Saturday, May 14, 2011

Spring Wreaths And Not So Mossy Clay Pots

I love using natural elements in decorating. After seeing an article at Martha Stewart on ways to create the look of aged mossy clay pots, I knew I had found my inspiration for spring. This is Martha's mossy clay pot. Go ahead, take a good look at the bright green moss.











Remember this post from mid-March? I followed Martha's directions exactly. I slathered a batch of pots with yogurt and put them outside in a shady corner of my porch for several weeks allow them to age to mossy perfection.















I promised to share the results and I always tell it to you straight, so here you go - clay pots with dried yogurt, not a speck of mossy green goodness to be found anywhere.






Hmmm Martha, what happened?






Not exactly what I was expecting, but in all honestly, I think they look pretty cool!








This is a wreath I made for the door in my kitchen that leads to the basement. It's a simple grapevine wreath wrapped with yummy burlap and a variety of greenery for texture. It was super simple to make and I think the mossy pot is a nice addition. Ok, let's just call it a chippy pot. We like chippy here. And I love that door knocker too!







The pot is simply attached to the wreath with a piece of twine looped through the hole in the bottom. Then I filled the pot with moss and added a paper mache egg that I painted blue with a few brown spreckles.






I made a similar wreath for the front door, but added a little nest to this one.









I found a plain little nest at the hobby shop and again added moss and more painted eggs.





I think my nest provided some inspiration for my real feathered friends because for about a week, they visited every morning. At first I thought they were planning to build their own nest in the wreath, but then I realized they were picking my wreath apart to create a nest in a nearby tree. So I quickly swapped out my decorated wreath for a plain grapevine wreath until they completed their task.






They were a welcome addition to my morning routine.






And they announced their arrival every morning with their sweet song. I was a little sad to see them go.







And as for the chippy pots, I'm still using them all over the house for my spring decorating. This is a little display I created on the dining room table using a fabulous wire two-tiered basket I found at TJMaxx. Isn't it cool? I also added some greenery, more moss, seed packets and a fabric bunny.


So even though the mossy clay pots project didn't turn out exactly as I expected, it ended up just fine.


And if you like the Burlap and Ruffles table runner on my dining room table, you can enter to win it here!













And as always, thanks so much for being here!







I'm linking to...
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29 comments:

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Wow, the pots really don't have any moss, maybe not enough humidity. Anyway, I agree, the look great with a chippy look. Your wreaths are fabulous and I love the basket filled with the pots. Such a great centerpiece. Hugs, Marty

kathie said...

Hilarious about the pots :) Don't we all have some major 'fails' in our history?! You made good with them, though! Love all of your wreaths!

Aroura said...

I love the wreaths in all their textural glory! :)

Mrs. Kelley Dibble said...

Tried that a looooong time ago. Failed with a capital fay. So I faked mine with three shades of paint (green, gray, brown) and a sponge. Turned out cute and very realistic!

Good try! Good attitude! And loved your birds!

Kim @ A Brush of Whimsy said...

How sweet! I love the little eggs!

Cassie Bustamante said...

adorable! i love the basket of pots on the table!

Our Hopeful Home said...

Making lemons out of lemonade! Good for you. Your wreaths are to die for, love the burlap and pots and nests.

xoxo
Kathleen

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Sharon, I tried this too and never saw a bit of moss! I think Martha was pulling our legs. I love how your pots look now and the way you have them displayed is fabulous. The wreaths are also very pretty.
Hugs,
Sherry

Screaming Meme said...

Sharon, how fun! I love those ideas! :) Hi, It's Meme from Screaming Meme...I want to personally invite you to come sign up for my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway! I hope to see you there! Now, I am off to read some of your lovely blog!

NanaDiana said...

Well, it looks great anyway-moss or NO moss. I always thought you had to HAVE a bit of moss to get them strarted! If I don't get moving here soon there is gonna be some moss growing on MY butt! Hugs- Diana

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

I think Martha lies just to make us all look bad and keep her job! But I love what you did with your 'chippy' pots! The wreaths are so pretty and I love that arrangement with the burlap and pots on the table!

Anonymous said...

I tried those moss pots and added moss to the buttermilk. They didn't work for me either. All I got was dried patches of moss glued to my pot. It did not grow or anything and looks horrible. There must be some tricke we aren't getting!

Aged or not, your arrangements are all very cute. I love the pots on the table runner!

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

Bummer that they never grew moss. I have never tried it as I'd probably just get ants everywhere! How sweet that those little birds came for a visit. Well and to help themselves with the twigs.

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

Your wreaths are gorgeous! I love all the little touches, like the eggs and the trowel. Your "yogurt pots" did turn out really cool :) I like the look. They still have an aged feel to them, even without the moss.

d e l i g h t said...

Your wreath is wonderful! I've always wondered how the yogurt works on pots. Our entries are next to each other at Between Naps on the Porch, so I came to visit and say Hi!

Fishtail Cottage said...

so sweet - love what you came up with! xoxo, tracie

hilary@oldhousetruelove said...

lovin' the wreaths!

Modern Country Lady said...

Adorable wreath- and who cares about the moss- although a minus point for Martha's - right! :-)

Unknown said...

I love what you've created with terracotta pots!

The Vintage Barn said...

I love the wreath! I've heard of that recipe too, too bad it didn't work! Hey where do you find the burlap ribbon? I looked at Joann fabrics and they said they don't carry it any more!
Nancy

The Kramer Angle said...

I love the basket with the pots on your table - it's so cute!

Old Lucketts Store said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Old Lucketts Store said...

Thanks for posting on the moss pot experiment. I wanted to try that, but now I'm not so sure :)
The wreath with burlap is beautiful.

SJ @ Homemaker On A Dime said...

Sharon, this is an awesome idea! i never thought of that. Linking up this awesome post with us made the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop better and more special. Thank you!

Poverty Barn said...

I love your candor about the pots. It's nice to know I'm not the only person to whom things like that happen!

The double basket on your table is adorable!

Jessica said...

I love all of these projects! Your wreaths turned out really cute - I love how the birds showed up. Very sweet :)

Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage said...

Well, you definitely made the best of the situation with those pots, Sharon. They look quite lovely as you've used them - even without moss. ;)

Blessings,
Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

Olga said...

I was curious about the pots, so I looked it up. It seems Martha left something out of her recipe. All the sites I saw added moss spores to the yogurt. I just got the spores I ordered I’ll let you know if it works.

CatCat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.