Easy DIY to Age New Clay Pots

Supplies:

1. Clay pots
2. Black and white paint (any craft paint will do. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on these because I had it on hand and it dries so fast.
3. Mod Podge Multi-purpose glue 
4. Moss
5. Paint brush (chip brush works great.
6. tooth picks or popsicle sticks to spread the glue
7. 40-60 grit sandpaper

Apply a small amount of black or brown paint to clay pot.  I don’t try to cover an area completely just a few strokes of the brush. 

Once it’s dry, then start to add a white wash to the pots. I mix the white paint with equal parts water.

After the white paint is dry, I then brush the pots with Mod Podge!

I leave the coverage thicker in some areas and don’t worry about covering the entire pot.  

This is what the pots are looking like at this point. The mod podge takes longer to dry. 

So this is the time to break up your moss and get your glue ready. Or have lunch. Or go for a walk. Just be sure it’s dry before the next step.  

Now you want to add more white paint. This time the mix is 2 parts paint to 1 part water. Just a little thicker mixture than the first time.  

 Once again, don’t cover the whole pot. Have I said that before?? LOL!!

After you have allowed the paint to dry, you will use your fine grit sandpaper to sand away some of the paint and mod podge from the pots. You want to create a look of peeling paint if possible. You can see from this pot the area that was sanded away. Once you are satisfied with the chippy look, then move on to the final step.

Now you are ready to add moss. I use a tooth pick to apply the mod podge glue to areas that I want moss. Then I apply tiny pieces of the moss to each pot in random areas. You only want tiny pieces of moss. If you want a heavier coverage, you need to let dry and then add more on top of what you’ve already done. This will insure that the moss doesn’t fall off. 

Another way to get a heavier coverage is to place the moss in a plastic bag to crush it into smaller pieces. Then coat the pot with a thick layer of glue. Place the crushed moss on a sheet of wax paper and the roll the glue covered areas of the pot over the moss until you get the desired coverage.

If you want to assure that you pots will stay looking like they do right now, you can spray a light coat of clear mat sealer over the pots. I want mine to continue to age so I just let nature take over from this point.

I hope you enjoy aging your pots. This is a really easy DIY, so I hope you’ll give it a try. Here is a fun gardening tip you might enjoy. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Your comments are so appreciated.

Happy Potting! 

Rachel