This old pot has been around since we first bought our coastal cottage, back when I was in my pink and blue phase….I have had some questionable phases, have you?
I bought it at one of those bargain import stores and when I grew tired of it, it wound up under the deck, where it had no function except to get dirty
My first thought was to paint the flower petals another color with glossy enamel paint, but I ultimately decided, if I really wanted to change it, that I needed a clean slate
Chalk paint! I goes right over anything! I did 2 coats of Old White, and left the rim showing because I love the blue swirlies
The blue swirlies were my inspiration for the rest of the pot, so I painted wave like swirls around the base, sort of like mermaid tails
Here’s a painter’s secret for you…put several colors on your brush at once. This is called “loading” your brush. Dip your brush in one color and then another. Don’t be afraid to practice your strokes on a piece of paper or foil.
In this case I used turquoise and cobalt, and let the colors mix on the piece instead of mixing up one blended color.
Your strokes will have highlights and depth because of the different colors, and the result will be much more interesting
The small curly strokes were painted with mostly turquoise and white and layered over the darker, larger S shape
small dots are scattered between the bottom shapes and the pot rim
Flat bottom glass beads glued around the top of the pot helped hide some of the stains from exposure over the years
Once I was satisfied with the paint, I let it dry thoroughly
I brought it out on the porch to apply the finishing wax
The soft wax sets the chalk paint and gives it a finished patina~
Wait! What was that?
A palm tree is going by!
Very exciting!
Ever since I painted those cobalt “S” shapes around the base of this vessel, I started thinking of this as a “Mermaid Pot”
I have a thing for mermaids, I sort of collect them…
The sparkling glass beads around the rim are the highlights in her hair
I am reading this incredible tale of Mermaids and life under the sea, “The Secret History of Mermaids and Creatures of the Deep” by Art Berk
The swirlies are the waves and water…
I’m not sure what a Mermaid Pot actually is…
But two palm trees and a Mermaid Pot equals a very happy day!
Sometimes you just have to use your imagination~
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