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If there has ever been a DIY project that I have been obsessed with it’s this one! I have lost count of how many ugly containers I have turned into modern vintage looking faux pottery, and I still want to do more! It’s such a fun project that you really can’t mess up and will always turn out beautiful!
Supply list
- Container you want to transform
- Texture Spray
- Matte Finish Spray Paint
- Dirt from your backyard
- Matte Sealer Spray
You can use this technique on practically anything. I have used ugly pottery, glass vases, plastic pots, even a set of lamps!! Click here to see how my lamps turned out. I’m completely in love with them!
I love checking my local thrift store for cheap pieces to transform! Don’t be scared of the color or design of a thrift store piece, if it has good shape and is the size you like it will be perfect for this project!
Check out the first piece I did this faux pottery makeover on. Talk about a night and day difference!!
Let’s Make Some Faux Pottery!!
- The first step is to cover your piece with a texture spray, this one by Rust-Oleum is my favorite. There’s no wrong or right way to do this. You can see the texture overlaps when you spray it and that’s completely fine. This step gives your piece the truly authentic look of pottery so be generous with the texture spray!
- Let the texture sit until it’s dry to the touch, about 10-15 minutes. Next, spray paint it any color you want. Make sure the paint is a Flat/Matte finish. If you use spray paint with any kind of a gloss finish it won’t give you the same look. For this project I used this medium grey color. I love it and it gives my planter a little bit of a concrete look!
- Now comes the fun part. Grab some dirt from your backyard and add just a little bit of water. You don’t want to add too much water to the dirt, think somewhere in-between dry dirt and mud! Now rub it all over your project and let it completely dry!
- After the dirt is dry take a clean cloth and rub some of it off. You can take off a little or a lot, it’s up to you! If you have trouble removing the dirt, it may be because your dirt was too wet. Get your cloth damp and carefully rub the dirt off that way. If your cloth is too wet and you completely remove all the dirt you will need to repeat the last step to get some of that dirt back on your project.
- The last step is spraying the project with a matte sealer. This is optional but I do find that it preserves your project better, and because the finish is also matte it won’t change the look or feel of your project!!
This style of decor is so popular right now and you can find it all over from Pottery Barn to Arhaus but by DIYing it you can have the same look for a fraction of the price!
-Grey Birch Designs-
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Decorating your fireplace mantel can be tricky, and if you’re like me and want a new look for each season/holiday it can get expensive. I have come up with three ways you can style your mantel using the same core anchor pieces, making it easier to switch out the smaller decor from season to season!
Everyday Look
First let’s establish our anchor pieces that will be used throughout all the different looks. My biggest focal point is the larger mirror. I chose this one because it is a perfect piece to use in layering without being distracting. The wood frame and simple design draws your eye in but doesn’t distract from the sign that’s in front of it. The other anchor pieces I have are the vases with tall flowers on each side. This works great to get everything symmetrical, making it ok to keep the mirror and large sign off-center because the vases bring balance to the whole display. Finally, for this everyday look, I added the “home” sign and wood beads as decor. They look great and are easy to switch out!
Spring Look
For my spring look I swapped out my “home” sign for this larger spring sign, and added some wood beads on the vases. I also found these cute glass bottles at the Target dollar spot and put some real touch tulips in each one to give it a spring touch. By keeping the anchor pieces I didn’t have to change a lot but got a whole new look for spring!!
Summer Look
For my summer look I did something a little different than before. I love lots of greenery in the summer so I wanted to show that. I changed the cotton stems I had in the glass vases to some faux seeded eucalyptus, added some faux succulents inside 2 different color mason jars, added a faux boxwood wreath over my mirror, and added some fun vintage candle sticks and candles. Just like before, I kept my anchor pieces the same and incorporated smaller/different decor for a new season and fresh look!!
-Grey Birch Designs-
DIY’s on Monday
Joy In Our Home | Timeless Creations |The Tattered Pew | CityGirlmeetsFarmboy | Life On Kaydeross Creek
Vignettes on Tuesday
anderson + grant | Follow The Yellow Brick Home | White Arrows Home | Worthing Court | Camelot Art Creations
Front Porches on Wednesday
Mantels on Thursday
DIY Beautify | The Painted Hinge | Making It In the Mountains Grey Birch Designs | The Homemaking Momma
Recipes on Friday
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I really love the look of layered signs! It’s such a fun look to create a statement piece in your home. The key part to making this work is to establish your statement piece, and today I have a fun DIY project that can be used as your anchor piece. This board combines some of my favorite things: wood signs and SHIPLAP!!! This shiplap board is the perfect anchor piece in a sign grouping because it adds texture without taking away from the whole design. It can also be used in many other ways, such as in combination with a wreath, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Supply list
- Plywood or MDF board cut to your desired size
- Tongue and groove or standard shiplap boards
- White paint
- 1″ x 2″ boards (for the trim)
- Any stain color you like (for the trim)
- Miter saw
- Wood glue
- Brad nails and nail gun
Step 1
The first thing you want to do is cut your MDF or plywood to the size you want your sign to be. Home Depot can make the cuts for you for free or you can use a table saw if you have one. Then measure the width of your board and cut pieces of shiplap at that length to stack one on top of another. You will need to determine how many of pieces of shiplap to cut based on the height of your sign. Now its time to assemble everything together! Fasten the shiplap pieces to the board using glue and brad nails. For a cleaner look, shoot the nails in from front to back. This requires assembling everything upside down like you see in the pictures below.
We used 1 inch 18 gauge brad nails. First we nailed the sides and then added a few more nails along the middle in a zig zag pattern.
Step 2
Now it’s time to paint. Don’t worry about painting the sides because they will be covered with your trim pieces. We used a paint sprayer but you can easily do this with a roller or paint brush. While that is drying you can cut and stain your trim
Step 3
Measure out the lengths of trim needed and cut them to size at a 45 degree angle. The trim will attach to the outside of the sign so that the sides are covered. It can be tricky to get the measurements right so I like to cut each piece a little too long and then slowly cut them down to size.
Step 4
Attach the trim with a thin bead of wood glue and brad nails. Take your time with this step and it will pay off in the end.
That’s it! A fun, easy sign to use in countless places in your home! I hope you enjoyed this fun shiplap DIY project!!
-Grey Birch Designs-
