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4.25.2013

It's My Pot-ty and I'll Hoard If I Want To!


I just love terra cotta pots!
They are such a versatile decorative element...
I can ALWAYS find a way to use them, in every season.

Driving down the road one day about eight years ago,
I saw something that caused me to slam on my brakes:
There were terra cotta plant pots 
sitting in boxes and standing in stacks in a yard by the side of the road.

Lots of them.

Lots and Lots of them.

Lots and Lots and LOTS of them....

and next to them, there was a sign:
'FREE!'
Be.Still.My.Heart! 

Just LOOK at some of the vintage ones in the mix:


so you know what happened next, right?
uh huh.
 I quickly loaded those babies into my trusty Isuzu Trooper 'Suzi'
[oh, how I miss her], took them HOME with me,
...and they lived happily ever after!

In my yard...

In show displays...
 DETAIL:
underneath that cool old stove above, a broken pot adds charm....

The last of them ended up in my gardenhouse...

and then when I left Seattle in 2012, I gave them away.
[Yes, that was hard - but necessary at the time.]
I'm sure that in the future, I'll amass another collection!

I love bringing them into the house and using them, too...
Gather them on a platter or in a crate, sit them on a miniature chair,
add a little moss, tuck in a blooming primrose or tulip,
dome them under glass, set the table with them...
EASY!

I'm a purist and generally don't paint or embellish them for my own use -
but I've seen some very cute ideas out there!

What's YOUR favorite thing to do with terra cotta pots?

6 comments:

  1. sounds like you were the perfect person to find that wonderful huge stash. And you mustn't be too much of a hoarder if you were willing to give them away at some point
    :)

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  2. ;) Joyce, I sure FELT like a hoarder carting them around for seven years! I DID sell a lot of them along the way, though... my stash went from somewhere around 200 pots to 50 by the time I gave them away!

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  3. Thanks for that earworm for the day....had that song on a 45 when I was a kid...Oy!

    I used to use the medium sized pots to assemble Welcome Home gift baskets for new residents at apartment communities. I painted them in the management company's colors for a custom look. Now I just prefer a yummy mossy weathered look....:)

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  4. I'm very jealous of your hoard, I mean collection of pots! I love the glasses as a cloche on the top. I have some left over from a wedding and they look like they'll do that job perfectly!
    thanks for the inspiration!
    Susan

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    Replies
    1. Susan, thank you for visiting! And don't be jealous... I don't have that haul (hoard/collection/whatever!) of pots anymore. ;) Have fun playing with yours!

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  5. I just did my first mosaic craft on some terra cotta pots. I love that the ones you found were used in so many creative ways!

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