Although I loved doing this I am so glad that the flower pot fountain is done. It has been my summer project and I am ready to have it out to show you.
Here are the written instructions. If you need to know more specifics just leave me a comment and I will get back to you. Thank you all for your patience!
Flower Pot Fountain with Solar Powered Pump Instructions:
I got this pattern from a painting magazine.
I used acrylic paints that are easy to find in craft stores. I will leave contact information at the end if you would like to have the exact colors.
Paint brushes: you will need an oval mop 1”, and flat sizes 1”, #’s 4,10,12 a script liner #1 and if you decide to use or make a stencil for the leaves a ¼” stencil brush.
Other supplies: brush cleaner, floating medium, stencil and stencil adhesive spray if you are using a stencil, leaf stamps, sponge, graphite paper, stylus, Exterior interior varnish
Water pump and tubing
Drill and masonry bits to drill holes in the clay pots
Round bastard file (yes this is the name)
Surface: round terra cotta pots: 2 ¼ inch-3
4 inch short fat (Azalea?)-1
10 inch short fat-1
15 inch short fat-1
Terra Cotta Saucers- one each 6, 10, 16 inch
I had to make a change from the pattern on this as the 16 inch is where I put the solar water pump and it needed a 3 inch water depth. If you are putting your pump where I did check to make sure that the saucer is deep enough. I thought I had done this, I did a test without water and it looked like it would work. Do a water test with the pump prior to painting and save yourself some trouble. If the water depth doesn’t work change saucers, in my case I needed a minimum 3 inch depth.
Preparation: For me this was the easiest part of the whole project. Soak the 4 and 10 inch pots and the
Saucers in water for 3 days (I used a garbage can). See bottom note
Drill holes in the saucers along outer edge. You should find this easy to do. Make sure you are using masonry bits.
Use the bastard file to enlarge the center hole of the pots as needed for tubing. Don’t go to large with this as you only want it big enough to fit the tube. Check for size a couple of times.
On the #10 pot you will want to file the top edge to accommodate the cord from the pump so that the pot can sit level ½ inch should be fine but check to make sure. You will need to file in several other places on edge to allow water to flow back to the pump the depth on this should be at least ¼ inch.
When this is done make sure you allow a minimum of 3-4 days to dry the pots.
Painting: Use photo as a guide. Do not use sealer but do make sure you use a generous amount of paint. Allow no exposed terra cotta whatsoever. The drain holes in the saucer are tricky so paint them well and check.
Base paint all the pieces in a light tan color. I had to do at 3 for the outside of the pots and 2 for the inside.
Using floating medium you can mix a dark rose color with a dark tan and slip slap the paint onto the pots for a mottled look.
If you are using a stencil use painters tape to put it on. Otherwise trace on your pattern with graphite paper lightly. Paint the pattern in with alternating light green, dark green and purple. Shade and highlight where the leaves would be darker or lighter as appropriate.
Mark the squares on the rims of the 2 larger pots to fit the leaf that you have. To separate them, alternate with light and dark green with white. Do the rims in dark purple covering the rims with dark brown over the purple.
Apply 4 or more coats of varnish and allow drying for 10 days.
Notes: If you are using a solar power pump with a battery you will need to cover it. If you are planning to use the 15 inch saucer for this (I did not) you will need to soak and make the necessary opening in this pot.
I have been busy working on an outdoor plumbing project that I hope you will all like. It is a hand painted fountain pump made from flower posts and has a solar powered fountain pump.
I thought drilling the holes in the pots would be hard but it turned out the be one the simplest parts of the project.
You just never know how the things that you make are going to be used.
A while back I had made some western style cow skulls. I had painted them all differently and made them to hang on a wall. I figured it would be one of my western customers that would love them. Well this weekend at the Swanzey Old Home days, in NH I sold one of my western cow skulls to an eastern farm stand! I did have to modify it a bit so thank goodness for my tools. The lady sells hot peppers and needed a sign for them, soo after my dear husband (he draws very well) came up with a pattern I cut it out with the scroll saw, drilled 4 holes 2 in the original cow skull and 2 in the wooden chili pepper, sanded while still leaving some texture, and then painted and sealed and we now have the sign. I hope it sells all her hot peppers!
I know it is the peak of gardening season and so I thought I would share with you one of my fun tool projects. I have been looking for quite awhile for a submarine mail box that I like. I haven’t found a pattern for that yet but I did find something for those that serve.
These little guys were fun to make and they fit will go into a planter or the ground.
I used a scroll saw to cut these out although if you have a band saw that should work too. I think in the future I might try more but make them in one piece instead of 2 which would be less time consuming as I wouldn’t have to glue the arm on.
I also used a drill to make the flag post holes.
Leave a comment and let me know how you like them.
A friend of mine has a sweet little girl who wanted “her” rocking chair. The problem was it was broken and her parent weren’t able to get to the project. I had volunteered to help my friend with some of her list and since I had also wanted to get my baby rocker repaired I thought I would give hers a try too.
My rocker was in bad shape and was beyond my area of expertise so I took both chairs to a professional furniture repairman. He looked at my friend’s chair. It was broken off where the arm spindle met the chair seat and loose in several places. He told me what he saw; he said the fastener that held the spindle to the seat was a lead molly bolt. The screw came up from the bottom and caused the lead to expand and that held the spindle to the seat. He then gave me some tips on fixing the chair since the amount he would have to charge to fix it exceeded my friend’s budget.
Neither my friend, the repairman nor I had ever heard of using this type of fastener in furniture never mind children’s furniture. At no time was the little girl in danger as the lead was covered and when the chair broke it was removed from her reach. We have no idea how old the chair is or who made it we just know that my friend bought it at a yard sale for her older children probably ten years ago.
My point here is not to get anyone to throw out old furniture but to say that when children’s furniture breaks or falls into disrepair parts that the children were not meant to come into contact with are now within their grasp, so get the lead out and remove the furniture from the children’s reach until you are able to repair it to avoid mishaps.
It was a very simple fix, I had to use standard pliers and a pair of vise grips to get the lead and the bolt out of the seat. Then I drilled deeper into the spindle and put in a long (3 inches I think) bolt from below the seat, through the hole in the seat and up into the spindle for a tight fit.
After applying some Gorilla Glue to the other loose parts the chair is now back with it’s very pleased 3 year old owner.
Fixed child's rocking chair
Fixed child's rocking chairbolted and glued spindle
New replacement bolt for the lead molly bolt that was there.Lead part of the molly bolt
