Clay Pot Lighthouse
This lighthouse was fun to make but very nerve-racking. It is made of inverted clay pots with a solar light on top (post through the holes).
Materials (Everything came from Lowes):
4 clay pots (stack them at the store to make sure you get what you want)
1 clay tray (inverted) that fits smallest pot and looks the way you want it to look
1 solar light (9 lumens)
1 can Zinsser Cover Stain Primer (Oil Base - Interior & Exterior)
1 can Rust-oleum high performance enamel - gloss black
1 can Rust-oleum high performance enamel - gloss white
1 can Rust-oleum high performance enamel - gloss red - cherryish (I used spray paint - don't do it)
1 can clear sealer gloss (you choice of kind) in a spray can
1 tube Liquid Nails Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive - Interior & Exterior
Several masonry drill bits and electric drill
3m painters tape that is special and stops bleeding (cant remember the exact name)
1 tiny roller for the white primer and paint
Several tiny sponge brushes for pot rims, door and windows
Instructions:
Paint primer on the pots and tray using roller
Paint the tops of the pots white and let it dry
Tape off the white so you can paint the rims of the pots
Paint the rims and tray the color you want and let it dry
Tape off your windows and door, paint and let dry - firmly press
Peel off tape
You will have to place a hole in your tray for your light to fit and will probably have to make the hole in the topmost pot bigger. Place painters tape on the tray and pot before drilling. Drill on a piece of wood for stability. Start with a small bit and gradually get bigger until you get a hole that is big enough for the light. Slow and steady means no breaks. Be patient.
Assembly:
Take it to your location
Place flagstones on the ground where it is to sit. Make sure they are level.
I didn't want my pots sitting in the dirt.
Stack and glue with Liquid Nails.
Spray with clear sealer gloss to keep it pretty, let dry
Put light in hole on top.
What I did Wrong:
At first, I spray painted everything white. DO NOT USE SPRAY PAINT - bad idea. Then I used Frog Tape on the white and spray painted the lips of the pots black and red. DO NOT USE SPRAY PAINT!!! The red and black blew onto the white. DO NOT USE FROG TAPE -- It left a sticky mess behind.
So then I used primer over the white spray paint (roller) and repainted with white oil paint (Rust-oleum in a can), again using a roller. Then used 3M blue painters tape that is suppose to stop bleeding over the colors (it sorta worked for the most part). I used the tape to make the door and windows. I did the door first and just eyeballed it. Then did the same with the windows. For the windows I put the tape in thin strips and made crosses for the middle of the windows and made sure they were lined up. Then used the tape on the outside of the windows to make black rectangles. Painted with oil Rust-oleum paint in a can. Used sponge brushes. Used a tiny roller for the white.
I really wanted a red door, but could not get the spray paint to work right when trying to brush it on. So settled for black - this time. I am a perfectionist, but had to let all that go. It looks good, but is not perfect. As soon as I get it in the garden, I'll post another picture.
Clay Pot Waterfall
I have two of these. One in the back and one in the front. Both in the shade because the pots tend to dry out quickly. I have impatiens growing in both of mine. They are just newly planted but should get big and full in a short while.
Materials:
1 piece rebar (6-8 feet)
1 big plastic pot for the bottom
4-5 clay pots which gradually get smaller as you go up.
Instructions:
In the location you want your pots to be placed (mine are under trees), place the plastic pot and drive in the rebar through the middle of the pot. It must go into the ground enough so that the whole thing will never tip over. However, you must leave enough sticking out the top to hang all your clay pots on. Just play with it until you have it like you want it.
Fill plastic pot with potting soil, place pots like you want them as in the picture above. You are threading the pots on the rebar using the holes in the bottoms of the pots. Put dirt in your pots and plant your flowers. Put mulch on the top of the pots after planting flowers to retain moisture. You will have to water frequently. You have to water slowly because the plants are sideways and the water will want to just slide to the side and not go down to the roots. To help with watering, I stab holes into the dirt along the topmost edge of the pots. This way, the water has a channel to follow down to the roots instead of just sliding off the surface.
