Mosaic Totem From Old Pots

by Debbie Quested

1 Material

This is a great way you can use all those old terracotta or cement pots laying around. It doesn't matter if they're cracked or chipped. Stack them and cement them together and add a mosaic finish for a striking garden feature, bird bath or even a water fountain.

mosaic totem from old pots, crafts, gardening, outdoor living

Play around with the stacking before you cement them. Generally larger pots on the bottom and in a top to tail order. I added a large saucer in to my stack as well. I used tile cement to join them. I then drew a rough design and started placing the tiles.

When working on curved surfaces with mosaic tile, try to keep the pieces small as otherwise they'll stick out and besides looking messy, the tile edges can be sharp.

It's a messy job! But smashing tiles is quite therapeutic so it cancels out the negative. ;) If you look back at the first picture you'll notice I changed the tile around the rim of the saucer from a brown tile to yellow. I was originally just trying to use up all my old tiles laying around but realised it was dulling down the theme so decided to change them. They wedge off quite easily with a screwdriver.

Finished and ready for grout.

I used black grout (because I had a whole bag) but also I think it makes the colour pop.

The other side.

I added some water and floating candles. As an afterthought I realised I could have made a water fountain by threading a pipe through and if the base pot is large enough it could hide the motor. Oh well, next time.