DIY Potted Herb Favors

Good morning, everyone! I want to pause quickly this morning to thank everyone who has already chimed in on the 2012 reader survey. Reading your responses has me thinking up so many great ideas and also feeling so grateful for likely having the coolest and sweetest readers in the world. No, seriously. So thank you so much for that and for being here every day with me! Now, let’s get crafty shall we?

Today we’re talking potted herb favors. These would be so perfect as favors at a bridal shower or dinner party, or as a housewarming gift! They are actually really cute and I love how fragrant they are. Bonus – they’re inexpensive and really easy to do. What’s not to love?

Supplies –

• Small terra cotta planters
• Spray paint in your choice of color
• Painter’s tape
• Twine
• Tags (I used a shipping tag like these, which I always keep handy)
• Scissors
• Newspaper or drop cloth for painting
• Herbs of your choice
• Potting soil (in case you need extra)

First up, you’re going to want to get yourself some small terra cotta planters. I believe the ones I chose were 4″ in diameter. For herbs I selected things I personally love and use a lot of in the kitchen like basil and rosemary. You could choose your own favorites or do all your planters with the same herb inspired by a dish you’re serving. Remove all of your herbs from the pots they came in to start and make sure you have extra potting soil on hand in case you need it to top of your planters.

Next up, I decided to dress up my planters with a bit of paint. Using painter’s tape I simply masked off the areas I didn’t want to be painted and then I went at them with several thin, light coats of a glossy navy blue spray paint. Using a primer first is never a bad idea with a material like terra cotta, but I found that as long as I kept the layers light and thin with plenty of drying time in between, I got great, even coverage.

After letting the paint dry completely, I carefully removed the painter’s tape. I then planted each pot with a single herb plant and attached a shipping tag using jute twine. I mixed up the patterns that I painted on the pots and I really do love the finally look. The mix of the twine, terra cotta and glossy navy blue even gives a slight nautical feel. Of course, you can play around with different paint colors and swap out the twine for ribbon in your favorite color.

{Photos by Alice G. Patterson.}

Many thanks to my lovely friend Alice G. Patterson who is going to be rockin’ out all kinds of awesome DIY shoots with me in the coming months. Stayed tuned for lots more!