So I painted pots today and they turned out so cute.   I’m passing on this fun garden decorating project, because it’s inexpensive, relaxing and will add a fun vibe to your out door space.  It’s a great time to add some bright colors to your backyard to celebrate the New Year.  

I’m on a serious budget right, preparing for the New Year and embracing minimalism. I know that it’s super important to get outside, commune with nature and to maintain a healthy balance while working hard. I know this sounds really simple, but that’s the whole point.  Taking it easy, accepting it for what it is and enjoying the moment.  This isn’t about elaboration, complexity, talent or purpose-it’s for flow, acceptance and basically letting go.   This is for those who are up for fun, baggage free.  Get ready to relax your mind.   

To do this little project I needed pots, paint, shellac and brushes.  The pots would cost the most, so I had to get creative and source them cheaply. My mom had the paints and shellac and was in the process of painting bird houses. She invited me to join her, so everything just seemed to fall into place and I accepted her invitation.  

I wanted to do several small pots in rainbow colors. To source the pots,   I headed to a couple of my favorite thrift stores. This turned out to be a great idea.   There was a great variety of cute, small pots to choose from. There were pots in varying designs and sizes with different coatings and containing different objects.  For instance I bought a couple with old fake flowers stuck into styrofoam that were glued to the inside of the pot.  They were fairly sad looking and bent out of shape, but I planned to remove the flowers and upcycle them.

I picked out five and proceeded to the check out counter.  I asked the girl if she was open to bargaining. She was hesitant to admit she would, but she rung it up at the price I asked for, while saying she couldn’t do it.   That’s why I always say, It never hurts to ask!

I felt really lucky after that and went home to clean up the pots.  I scraped away the foam, curated the salvageable flowers for gift wrapping and collected the broken pieces that were big enough for painting.  I planned to paint them and then break them further to add to the stones in a handmade Bee Plate in the back yard. It was full of river stones and the colorful pieces would attract more bees.

So, I cleaned it and then the painting was a breeze.  It was fun to experiment with different patterns and colors.  As my mom and I painted she recounted stories of our past.  She had an amazing recall of our family history, funny stories and our vacation travels.   I relaxed painted and listened.   Once the painting and coating were completed, I attached them to the shed to add colorful inspiration and compliment the flowers that would bloom in the spring.   I walked across the yard and seated myself in a chair that was resting on cold grass wet with drops of moisture from the rain the night before.   The day had been cold and sunny with a brilliant blue sky, but not warm enough to evaporate the wetness from the night before.   I gazed across the garden at the shed which was backed by a huge oak with foliage that was thick, glorious and a dark earthy green.   The colors of the small pots created brilliant pops of light and fun punctuating the coldness of the wintry December day.