Aged terra cotta pots have a beauty all their own. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, these pots are beautiful accents for silk or artificial plants or even storage around the house or garden. But how do you get that beautiful mossy, aged look without waiting decades? This fun DIY terra cotta pot project teaches you how.

What You’ll Need

• Toscana Milk Paint in Strasbourg White
• Toscana Milk Paint™ in Calais Green
• Antiquing Glaze
• Matte Sealer
• Copycat™
• Clean Slate™
• Terracotta pot and saucer
• Ink or laserjet printed design
• (2) chip brushes
• Glass or plastic bowls
• Cheesecloth
• Lint-free rags
• (2) natural sea sponges
• Sponge brush
• Putty knife
• Water

How to Add Age and Moss to Your Plant Pot

1. Clean your terracotta pot and saucer with Clean Slate™ using a lint-free rag.

2. Choose a design or font you like online and print it on your paper. Make sure to reverse the image so that it appears correctly when it adheres to the pot. 

3. Mix Toscana Milk Paint™ in Strasburg White with water at a 1:1 ratio. Mix to the consistency of thin pancake batter. Pass through cheesecloth to remove any froth or lumps that might not have mixed completely.

4. Using a chip brush, apply the Toscana Milk Paint™ in Strasburg White to all surfaces of the terracotta pot and saucer. Allow to dry 30 to 45 minutes, or until the paint is dry to the touch.

5. Mix Antiquing Glaze™ with water at a 1:1 ratio to dilute.

6. Saturate your natural sea sponge in water, then immerse it into the diluted Antiquing Glaze™ and lightly squeeze it. Make sure that the sponge is not dripping, but holds enough solution to reduce tool marks within your Toscana finish.

7. Organically pounce the sponge over the entire pot’s entire surface. As you begin to add the glaze, the Toscana Milk Paint™ will reactivate and wear away, giving a beautiful, aged look to your piece. Once the piece is covered, save the solution and your sponge for a second application at Step 11.

8. Allow the piece to dry 20-30 minutes. If there are areas that need additional antiquing, or if there are any areas that had too much paint removed, those adjustments can be made at this point. Dab extra paint or antiquing solution to those areas until you have the look you like.

9. Mix dry Toscana Milk Paint™ in Calais Green with equal amounts of water, mixing to the consistency of a thin pancake batter. Pass the mixed paint through a layer of cheesecloth to remove any froth or lumps that might not have mixed completely.

10. Prime the second natural sea sponge by saturating it with water and squeezing to remove all excess. Dip the sea sponge in your green Toscana Milk Paint™ and dab it onto the lower portion of the terracotta pot. Make sure to apply the paint heavier at the bottom and gradually lighter towards the center of pot for a natural moss effect. Do the same on the top and bottom of the terracotta saucer. Allow the paint to dry for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it’s dry to the touch.

11. Repeat Step 7 to antique the moss-colored paint, organically pouncing your sponge until the desired level of aging is achieved.

12. After your terracotta pot has dried 30 minutes, use your sponge brush to apply the Matte Sealer to the entire pot’s surface. Allow everything to dry 30 to 45 minutes. Wash and dry the sponge brush while you wait.

13. Apply an even layer of Copycat™ with your sponge brush to the surface of the pot where the image will be placed. Do not let dry. Continue on to Step 14 while Copycat™ is still wet.

15. While Copycat™ is still wet, adhere the image to the surface of your pot, print side down. Use your putty knife to burnish and push out any air bubbles or wrinkles. Allow the print to dry and bind to surface for at least 2 hours.

16. After the image has completely adhered to the surface, use a lint-free rag with water to rub and wear away paper and expose print. Make sure the rag is damp but not soaked, as too much water could potentially wear away the image. Continue to wear away paper until all paper fibers have been removed from the surface. Allow everything to dry 30 to 45 minutes.

Enjoying Your Terra Cotta Pot

In just a few hours, you’ll be left with a one-of-a-kind, aged terra cotta pot you can use as a home for your favorite kitchen herbs or a fun addition to your mantel. But best of all, you’ll have a new piece to share with the world — and us!

Show off your terra cotta pot on Facebook, and don’t forget to tag Amy Howard At Home so that we can see it. Share your project on Instagram with #amyhowardathome and tag @amyhowardhome on Instagram!.