DIY Concrete Bowl Planter

In my new blogging series Buy or DIY, I challenge myself to find a high-end decor piece, a less inexpensive dupe, and then a DIY dupe. In this month's challenge, I chose a concrete bowl that I found at Kirkland's for $199!

Since I wanted to re-create the inspiration on the cheap, I decided not to use concrete to create my bowl. Instead, I used a simple paint treatment.

But first I need to find a suitable bowl to use. Although the bowl I found was nice, it wasn't my style, but it was the perfect size and depth so I grabbed it up.

I also grabbed some other materials I already had on hand. Then I laid down a plastic drop cloth to protect my surface, washed and dried my bowl. And I was ready to begin transforming that thrift store bowl.

To start I needed to make up my base coat. I did this by mixing 1 part baking soda with 2 parts paint.

Then I began painting the mixture on the bowl, brushing it criss-cross around the outside of the bowl.

Once I had the first coat applied. I let it dry for 1 hour. Then I applied a second coat. When that was dry (about another hour), I flipped the bowl over and repeated those steps on the inside of the bowl.

Then I let the bowl dry completely overnight.

The next step was to add the topcoat. I did this by first mixing a lighter grey with the baking soda.

I wanted the dark grey to show through so if I applied too much of the lighter grey in one spot, I patted it off with a damp rag. (or sponge) I did this to the entire outside of the bowl, allowed drying time, and then repeated the same steps on the inside of the bowl.

Concrete comes in many different tones. Some are grey, some have browner tones, and others are almost completely white. I was looking for something in between. So I continued to experiment by using the same brush and 'pouncing' on a bit of watered-down brown paint and also white. And again dabbing here and there when I applied too much in one spot.

Since I wanted to seal the paint once I had the color I wanted, I decided to let the bowl dry completely overnight again. Then I applied a wax sealer and let that dry for a couple of hours. Finally, it was time to add the moss.

There are many ways you can do this. I opted for the cheapest and easiest way because frankly, you can't see what the filler is inside the bowl once you cover it with moss. I started by laying down some shredded paper(Easter grass). Then I cut up a foam square I had in my craft supplies and laid them on top to give the moss some shape. Lastly, I laid a piece of tissue paper over the foam just in case the white showed through.

When laying the moss, some folks will glue it down to hold it in place. Since I wanted the option of changing out the moss for say maybe some succulents in the future, I decided NOT to glue my moss down. And it laid down and stayed in place just fine without it.

Overall, the total cost for my DIY bowl was under $10! If you like to re-create high-end decor pieces, you can find the full tutorial for this project along with other DIY dupes in the link below!