By Dee Archibald
These cute little guys are the perfect window accessory or great little gift. Make them in whichever shade you wish with just a few simple ingredients, add a cute cactus or succulent cutting and you’re good to go.
You will need:
- A bag of Plaster of Paris
- Powered Tempera paint (I was told Office Max was the place to buy this, after looking everywhere else for it, but in the end I borrowed a little from my sons kindy!) As an alternative I would suggest coloured oxide (used for concrete and available at ITM stores) or trial some regular tempera paint which seems to be available everywhere. I’m guessing a premixed variety isn’t going to make a difference to the finish.
- A silicone shot glass mould (try a homewares shop, I picked one up at Farmers)
- Sandpaper
- Matt Medium (Stationery Warehouse is the place for this one)
- Small plants
Step 1
Use an old bowl and spoon to mix up around 1.5 cups of plaster (per 4 pots) and around a teaspoon of powdered tempera paint (I wanted mine quite a pastel shade but you can double the amount of paint you use if you are after a brighter shade)
Add water and stir until you have a thick pouring consistency (around 2 parts dry power to 1 part water). You will need to work quickly as the plaster starts to set in minutes.
Step 2
Pour the mix into your moulds (I found they can be a little hard to remove so I sprayed a little cooking oil spray into each one before pouring).
Lift the mould and bang it down a few times on your bench to get the mixture to sink to the bottom and get rid of any air bubbles.
Step 3
The plaster sets quickly (an hour or 2 should do it) but I usually leave mine over night just to be sure as you will need to be a bit rough when trying to get them out of the moulds. I found the best way was to turn the mould inside out until the outside of the pot is showing then gently pull the inner part of each mould straight out without squeezing it.
Give them 24 hours to completely dry once removed and give them a quick sand, especially on the bottom so they aren’t wobbly once planted. Coat them inside and out with Matt Medium. This seals them without adding a gloss finish to them.
Tip: Use a mini roller to avoid brush lines if you would prefer them without.
Step 4
Add your plants to a little soil and find them a bright happy place to live!
Happy Crafting x
