Funky Junk Interiors

While I love plant pots, I’m not always fond of their original colours such as orange… especially when they are brand new. So I decided to solve that problem by creating a way to turn any ‘ol pot into cute and easy vintage crock numbered planter… plus!

Did you know I use to collect vintage crock pots? I adore them, and my fav part was their antique markings!

Unfortunately, most antique crock pots are so large, I just didn’t have room to collect them any longer. So I eventually sold my collection. 

Most recently, when I came across some plain pots at the thrift that resembled crocks with sides perfectly straight up and down…  I thought, “Boy, that would look awfully cute with vintage crock numbers on them…”

And then it was like I had this vintage planter awakening. There were oodles of plain cheap pots, containers and vases that begged for some DIY attention!

So I brought the one larger plastic pot home for a whoppin’ $1 along with a few other pots, then gathered up my own orangey clay pot stash at home to see what I could come up with…

But they would need help. First up was to create some vintage crock number stencils that would fit on most pots. I could do that!

Then teaming up the Vintage Crock Numbers with Fusion Mineral Paint along with a bag of Fresco, (a texture powder you add to paint), my ugly cheap looking plant pot stash turned into a charming vintage crock pot numbered pottery looking stash in a real hurry!

So here’s how to transform any plain plant pot into one oozing with vintage- pottery charm!

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Vintage Crock Numbers stencil

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View Vintage Crock Numbers stencil HERE

So Vintage Crock Numbers became a new stencil to play with! With a twist…

While real crock numbers refer to gallon sizes, (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 then 10), these Vintage Crock Numbers give you that look without having to follow the real rules! Numbering things is a cool look! And now you can do it in vintage crock style.

And they are perfectly sized to fit nearly any plant pot you may come across!

Thing is, plant pots are small, and often shaped with sloped sides, distorting graphics.

These numbers with some decorative borders and trim work are still small to work with, so they don’t easily distort. Plus, they add tons of charm and work on nearly any sized pot you may have!

Next up, let’s texturize these cute pots making them resemble old clay, then finally detailing them to turn them into vintage crock wonders!

Be sure to watch the video at the end of this post, sharing loads of invaluable details!

How to create a vintage crock numbered planter

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Supplies I used:

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Vintage Crock Numbers stencil from HERE

Base pot paint – I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Algonquin (darker) and Champlain (lighter)

Paint for stenciling – I used various Fusion colours in / Midnight Blue, Chocolate, Coal Black, Ash)

Fresco texturizing powder – by Fusion

(Visit a local Fusion retailer HERE) 

Paint and stencil brush

Container for mixing

Container of choice: / planting pots / buckets / etc.

 

How to add texture to pots

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1. Pour 1 part Fresco to 2 parts paint into a mixing dish.

2. Stir with a stick or paint brush until fully mixed.

You have some choices with this one. If you desire LOTS of texture, add more powder! If less, add more paint.

Above: Algonquin mixed with Fresco

3. Paint pots with textured paint until you achieve coverage.

The beauty with using Fresco is, it turns the colour of the paint you are using. So you are actually adding texture AND painting at the same time. And it dries rock hard!

Vintage crock numbered planters… we are on our way!

Above: Champlain mixed with Fresco

4. Once dry, add a 2nd coat of the Fresco-paint mix, or as many as you wish. The more coats you add, the more textured your pot becomes!

You can leave intentional brush marks to resemble pottery, or tap with a brush, or dab with a rag to leave a mottled effect. How you apply is how the Fresco will stay. Pretty cool!

5. Paint inside the pots.

If you will use the pots for real plants, I might suggest to paint a few inches down so they look nice as well as weather well with soil and watering.

However if used for home decor, I vote to paint the entire inside of the pot.

And now that your pots look absolutely adorable with all that delicious colour and texture, let’s add vintage-inspired  details!

Above: Champlain pot / Chocolate #7 and rim

Stencils: Vintage Crock Numbers HERE

Stenciling Vintage Crock Numbers

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6. Decide which Vintage Crock Number will go on which pot, and in what colour.

7. Holding the stencil in place with one hand, then tap the paint through the stencil with a very dry-to-the-touch stencil brush to achieve a somewhat faded stamped look.

Now we are getting that cool vintage crock numbered planter vibe!

How to stencil:

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1. Load stencil brush with paint
2. Unload most paint onto a rag
3. Test the tip to ensure it feels dry and try on a sample piece first
4. Tap or swirl your brush to stencil the images

Learn much more about how to stencil and my fav supplies in THIS POST.

Above: Champlain pot  / Liberty Blue grain sack stripes / Ash No. 6 & rim

Stencils: Vintage Crock Numbers HERE

Additional details

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8. Enhance with other details such as paint splattering, rim colour, Grain Sack Stripes, plus!

Decorating the pots to achieve a full-out Vintage Crock Numbered planter is the best part! The texture picks up paint like nothing else!

Here’s a few ideas to consider: (all ideas are shown in the video below this post)

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To detail the pot rims, drag the brush along the top in a contrasting colour.

Add paint splatters for more ‘grit’, flick the wet paint brush onto the pot to create splatters. (shown how in video below this post)

You can also paint over the graphics and start over if you add too much using the same base paint. So easy to fix or change!

 Add Grain Sack Stripes found HERE (shown how in video below this post)

Distress your stenciling by lightly dragging a brush over top of the graphics with the base colour.

Stain or glaze the painted pots for added depth if desired.

Change your mind? Simply replaint over to start over with your base paint! Easy!

Above: Fort York Red pot painted over with Champlain, Algonquin both mixed with Fresco / stenciled and dry-brushed with Liberty Blue.

Stencils: Vintage Crock Numbers HERE

While I did intentionally paint the pot in two colours, the chipping was a happy accident! Here’s how to do it with intention:

How to achieve a 2-toned pot

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1. Paint pot a base colour first. (in this case, red)
2. Add a paint resist, such as wax to areas of the pot.
3. Paint over pot with two tones of Fresco powdered paint.
4. Before the paint is completely cured, lay sticky tape over the pots, then pull away to create chips and chunks.

Fun, right?!

And now to put this fabulous newly painted and stenciled vintage crock numbered planter group to work!

Here’s how they turned out!

The finished vintage crock numbered planters

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Aren’t the new and improved Vintage Crock Numbered plant pots just adorable?

I ended up painting some pots while leaving others in their natural state. And they all looked equally adorable!

See the tan crock pot on the far right with the cute #4? That’s the $1 plastic pot I didn’t even bother painting over! Talk about instant vintage crock charm, huh?

The #6 pot on the far left was still filled with old grit. Perfect! I didn’t need to do a thing except add the number. It’s pretty amazing what a big difference a simple, quaint number makes!

It’s truly like each pot has a personality. And you get to decide the colours and shapes!

Authentic vintage tips

 

Here are two old weathered pots I didn’t paint prior. And they are completely and utterly adorable! So don’t be too quick to paint everything… perhaps try them natural first!

And keep in mind to use a really light hand with the crock pot markings, so they look as weathered as the pot itself.

So many cute pots! I can’t wait to sprinkle them around the house and put them to work holding either fresh cut flowers, planted herbs, flowers or plants, or for home decor holding pencils by the phone, etc!

What would you use them for?

Oh, I have to tell you about that rusty orb! My neighbour Hank who helped me build my reclaimed wood garden fence HERE made those and gave me a handful! So you’ll be seeing them pop up here and there! How cool right?

And finally… a use for my rusty toolboxes! Enhance them with a little hemp oil and have them work at arranging your new plant pots!

Read How I Enhance Old Metal in THIS post.

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Video

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Click above to watch a video tutorial on working with Fresco with loads of finishing touch details!

So from standard orange… or whatever other colour you want to avoid…

… to this goodness! Aren’t they just adorable?

So don’t overlook those ugly plant pots you see… pick’em up cheap, and make them into what you wish instead!

Think you’ll be enhancing a few plant pots of your own this summer with some of these ideas? How would you do yours up?

View Vintage Crock Numbers stencil from HERE

Shop for all the stencils HERE through online or a local retailer

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Read other related posts you may like:

How I created a cement-looking flower pot (with Fresco again!)

Make a garden-themed scrap wood walkway

How to make a reclaimed wood fence

Visit other stenciled projects HERE

Check out all my other OUTDOOR and GARDEN projects