DIY Cactus Planter

Remember a few weeks ago when we had nothing but time on our hands and I suggested 10 Things to Do While Self-Isolating. Well, this is me bringing suggestion #6 Crafting, full circle.

Weeks ago, I spent HOURS expertly measuring and shaping each coil of this tiny pot. It was meditative and time consuming; at times I wanted to destroy it, but I resisted. Once I felt satisfied with the size and shape it was placed in the oven, baked to perfection and left to collect dust for the next three weeks.

Weeks passed, restruants and beaches started to open under limited capacity and my naked pottery sat in the window sill waiting for its moment of glory. In that time away, I decided the overall color would be blue and each coil would slowly progress from light to dark. Should be easy, right? Nope.

Mistakes I made so you don’t have too:

1. Paint the pottery all over in white. This will act as a primer making the colors less streaky and reducing the number of coats needed.
2. Mixing paint is hard. Using white as the primary base, a little dot of color goes a long way. Add a little color, mix, add a little more. Don’t rush the process.
3. Mix more paint than you think you’ll need. I started with an almost white base and progesssively added more blue as I completed the coils. Since I was working with such small quantities I found myself running out of paint, or the paint would dry really quickly. Refer to tip #2. Remixing paint from scratch to be just a shade darker is maddening.
4. Know when to walk away. Between the paint mixing, trying to keep a steady hand, and your eyes trying to focus on various shade changes; take a break. This process started at noon and the next time I looked at the clock it was 2:30. I could have stepped into a wormhole, or I could be a dedicated artist. Who’s to say?

Now for my favorite part. Once the painting is complete, dash off to your local Home Depot/Lowes/Local Nursery to pick out your new plant baby.

The selection of cacti were slim. Most were too big and didn’t look healthy, but I mannaged to find the perfect little cactus wedged in the back waiting for my rescue. On a side note: can we please stop hot glueing fake flowers to cactus? I don’t need a plastic flower glued to the top of my plant to make me want to buy it. If anything, it deters me because it makes the whole plant look fake, removing it is painful and I can’t ever get all the glue off the spines of the cactus. If I wanted a fake plant, I would buy a fake plant. Sorry, plant rant over.

Awe! Isn’t it adorable? I have a new found appreciation for artist. How does something so small take so much time to create? This is why art is expensive. I’ll start the bidding for my cactus planter at $1000. Do I hear $1100?

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If you’ve made it this far congratulations! If you read the 10 Things to Do While Self-Isolating you’re probably wondering when will we get an update on #8 the Sourdough Starter. Did I succeed at making delicious homemade bread? No, I didn’t – I killed it. I forgot about it, didn’t feed it for a few days and boy-howdy did it smell. Sorry to disappoint. Maybe next pandemic I’ll see it though.