DIY Hand-painted Pots

Decorate the window sill with DIY hand-painted tin pots.  Transform the empty coffee tin for the perfect plant pot to display on a window sill or brighten up an open shelf to store cookies.  This one-of-kind pot is the funky sidekick to any plant or treasure stash.

We started to drink this brand of coffee in the big tins. I could not bring myself to put the empty tins into recycling so I found a use for them in the garage and studio to store STUFF. 

One year I slapped some older blue house paint onto the tin and stuck a plant outside. The next year I took the pots a bit further in their decoration. I spent some time mixing up colors in oil paints and tada... I end up with chic pots!

After a year of collecting coffee tins, I dedicate 4 days to cleaning and preparing the tin cans for the fun decorative painting stage. Once all is done and dry, I will use up the oil paint leftover on my palette after I have done a fine art painting. Painting the tins is like the cooldown exercise after a vigorous stage of creative energy. 

What to do with those old socks for the studio? 
One day I thought about what to use that is FREE to keep my sleeves from running over my fresh paint. Why the old socks with the worn heal turn out to be the best painter gloves!  

• Snip a circle in the heel of your sock for the thumb.
•  Cut off the sock toes for your finger length. 
• Put on disposable plastic gloves first then slide on sock glove.

Now you have a comfortable glove to hold your sleeves out of the paint and keeps the plastic gloves tight. 

When I am painting the tins I put my whole hand into the tin and rotate the tin on my arm as I paint. 

Coffee Tin Preparation Steps:

• Take labels off.
• Use Goo Gone to take off the label glue.
• Wipe down with soapy water to remove the Goo Gone.
• Wipe with a paper towel to let dry or gesso/paint will be patchy.
• Gesso paint 2 coats to add a protective coat as well the oil paint will stick easier and makes the decorative brush move about more evenly. 
• Let dry.
• Enamel House Paint (using up old stock we have leftover) Oil paint if you have it, makes for the best surface quality that is durable. It does require ventilation and longer drying times but worth the effort. I keep one brush in a plastic bag wrapped and store it in a cool place until the next coat. At the end of the job, I will dispose of the brush rather than using all kinds of cleaner. Just buy cheaper acrylic brushes.
• Do two coats of base paint for coverage and durability. This is your base coat before the decorative painting and can have an underlining coverage so you do not need to detail paint if you are not up to it.
• Use the artist's oil paint for decorative painting on the base coat. Oil paint in artist quality will give the painter much more time to maneuver and make strokes.

JUST REMEMBER THE RULES WITH PAINT TYPES: 

YES, you can under-paint with acrylic paint and YES you can then add OIL PAINT over top of the acrylic. 

BUT DO NOT USE oil paint first then try to add acrylic paint over top... this will not work out!

Never keen on following patterns or doing stencils, I decided my designs are intuitively inspired and so I put the brush into the oil paint and make a mark to follow the mood of the lines and strokes. I will work on 3-4 tins at a time to keep it in the creative groove.

The time period to complete my pots started from March 8th to April 11th so I only do this pot painting once a year. Now that the hand-painted tin pots are done, they can dry and next get photographed for the blog. I had fun giving each pot its own unique name.

There are several ways to use the decorative pot. Since it is food grade as it had coffee in it previously, I use mine as the CHIC POT on the counter and refill with fresh coffee grinds.

Mostly, my favorite way to use these painted pots is for indoor and outdoor plants. Great size to fit window sills, tables, counters, etc. BONUS: The tin's lip along the top is useful when watering to keep the drips INSIDE the pot rather than spilling over the edges to which I am infamous.  

If using pots for plants, then you must put holes in the bottom for drainage or your plant will suffer horribly. Put the plastic lid on the bottom and with a thick nail, I hammer several holes through both the lid and pot bottom at the same time. The lid on the bottom gives the tin edges protection from rusting up the old plate saucers.

NOTE: These tin pots when used for the plant will last about three years before they start to rust out inside the can and then it is time for the garbage and to make new ones!

To start the slide-show click image.

VIEW 17 Funky Chic  

Hand Painted Tin Pots

designed by Minaz Jantz

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LOVE the plants in colorful tin pots sitting on the windowsills as they bring joy when the weather can be grey. The plant sticks are my designs and add that POP when the plant has no flowers. I collect old plates and layer them with my pots. In the photo, I am growing spider plants and outdoor daisies that will go back outside when the season warms up. 

Handpainted tins with daisy plant and designed plant stickers, 'Adam & Eve'

• find old plates that might have a chip or get a bit weary for table wear to use for plant bases. The dinner plates are a good size for the tin plant pot. 
• make plant stickers double-sided with photo paper, acrylic paint, and glue onto chopsticks.

Make these funky chic pots for your home and garden. 
Great to give as gifts, the perfect pot!

Enjoy the process of creating, as it takes your soul out for a stroll while it unwinds the weary mind!

Creatively Inspired, Minaz