DIY Cute and Quirky Flower Pot Person for Your Garden

By
Rita Shehan
Rita Shehan Head Shot
Rita Shehan
Rita Shehan is a crafting expert and writer focusing on paper crafts. She shares over a decade of paper crafts experience, including quilling, origami, scrapbooking, paper flower creations, and designing invitations. Rita is also the founder of the website EasyPaperCrafts.com.
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Updated on 09/10/20
flower pot person

Rita Shehan

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Kid-friendly
  • Estimated Cost: $30

Many gardeners enjoy decorating their green spaces with whimsical accents. Why not add some cute flowerpot people to your outside area? Flowerpot people are so easy and fun to craft that you'll want to make many versions of this project with your kids who are age 8 or older. Once you understand the construction process, you can whip up a clay flower pot person in no time.

Tip

The pot sizes that we recommend for this project are just suggestions. You can use any size pot you wish and make the project as big or as small as you'd like. Although you can make this project with plastic pots, it's best to use terra-cotta pots. Terra-cotta is a porous material that paint sticks to well.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors

Materials

  • 2 8-inch clay pots
  • 4-inch clay pots
  • Acrylic paint
  • Clear acrylic sealer
  • Strong glue
  • Macrame cord (or other type of strong rope)

Instructions

  1. Paint the Pots

    The smaller flower pots will be the arms and legs, and the larger pots will be the body and head, so paint accordingly. If you have an overabundance of brush strokes, you may have to paint two layers to get a smooth surface. Let the paint dry and then seal the paint with several thin coats of clear acrylic sealer.

    Tip

    If you are a bit stuck as to how to decorate your flower pot person, visit Pinterest for inspiration. You will find hundreds of painted flower pot people to guide and inspire you.

    Six painted flowerpots and some white string.
    Rita Shehan

  2. Assemble the Arms

    Place a small pot on a table upside down. Cut a piece of macrame cord about 3 feet long and run it through the drainage hole on the pot. Tie a knot onto the end of the macrame cord inside the pot, making sure the knot is larger than the size of the drainage hole. Pull the knotted cord up until the knot is flush with the bottom of the inside of the pot. Repeat with the other small pot.

    Inside of a red painted clay pot with a string and knot tied at the bottom.
    Rita Shehan

  3. Attach the Arms to the Body

    Take the end of the macrame cord that runs through the small pot (the side that isn't knotted) and run it through the drainage hole on an upside-down larger pot that represents the body of the flowerpot person. You will now have a cord running up through the arm and down into the body pot drainage hole, peeking out at the bottom. Do the same with the other "arm."

    Red pot with white rim with string tying another pot to it.
    Rita Shehan

  4. Build the Legs

    Take the unknotted cord that is peeking out from the bottom of the body pot, and run it into the drainage hole of an upside-down pot that represents the leg of the flower pot person.

    Tie a knot and pull the cord so that it is flush against the inside drainage hole of the smaller pot that represents the leg. Pull the arm and leg to level it out against the body. Repeat on the other side.

    Red pot with white and red pot arms tied together with white string.
    Rita Shehan

  5. Attach the Head

    Place the flower pot person in your garden and then attach the head. You can place the head directly onto the body without gluing it and fill it with soil and flowers. However, if you wish to make your head more secure, glue the head onto the body. Pick some pretty plants or flowers to represent the flowerpot person's hair and plant as you would a normal flowerpot.

    Completed flowerpot person with face, body, arms, and legs.
    Rita Shehan