Ceramic Painting – Succulent in a Shell

Did you know you could paint ceramics at home and end up with a piece that looks like it could have been fired in a kiln? Well, maybe not quite that professional, but close. 😊

I was at Michaels a couple of weeks ago shopping for some painting supplies and walked past some ceramic pieces. I live in SW Florida and our home’s vibe and décor is “coastal”. When I saw this ceramic shell, I thought it was so cute and immediately pictured it with a succulent sitting in it.

I knew I didn’t want to paint it the natural colors of the Nautical Shell. I wanted it to be more colorful. I chose some blues, teals, greens, and peachy colors. I also wanted to add some texture to the bottom that looked like sand from the beach.

This project was so easy – ceramics are easy to work with, actually. I began painting each section of the shell, changing colors with each section – divided by white. When I got done with the colors on the shell, I took the DecoArt Texture Sand and added it to the bottom area of the shell to add texture and give it the look of having been found on the beach.

When I was done with the painting and adding the sand texture, I took some Acrylic Spray and added a sealer to the shell which protects the paint and gives it more of a “fired” look as if it was placed in a kiln in a ceramic shop to professionally complete the piece. This is what makes painting on store bought ceramics easy and fun to craft with.

Time to add the succulent. Although my family’s legacy is flowers, I do NOT have a green thumb. I saw this cute artificial succulent at Target and thought it would fit nicely in this ceramic shell. It was pretty secure in the pot, but with some scissors and determination I was able to remove the succulent from the cream-colored pot, trim down the Styrofoam (which is one product I hate to have to work with – so messy) and fit the fake plant into the ceramic shell.

I thought this turned out cute. Also, since the succulent came in a small ceramic pot, I can now do something fun and crafty with that pot. Maybe I’ll add a cute saying with ink and take a chance with some flower seeds and see if I can grow anything. Never waste surfaces and other objects that can be turned into another “fun” project.

You can find this finished project for sale HERE.

Happy Crafting,

Jane