Teacher Gifts ~ Make Stenciled Pots

It is that time of year again….the time of year to begin to think about teacher gifts. I love making personalized gifts that the people who are receiving them know I thought about them and know things they are interested in. It is fun to me to try to come up with something for each person.

This year at our co-op, both of the teachers enjoy gardening. I thought it would be a fun idea to make both teachers stenciled pots that could easily fit in a window sill or go outside if they prefer. It was an inexpensive gift and one I’m sure they will use and enjoy.

You can make your own stenciled pots whether they are for teacher gifts, other gifts or yourself. It is a fairly easy and inexpensive craft. You ready? Let’s get going.

Supplies:

• Terracotta pots
• Paint(affiliate link) If your pots will or may be used outside, make sure it is an outdoor paint.
• Brush
• Adhesive stencil(affiliate link)
• (Chalkboard paint is pictured. I ended up not using it, but you could use it to add the ability to mark what is in the pot.)

I used the Martha Stewart adhesive stencils for the first time. I had such a good experience with the Mod Podge Rocks adhesive stencils, I decided to try more. They worked really well and the adhesive made this project quick and easy.

Start by placing your stencil on the pot where you would like to paint.

Use your pouncer or brush to paint the stencil. Make sure you use a dry brush. When working with stencils, you want a dry brush(meaning a light amount of paint, not a big wet brush or pouncer) so you don’t end up with paint that leaks under the stencil. You may need to go over the area more than once, but trust me, using a dry brush will give you great results.

Continue with your stencils, moving them around to get the patterns and looks you want from your pots.

I came up with four different designs.

I plan to give two pots to each teacher. I should probably give them plants as well, but I don’t have much of a green thumb and chances are I will kill the plant before it gets to them…so they will most likely get empty pots. I also know they like using heirloom seeds and such, so hopefully they will enjoy planting their own seeds and going from there. 🙂

I just love the way these pots turned out. I think they are so cute! If I could keep plants alive, I would love to have a few of these sitting on the windowsill by my sink. Maybe with some herbs in them. I’m totally dreaming here, because nothing would remain alive except in my sweet little dreams. Oh well, it sounds nice and looks nice…in my mind. 😉

What kind of teacher gifts do you give? Handmade, gift cards or store-bought? I don’t think this is a right or wrong answer, just what you like to do.

More gift ideas for you: