How To Decorate Flower Pots Using Air Dry Clay

This might be my absolute favorite way to decorate flower pots or any plain terracotta pot with a beautiful leaf border.

I had a few bags of leftover air dry clay and I decided this is the best way to use it.

If you love playing around with air dry clay and molding beautiful pieces, this project will keep you occupied for a while!

It’s a simple, easy, and enjoyable project you can do on the weekend or on a relaxed afternoon to add a creative piece to your home.

With that said, here’s my easy step-by-step process on how to decorate a flower pot with clay leaves and flowers:

Supplies

Here are the key materials you’ll need to get started:

• Small Terracotta Pot
• Air Dry Clay: Green, Purple, Blue
• Clay Tool
• Glue
• Clean board/surface

How To Decorate A Flower Pot With Clay

Take a small piece of green clay and knead until soft.
Roll the clay into a small ball with the palm of your hands.
Press the ball down between your two fingers and pinch the end into a pointed tip.
Shape the leaf into your desired style or shape by smoothing and shaping the sides or tip of the leaf.

Place the leaf onto a clean board and use the handle of the clay tool to roll out the piece. This should make the leaf appear more even and flat.
To create a cool leaf imprint, slide the clay tool down the center of the leaf.
Then, make a small indent on either side of the line you just created. And your first leaf is complete.

Mix green and blue together to create the next clay leaf and knead well.
Follow the previous steps to create a new leaf but in a smaller size.
Make sure you have enough leaves to cover the entire edge of the pot. To achieve this, you’ll probably have to make at least 12 pieces.
Once all your pieces are done, arrange them neatly on the board and allow the clay leaves to dry overnight before gluing them to the pot.
Grab a strong glue to stick the leaves. I went with this mosaic glue. You can test the glue with your first leaf to see if it sticks to the flower pot.
Glue all the leaves you’ve created around the bottom of the clay pot. I chose an arrangement of different leaf colors and sizes for variety and interest but you can create any pattern you like.

Here’s the final piece:

You can always switch up the colors if you want a brighter leaf design or try painting the entire flower pot first with white acrylic paint as this will help make the green leaves pop.

If you’d like to see a video version of this tutorial, here you go:

Additional Tips

Use strong glue to stick the leaves. I tried using Elmer’s clear glue, but unfortunately, it did not stick to the pot at all. Luckily for me, I found that this mosaic glue worked exceptionally well.
Don’t forget to make small clay flowers around the pot above the leaves as this completes the look.
It’s best to make all the leaves in one go rather than having to wait for each clay leaf to dry. This will also make the gluing process a fun and satisfying experience. You’ll have to gauge just how many leaves you’ll need based on the size of your flower pot.
As a recommendation, this decorated clay flower pot will look awesome indoors! However, if you plan to leave this flower pot outside, you will need to seal the piece to make it water-resistant.

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