Thursday, April 11, 2013

A VERY "DEER" PLANT POT

Hello all!

I'm Tara, and I am the sarcastic voice of Suburble


I'm very lucky to be guest posting here at Silo Hill Farm today. Danni is a very sweet and talented blogger, and I thank her for the loan of interweb space! I'm happy to be able to show off my latest project - a plant pot with a bit of panache.


Finally, Spring is slowly starting to stretch out her legs and rub the sleep from her eyes. We are anxious to get outside, feel the sun's warmth, and leave our windows open. I'm starting to become preoccupied with all things garden-and-flower related. And when I thought of creating a silhouetted plant pot, I gathered my supplies and dove in immediately.


I already had this green plant pot lurking around one of my many piles-o-chaos, and he was desperate for a makeover. I gave him two even coats of Rustoleum's "Fossil" in matte. (And when you're painting a smaller piece, remember to give yourself some space and focus on light, even coats. Otherwise, you're going to get the dreaded Drip Of Despair. There isn't much to fix that... but screaming inside your head sometimes helps.)
I found this image of a buck in the silhouette gallery on The Graphics Fairy. Can I say how much I love that site? Lurrrve it. 


Using my Silhouette Cameo, I cut the buck's image out of vinyl. Instead of using the actual cut-out silhouette (as I would typically do with vinyl), I used the negative space as my stencil. Curved surfaces and stencils are a teensy bit scary, in case you couldn't tell by the wrinkles. It pays to spend a bit of extra time smoothing out any spaces where paint can seep in.

A helpful tip is to use a credit card to go over all of the "seams" of the piece. This will ensure that everything is adhered properly.


I used black acrylic paint to paint over the stencil. A foam brush was the best (and fastest) way to get the paint on evenly.

And here is where I started to sweat.



Thankfully, the Craft Gods were on my side. I waited around five minutes for the paint to dry a bit, carefully peeled off the vinyl and found a regal buck staring back at me! It worked! It wasn't a giant black mucky-mess!

(Believe me, I had my doubts).

I let the paint fully dry, and then coated the entire pot with two coats of Mod Podge. This sealer is fine for inside, but before I bring it outside, I may give it a spray of a more intense Krylon sealer. I'd hate to see Bambi wash away like last night's mascara. 



I'm immensely thrilled with my King of the Forest. He's guarding some mums right now, but I'm thinking that he may love to house some succulents in the near future.

I have another awful-greeny pot waiting for his debut. Any suggestions on what might pair nicely with my buck pot? A rabbit? A doe? If you're suddenly inspired, please let me know in the comments.

30 comments:

  1. Thank you Tara! Love this project and the paintn color! How about a moose??

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    1. Ooohhh... a moose. That would look very stately, wouldn't it?

      Thanks for having me, Danni. I'm so excited to show off this pot. It's one of my favourites!

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  2. He did turn out great, and I think you should do the other one in a doe. ;)

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    1. Thank you! I have considered a doe, just so they're a sweet little pair. It's on the short list so far!

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  3. Tara, I just got done convincing all my friends that drippy spray paint application is charming! (Or at least I tried.) Alas, Drip of Despair is more like it. I am impressed at your restraint in it's application, it looks so professional. I probably need an intervention regarding my method.

    In addition to animals, what about words or numbers? That would be cute, too.

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    1. Oh, the Drip of Despair is all-too-common in my handiwork. It's taken a lot of patience (and standing at least a foot away from my work) to reduce my drippy happenings. Sometimes I wonder why I don't just use acrylics... but then that comes with it's own streaky issues. ;)

      You know, I hadn't considered words or numbers at all! That's very interesting (and could be cool). Great idea!

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  4. I LOVE this idea, the buck is totally hot but I think (like Cheryl said) you could go in so many directions with it. Great tutorial!! My spray painting skills earned me a big D- many o'time so I am a little nervous about that part... but I should try again perhaps. Fabulous inspiration and tutorial!
    Krista @thehappyhousie

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    1. Thanks, Krista. I hear you - spray painting can be dangerous business. I still have pieces that sport that horrendous little drip - and what can you really do about it?

      I totally encourage you to give it a try. Find something a bit ugly (or a LOT ugly) and give it a facelift. That way if it gets drippy, you can still say, "Hey, well, it's better than it was before!" :)

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  5. Great idea Tara!!!
    I so need to get a sillouette ( am I the only blogger on the planet that doesn't have one of those? )
    XOX

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    1. I bought a Silhouette before I was a blogger. I am slightly obsessed with it, so I recommend that you get one! They're lots of fun!

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  6. Ironic you chose a deer or a buck since they happen to be tormenting your gardens. Are you hoping that this ADORABLE creation will show them that you are a friend and not a foe. That they should respect you and attack your neighbors garden instead :)

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    1. Maybe it's a case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer?

      And yeah, it's all about respect. Respect me, deer.

      (Though I think we're giving them too much credit. The look in their eyes is either "Dum dee dum... eating someone's prized hostas..." or "What!?!? What's that!?!? A noise!?! A light!??!"

      Not big brains, I'm thinking...)

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  7. this is just too cool.

    thank you for coming by my blog and commenting!

    HongKongChic

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    1. Mandy - thanks for the compliment! I think it's pretty awesome too!

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    1. Thanks, Heather. Despite my recent hate-on for all things that mow down my gardens, I do like the look of deer. They're so pretty. :)

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  9. Tara - I'm loving all of your crafty projects!!!! (yes that required 4 exclamation marks). This would make such a cute DIY mother's day gift. I think a humming bird might be really sweet. There's something so beautiful and magical about them and I think they would be the perfect complement to potted flowers.

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    1. Thank you, Sam!

      Oh, I hadn't even considered a hummingbird! What a cool idea! I'm going to do some hunting for images today!

      Yes, this would make a sweet Mother's Day present, wouldn't it? And if you potted a little mum or african violet? How adorable.

      (I'd tempted to also just fill the thing up with Hershey's kisses and wrap it in cellophane. I love a good chocolatey gift!)

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  10. What a terrific idea! That buck turned out fabulous! You are a pro... :)

    hugs x
    Crystelle
    Crystelle Boutique

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    1. Oh thank you, Crystelle. I wouldn't say I am a professional (unless it's a professional procrastinator, because I'm all over that) - but I will take the compliment gladly! :)

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  11. Beautiful! I dearly want a Silhouette, but don't know where I'd put one with all the sewing paraphernalia I have in the sewing/crafting room.

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    1. Oh... that's a problem with me too. My craft room (which is also an office and a spare room) is just a chaotic mess right now. It is definitely on the list for "Potential Blog Post", as the before/after could be astonishing. When you start with piles on top of piles, anything can be an improvement, right?

      And there's also the Silhouette Portrait, which is a far more compact version of the Cameo.

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  12. Tara you come up with the sweetest ideas!! I am going to have to try this with my silhouette. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Oh, thank you! Please let me know if you give it a try. I swear, now that I have tasted success, I'm seeing potential all over the place!

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    1. Is he an outdoorsy guy? I'm wondering if I should craft something up for my mom... Mother's Day is coming up pretty quickly...

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  14. What a striking new look! This would be a great gift idea for father's day or sprucing up a man cave, yet he's pretty enough for any room. Love this, Tara! ~ Amy

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  15. Its gorgeous Tara! I'm like you - I get all nervous when peeling back a stencil! I love decorated plant pots!

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  16. This is a great project. Danni, thanks for introducing us to Tara!

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  17. LOVE it! Time for me to get busy!! :0)

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