The Beautiful Way to Solve This Kitchen Problem With a Flower Pot!
Vintage is my vibe, but I don’t always want to shell out big bucks for real vintage pieces. I had been looking for the perfect utensil caddy for my kitchen, and I realized that I had all of the tools I needed to create one that fit my aesthetic. Using basic supplies, I threw together a French country utensil caddy from a simple terra cotta pot. Using stamps, I decorated it to perfectly fit my space. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to make your own and give you some tips and tricks for working with stamps. Check it out!
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Tools and Materials:
- Terra cotta pot
- Paint
- Chip brush
- Blue shop towels
- Stamps
- Scrap wood
- Cling wrap
- Baby wipes
- Brayer
- Wooden feet
- Glue
Paint the Pot
I started by painting my pot. I wanted to achieve a vintage farmhouse look on the pot, so once I had painted a bit of the paint on I went in with a wet towel and moved the paint around, creating more of a whitewashed look.
I continued with this technique until I had achieved the look I was going for.
Tip:
Clay absorbs paint very quickly, so you don’t have to wait too long for it to dry.
Stamp
You can use different mediums for the stamps, but I chose to go with paint. When working with stamps you need to use a brayering surface for the stamp to pick up the paint.
Tip:
Create a simple brayering surface by wrapping a small board with cling wrap. When you’re done, clean-up will be as easy as just pulling the wrap off and throwing it away!
Once I had my surface ready, I added a bit of grey paint and then picked up a thin layer with my brayer. You really want to use as little paint as possible here. If you use too much your stamp won’t end up crisp and clear.
Then I set my pot sideways on my working space with two rolled up towels holding it in place.
I pulled the stamp away from the backer sheet and lay it on my worktable. Then I rolled on a coat of paint with my brayer. These stamps are super easy to work with on curved surfaces because of how flexible they are.
With the stamp fully painted, I gently lay it on the pot, starting at one end and slowly walking my fingers along the edge. I’m going for an aged look, so if there are some spots without paint that’s totally fine.
Tip:
Keep baby wipes on hand when working with stamps. It makes it easy to wipe off the stamp if you don’t have time to fully wash it just yet.
I repeated the process with another floral stamp.
Tip:
Work quickly when using paint and stamps. They tend to dry much more quickly than ink.
I measured and planned before I started, so I already knew exactly where I wanted to place my stamps. I added two more stamps with the floral stamp.
Reminder:
We’re going for a vintage feel, nothing needs to be perfect here!
Add Feet
I wanted to add one last thing to my utensil caddy to make it stand out, so I decided to add some feet.
I decided to do a faux stain on them. I picked up a bit of leftover paint from my brayering surface with a baby wipe, and wiped paint all over the knobs that I would be using as feet for my caddy. This is a great technique to get a quick faux stain on wood without shelling out for a whole can of stain.
Once the feet had dried, I went ahead and glued them onto the pot. I placed them in a triangular format and glued them into place using Titebond Quick and Thick glue, one of my favorite glues to use in the workshop. It dries super quick and once it’s on, it’s not going anywhere.
If you want to you can go ahead and use a clear matte sealant, but as my utensil caddy will be living in my kitchen, I skipped this step.
And there you have it, a simple project that will bring some country chic into your kitchen. Have you ever worked with stamps? Let me know in the comments below!
Resources for this project:
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Comments
Join the conversation
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Really cute and impressive!!...I personally use cans. One coffee can and 2 smaller...Everyone loves the shabby rustic look....Just frugal HEY, EVERYONE OUT THERE! HAVE A WONDERFUL SAFE, FUN, FOURTH OF JULY!!!
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Thanks! Glad you liked it! I bet cans are cute too! :)
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That’s really cool how you put the stencil on, I should try that!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Yes, please - what stencils did you use? The Amazon link doesn't go to what you used.
This is beautiful. But, I wonder if it would break easily for kitchen tools? I have a tendency in my haste to drop them into the container.
Can you tell me more about French country/vintage style? Or point me to a good resource to get a feel for it? I put my kitchen utensils in a gallon crock (and inverted a saucer in the bottom to spread out the handles.)
I'm also wondering if this would absorb spatters from the stove or sticky fingerprints. My crock had been glazed.
Your project looks like fun and I could see it in a smaller version on my desk holding pens, pencils, scissors, rulers, markers, etc., etc. TFS!