Holiday Craft Ideas Using Terra Cotta Pots

Paint a friendly face on a terra cotta pot this season and fill it with a houseplant. This simple design is easy to mass produce and makes a great gift. 

For this project, you will need:

• 4 1/2-inch terra cotta pot
• White spray paint
• Acrylic paints
• Paint brushes
• Plants

How to make it:

• Begin by turning the pot upside down and spraying it all over with white spray paint.
• Now, using your foam paint brush, paint the rim with black paint to resemble the snowman's hat. Let this dry for about an hour.
• Finish the snowman's face with paint pens or a thin paint brush.
• Let it dry for a few hours before adding your plant.

Tip: Look for easy-care plants like pothos to fill this planter. 

Use terra cotta planters, to construct an ideal snowy doorman for your porch or patio. Decorate your snowman in classic style, as we’ve done here, or use these instructions as a template for letting your creativity run wild.

For this project, you will need:

• 6-inch terra cotta pot
• 8-inch terra cotta pot
• 10-inch terra cotta pot
• Scrap wood
• Cabinet knobs
• Landscape glue
• White spray paint
• Acrylic paints
• Paint brushes
• Accessories

How to make it:

• Spray paint the terra cotta pots white, applying additional coats as needed. Let dry completely.
• Stack the three pots upside down, securing them to one another with landscape glue. Work from the top down, gluing the 6-inch pot to the 8-inch pot, then both of those to the 10-inch pot.
• Using a pencil to draw a face on the 6-inch pot, then retrace your work using paint.
• Glue a decorative bow to the rim of the 6-inch pot. This will be his bow tie.
• Make a hat by gluing or nailing two 4” x 4” pieces of scrap wood at a perpendicular angle to one another. Glue it to the top of the snowman.
• Paint the cabinet knobs whatever color you would like your buttons to be—black will give your snowman a classic look.
• Glue the painted knobs at regular intervals down the torso, starting near the top of the 8-inch pot.
• Add more accessories to the snowman – a painted wood dowel or bright orange earplug for a nose, sticks attached to the rim of the 8-inch pot for arms. Outfit your snowman any way you’d like.

A jolly planter that resembles Santa's suit makes an adorable holiday table centerpiece. 

For this project, you will need:

• 4 1/2-inch terra cotta pot
• Red spray paint
• Black acrylic craft paint
• Paint brush
• Art knife or scissors
• Glue dots or glue gun
• Glittery craft paper or card stock for belt buckle (optional)

How to make it:

• Turn your pot over and wrap painter's tape around the rim.
• Cover the pot completely with red spray paint. Let the pot dry for a couple of hours. Then remove the painter's tape.
• With a foam brush, paint the rim with black paint. Let it dry for an hour.
• Cut a buckle out of card stock. We used glittery paper. You can also use regular paper and glittery craft paint. Using your glue gun, attach the belt to the pot.
• Add your plant and display.

Use terra cotta planters to put Santa himself into your holiday porch decor.  

For this project, you will need:

• Three 8-inch terra cotta pots
• Two 10-inch terra cotta pots
• Landscape glue
• Red spray paint
• Black spray paint
• Acrylic paints
• Paint brushes
• Round cabinet knobs
• Accessories

How to make it:

• Spray paint one 8-inch pot black, spray one 8-inch pot white, then spray the remaining pots red, applying additional coats as needed. Let them dry completely.
• Using the glue, secure the two 10-inch pots together at the large openings. Do the same with the white 8-inch pot and the red 8-inch pot. This creates the body section and head of the Santa. The remaining black 8-inch pot will be the feet.
• Glue the sections together. Position the black pot face down. Glue one end of the body section to the top of the feet section. Then glue the white end of the head section to the top of the body section. Allow the stack to dry.
• Use a pencil to sketch in the details of the Santa. Sketch out an area for the face on the white pot section. Don’t forget to leave space for his beard and mustache.
• Paint the face details using the acrylic paints. Glue on false hair or cotton balls to make the beard.
• Use white, black and silver or gold acrylic paint to add details to the body section, including a belt around the rim of the two 8-inch planters.
• Paint a cabinet knob white and glue it to the top of the statue for the pom on Santa’s hat.

Tip: The same basic form can be used to create a Mrs. Claus of the same height. Use smaller terra cotta pots and sub green paint for red to create elves.

This festive Christmas tree adds a touch of charm to any space. With some green spray paint and a few lights, you can create a whimsical centerpiece.   

For this project, you'll need:

• Four terra cotta pots: 3 1/2 inch, 4 1/2-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch
• Green spray paint
• Micro LED lights with battery pack
• Small holiday ornaments

How to make it:

• Turn the pots over and spray paint them all using your bright green spray paint. Let them dry overnight.
• Once dry, stack the pots from largest to smallest. Give them a bit of a twist to ensure they lean but don't fall.
• Now decorate. Add a Christmas ornament to the top to resemble a tree topper. Wrap lights around the pots and surround them with colorful ornaments.