This is a great gift for the home, or someone with a garden or sheltered porch. Can be sealed for outdoor use.
Step 1: Buy a terracotta flower pot (unglazed) whatever size you choose. I used a pot about twelve inches high.
Step 2: This step is optional, but very cool. In the project pictured I used a cement mold of a green man face and adhered it to the side of the pot. The other design this mold comes in is a Buddha face. You mix the cement and add the colorant included in kit to match the pot. Pour into mold and allow dry for 24-48 hours. Save a little cement in a sealed plastic container to use to adhere it to the pot (mosaic glue won’t work as well for this step).
Step 3: Find tiles. This can be as simple as going to your local craft store and purchasing bags of colorful Mosaic tesserae, or maybe you have a collection of sea glass, seashells, or pretty stones at home. You can also make your own tiles by breaking old ceramic dishes (cover the plates with a towel and smash with hammer; always wear protective eye gear).
Step 4: Plan your design. You are going to glue the stones and tiles directly to the pot before applying grout, so you need to give some thought to the design and layout and color scheme. If you molded a face, now’s the time to attach it with the cement so it’s where you want it.
Step 5: Glue tiles. When ready, use a mosaic glue (like Weldbond) to glue the tiles down one section at a time. Use enough glue to secure each tile and work your way around the pot. The glue sets in 5-10 minutes, so the pieces won’t fall off. Space the tiles about 1/8″ apart, Allow glue to dry for 24 hours.
Step 6: Grout. Wear protective gloves while you do this next step. Mix up sanded tile grout (many colors are available at your craft or hardware store) using a plastic pot you can throw away. Take a handful of grout and smush it onto whole pot, making sure that the grout gets into all the crevasses between the tiles. Discard the extra grout (never dump it down a sink). Let the grout set for 5- 10 minutes, then take a very lightly dampened sponge and wipe off excess grout. Allow to dry for 24 hours , then polish with a dry cloth or rag.
If your pot is going to stay outside, apply 2 -3 coats of a grout sealer.
Pick out a plant to go inside. It’s best to keep the plant in a inner plastic pot so that moisture seeps down and out the bottom rather than through the sides of the tiled pot.
