Stencils on Flower Pots: Easy Way to Create a Pretty Planter ⋆ Love Our Real Life

If you are looking for a fast and easy project that is super cute, I have one that you can knock out in a matter of minutes. Read on to learn how stencils for flower pots can create a pretty planter for your home!

Two terracotta pots white washed and painted with stencils with plants.

Terra Cotta Pot Decorating Ideas

Flower pots can be expensive which is why I love terracotta pots. They are super cheap, but the orange clay pots aren’t the look that many people love.

Finding ways to be creative with decorating your flower pots is key.

I recently wrote an article showing you how to make white washed terracotta pots with a little paint to give them an aged look.

See more painting posts here!

Totally up to you, but you can complete the white wash first using the directions in the post I linked to above. White washing takes about 5 minutes (seriously!), let it dry (another 5 minutes), then follow the instructions for stenciling from this post.

OR, just stencil on plain clay pots.

Personally, I think the white wash gives the pots a softer look. But, it’s YOUR pot. Make it your own!

On to the tutorial!

Supplies:

Terra Cotta Pot, of course;-)
White chalk paint (I used Amy Howard One Step Chalk Paint in Linen. BUT, almost any white or off-white paint would work. Here’s a similar chalk paint).
Foam brush
Alphabet Stencil. I found mine at WalMart for around $3.00, but this stencil is similar. Just make sure you get a font size that will look great with the pot size you are using.

How to Stencil on Clay Pots:

1. Start by white washing your clay pot if you desire the look like my pots. Otherwise you can skip this step.

White washed clay pot with stencil brush sitting on wooden table.

2. Simply hold the stencil firmly where you would like your lettering and start dabbing the paint over the stencil.

A word of caution: I had too much paint on my brush the first time, and it bled around the stencil.

Letter "H" stencilled on clay pot with white paint.

So, be sure to get very little paint on the foam brush, then dab it over the stencil while holding in place. You may need to offload some of the paint by dabbing it on a paper towel prior to applying to the pot to ensure you don’t have too much paint.

I used left over Amy Howard One Step chalk paint in linen. But, truly any white or off-white paint would be great for this project if you are striving for the same look. You only need a tiny bit of paint.

See what I mean? The paint lines are kind of a mess with my first letter “H” because I had too much paint on the brush.

With the second letter, I offloaded my brush a bit by wiping it on a paper towel before dabbing it over the stencil. This worked so much better.

Collage of stenciling white lettering on clay pot to eventually say "home".

Don’t worry about perfection! I did no measuring with this.

Painting with stencils is actually pretty easy. Just practice a little bit of patience and remember less paint is better.

3. Wait 2-3 minutes for paint to dry prior to painting the next letter.

As soon as each letter was dry (2-3 minutes), I started with the next letter. Ensuring the paint is dry will keep the stencil from smearing/smudging the paint.

Stencil on clay paint using white paint to spell the word "home".

4. Allow paint to dry 15 minutes then lightly sand as needed.

If you prefer a slightly rustic look OR if you just want to smooth out the edges of the paint, grab a piece of fine grit sandpaper (approximately 220 grit) and gently sand over your stenciled letters.

I opted to leave mine as they were without sanding.

5. When paint is fully dry, add plants to pots.

Fern in painted clay pot with "home" stenciled in white paint.

That’s it! HOME. My favorite place to be! Personalize your flower pot however you’d like.

A good friend of mine had a birthday coming up and I thought this would make a perfect gift for her.

Her word for the year was LIVE, so that’s what I stenciled on her pot. She obviously picked this word because she wanted to live life to the fullest. But, I thought it was incredibly fitting for a plant!

I find humor in the little things apparently.

Since I was on a roll, I made a few more…including one for myself!

What ideas for words or phrases do you have to stencil on a terra cotta pot? I know you’re thinking about it! 😉

Now you know how to make a personalized flower pot!

Thanks for stopping in today. If you try this, let me know. It makes my day to learn when people try my DIY projects.

If you love to stencil (I clearly do!), check out these DIY stencil projects:

How to Paint Tile Floors Using Stencils
How to Make Wood Signs Using Stencils (large signs for your porch!)
Reusable Gift Sacks for All Occasions
DIY 4th of July Home Decor

FAQs

How do you use clay stencils?

To use a stencil on a clay pot you can hold it firmly into place or use a stencil glue to reduce the chance of your paint bleeding.

What kind of paint do you use on clay flower pots?

For a simple stencil project such as this, you can use any kind of paint on the clay pots. You do not need a special paint for stenciling clay pots, but good options for include chalk paint and acrylic paint. Spray paint will work if you are able to fully block off the portions where you do not want paint.

How do you write on terracotta pots?

Using paint with stencils is a good choice for writing on clay pots. Other options would be using acrylic or chalk paint with a fine tip paint brush to free hand text directly on the pot. If you prefer not to paint on the pot, use a waterproof marker.

Yield: 1 pot