bottom of the pots with herbs in them.


The Faith pot found a home in my craft room holding paint brushes.
Recipes Using Fresh Herbs
- 15 Cooking Herbs You Can Easily Grow At Home
- Fresh Homemade Salsa Recipe
- Basil Grilled Tomatoes recipe
- Grilled Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops
- Watermelon Mint Lemonade


This is such a cute idea! 🙂
I’d love for you to share it with my Recipe and Crafts Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Love your awesome paint skills, Shirley! You did a fantastic job making over these pots. 🙂 Sharing across my social media!
Shirley, These turned out so cute! Love a good thrift store find that can be redone into something awesome! You did a great job with these. Thanks so much for sharing your posts with us this week at Snickerdoodle Sunday! Pinned to share 🙂
These distressed pots are so striking and unique! Love the transformation!
–G
http://gingerwroot.com
You got such a great deal on those pots. I love distressed everything too and you used two of my favorite colors (red/black). Beautiful transformation.
I love the finish on these beautiful clay pots! They are so unique!
These look great, Shirley! You definitely got a these pots for a great price. I like how you layered the paint and added the stencil to the pots. You are going to enjoy these this summer!
I will have to do this project. I like the idea of changing the look of a plain pot. They look really nice.
Thanks Debra. Paint is one of the easiest mediums to create a huge change, isn’t it. Clay pots are so versatile too.
Hi Shirley – I love the look of the distressed black paint! I’m scouting my house right now for a project to try it out with. 🙂
Thanks Julie. I have to gain control of my love affair with distressing anything black. My project next month won’t be black but I can’t promise it won’t be distressed 😉