Far out, man

GIVE YOUR POT PLANTS A DOSE OF FLOWER POWER WITH THESE COLOURFUL DIY DECALS.

I have a hard time finding interesting pots for my indoor and outdoor plants. Most of the time they’re pretty plain and in basic colours, which is great for someone with tendencies towards a more minimal aesthetic. But as someone whose philosophy is ‘more is more’, I wanted to make some pots that suited my high-contrast, retro-inspired aesthetic. To do this, I used my new Cricut Maker 3 – a super-smart cutting machine – to create decals that will jazz up some plain pots, and in turn, my (or your!) home.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

plain pots with a flat surface (light colours are better) spray paint in bright colours of your choice

Cricut Maker 3

Cricut Smart Vinyl

Cricut Smart Paper

Pc/tablet or smartphone with Cricut Design Space app newspaper or a tarp for spray paint run-off

HOW TO

First, gather your supplies. I bought new pots from the hardware store, but you could repurpose some you already have, or even scour your local secondhand store. I’m using the Cricut Maker 3 to make cutting out the decals for the pot super quick and easy. For outdoor-appropriate, weatherproof pots, you’ll need to use the Cricut Smart Vinyl, because it’s permanent and water-resistant (but comes in a removable format, too). For indoor pots, either the aforementioned vinyl or the Cricut Smart Paper will work!

As for spray paint, I’ve chosen bright colours to create a strong background that makes my Cricut decals pop.

Give your pots a good wipe down so they’re clean and ready to paint. Move outdoors to use the spray paint and place some newspaper on the ground so you don’t get splatters everywhere.

It’s best to pop your pots upside-down when you paint them. Two coats will make your colour nice and opaque. It’s up to you if you’d like to paint the inside of the pot, too. I’m painting the inside of mine!

While the paint on your pots dries, move back indoors to work with your Cricut and create some decals to stick on your pots. We’re going to use two different Cricut materials: Smart Vinyl for outdoor pots and Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock for indoor pots. I’ve chosen to follow sort of flower power, 1990s does 1970s, Deee-lite, Brady

Bunch vibes, which to me means simplistic flower shapes and some polka dots for good measure!

For the larger pots, I’m using the ‘long cut’ function on my Cricut to create a decal that runs all the way around the circumference of the pot (it works up to 3.6 metres in one cut). The long cut decals will work with the Cricut Smart Vinyl. I’m also cutting individual shapes that I can apply en masse.

Now that you’ve cut your decals, you can start applying them to your pots. You can use Cricut Transfer Tape to help transfer the vinyl onto each surface – or just go freehand, like me! The Smart Sticker Paper decals can just be stuck directly to the surface of the pot, no help needed.

Now all that’s left to do is find some plants to house in your new groovy pots. Pansies are a personal favourite of mine, and I think they’re going to live happily ever after in their new home!