An Easy DIY Project For The Teacher In Your Life!

Happy May! With three young children, this time of the year is full of fun end-of-the-school-year activities and planning for the Summer! Even though teachers should be celebrated year-round, this time of the year is also a great time to show teachers how much they are appreciated.

Last week during Teacher Appreciation Week, I was excited to go LIVE on Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™’s Facebook page to showcase a charming handmade teacher gift using MMS MilkPaint™ and a terra cotta pot.

Today I want to show you how to make that same handmade gift: Apple Terra Cotta Pot Teacher Gift!

I love this DIY because it is not only super charming, but it is very simple to make and is very inexpensive. Since this project only requires a little bit of Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™, you can use paint leftover from another larger project. The terra-cotta pot and base or lid cost a couple of dollars, and the embellishments like the stem and leaf can be made from items you already have around the house. Since Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™ is non-toxic, your children can even paint this on their own and add sweet messages to the inside of the pot filled with their teacher’s favorite gifts.  

I love how this project turned out!

Tricycle is the perfect red to represent an apple, and it brings out a beautiful consistency among the terra cotta pot.

Video Tutorial

As I mentioned above, last week, I went LIVE on Miss Mustard Seed’s® Milk Paint Facebook page to demonstrate how to make this charming handmade teacher’s gift. You can watch the re-broadcast here and follow along with the written tutorial below.

Now, let’s get painting!

Supplies Needed:

To create your own DIY Terra Cotta Pot Apple Teacher Gift with MilkPaint™, you will need:

●      Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™ in Tricycle

●      Craft Paintbrush

●      Terra Cotta Pot with Base

●      Green Fabric for the Leaf

●      Starch Spray Glue

●      Scissors

●      Vintage Spool for the Stem

●      Craft Glue

Step 1: Create the Fabric Leaf 

From a green piece of fabric, cut out a leaf shape.

Protect your work surface, then spray starch glue onto the fabric leaf. Make sure the fabric is fully saturated. Then, set it aside to dry and stiffen. 

Step 2: Mix the MilkPaint™

Mix 1 part MilkPaint™ to 1 part water. A “part” can be any unit of measurement you wish. I used a tablespoon.

For this project, I used two tablespoons of MilkPaint™ in Tricycle to 2 tablespoons of water.

Step 3: Paint the Terra Cotta Pot with MilkPaint™

Paint 1 thin coat of MilkPaint™ onto the outside of the terra cotta pot. Let it dry.

Paint 1 thin coat of MilkPaint™  on the inside of the terra cotta pot. Let it dry.

Paint the top and bottom of the terra cotta base with MilkPaint™. Let it dry.

Then, if you wish, paint the second coat of MilkPaint™ to the outside of the terra cotta pot and to the top and bottom of the base.

Let it dry.

Step 4: Create the Terra Cotta Apple Gift for Your Teachers 

Once the fabric leaf and the paint are dry, use craft glue to attach the fabric leaf to the center of the terra cotta base (that acts as a lid).  

Then, place a small dab of craft glue onto the fabric leaf for the vintage spool or “stem.”

*I chose a vintage spool to act as the stem because I liked its patina, color, and story, and it was the perfect size for the stem. However, you can use whatever you have on hand. I also found some limbs that were dried out that would make the perfect stem. 

Attach the vintage spool to the terra cotta base or lid. Then, let it dry!

Step 5: Gift Your Handmade Apple Terra Cotta Pot 

Once the glue dries, fill the terra cotta pot with your teacher’s favorite trinkets and custom messages or pictures from your child. Then, gift away!

This project proves that Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™ elevates and adds the sweetest charm to any material! I love how this project turned out! I can’t wait to gift it to my children’s’ teachers.  

I hope you enjoy making yours just as much as I did mine! 

Thank you so much to MMSMP for having me, and thank you so much for following along today. I hope you enjoy experimenting with Miss Mustard Seed’s® MilkPaint™ as much as I do!