Eco Kids Column: Strawberry and Pineapple-Inspired Pots

ECO KIDS COLUMN

PENCINTA ALAM JUNE 2015

STRAWBERRY AND PINEAPPLE-INSPIRED POTS

By Wong Ee Lynn

Here is an arts & crafts project that would give your plant pots a makeover, as well as use up the acrylic paints from your Paint-Your-Own Mug/Photo Frame/Fridge Magnet/Piggy Bank kits before the said paints dry up.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1. Leftover acrylic paints from your arts &crafts DIY kits.

2. Small plant pots (Please wash and dry them thoroughly if they had previously held soil and plants)

3. A paintbrush.

4. Painters' tape, cheap washi tape or any kind of adhesive tape that is not too sticky. 

5. A cotton bud.

6. Pebbles and potting soil.

7. Any small plant with spiky or pointed edges. Succulents, aloe vera plants and spider plants would work very well for this project.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Line your work surface with newspaper.

2. Paint the pots white as an undercoat or primer. This is especially important if the pot is dark-coloured. Do not wet or dilute the acrylic paint. Just apply the paint on thickly.

3. Let the undercoat dry completely. Once it is dry, paint one pot bright red and the other pot bright yellow. 

4. Let the paint dry completely. If the pots' original colours can be seen through the paint, you may wish to apply another coat of paint. A second coat of paint would give the pot an opaque, glossy look and make it more attractive.

5. Once the paint is dry, use painters' tape or cheap washi tape to mark out the areas you wish to paint patterns on, to make sure the patters are evenly spaced. If you do not have painters' tape or washi tape, use strips of paper and tape the two ends to the pot. Alternatively, use cellophane tape but stick it to your shirt or some other surface first and peel it off to make it less sticky before applying it to the pot. If the tape you are using is too sticky, it might lift the paint off and cause damage to your masterpiece.

6. Paint strawberry 'seeds' onto the red pot. The seeds should be white or pale yellow in colour. 

7. Paint pineapple 'thorns' onto the yellow pot by making upside down 'v's in bright green.

8. If you find it difficult to control your brush strokes due to the fact that the acrylic paint is too thick sticky, you might wish to use a cotton bud to paint the seeds and thorns onto the pots instead. 

9. Wait for the paint to dry before removing the tape. Now you have neatly patterned rows on your fruit-themed pots.

10. Fill the bottom of the pots with pebbles or gravel to improve drainage. Top the rest of the pot with potting soil. 

11. Make a small hole in the centre of the soil and put your little plants, root first, into the hole. Fill up the hole and cover the roots of your plant with more soil. Give your plant just a little water so as not to drown the roots. 

12. Have fun with your pineapple and strawberry-inspired plant buddies!