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24 May, 2012

Tutorial: A Rustic Flower Pot Man for Your Garden

 My favorite little man is back! It is time to bring out my flower pot man and freshen him up for the season. This is his third year in my garden and I love the whimsical yet rustic touch that he adds! Sooo…while I was at it, I thought I would show you how to make your own!

page 1. You will need: three approximately 4 1/2 inch pots (not pictured), eight approximately 2 1/2 inch pots, 6 to 8 corks, twine, a dowel rod or very sturdy wire, a plant for the hair and Spanish moss. You may vary the size of the pots. Just be sure they are in proportion.
2. Cut 4 lengths of twine, each about 12 inches long. Take one of the lengths and tie it tightly around one of the corks.
3. Thread the twine through the hole in one of the smaller pots. Wedge another cork in the bottom of a second pot and then thread the twine through it as well.
4. Pull the twine tight and stack the pots on top of each other. The second cork helps to create and maintain a space between the pots.

page1 5. Repeat this process three more times to create the arms and legs. If the cork will not wedge far enough into the pot, you can always cut it shorter.
6. Create the body by hot-gluing two of the larger pots with the upper edges together. You can add paint to give an aged appearance before working with the pots if you wish. As you can see, mine have naturally aged over the years they have been in my garden.
7. Take two of the four limbs that you have created and wrap the twine around the dowel rod or wire that you have placed firmly into the ground. Measure the distance that you need to allow for the body to sit on the twine and then tie the twine on to the wire or dowel, cutting off the excess. These are the legs.
8. Put the body in place by running the wire or rod through the holes and add the other two limbs, tying them to the appropriate length and cutting the excess. These are the arms.

039This is how your flower pot man should look at this point. Note that there is still a portion of the wire (or rod) showing at the top. This will hold the head.

047Next, take the remaining larger pot and add the plant that you will use as hair. I used Creeping Jenny this year, although you can use any plant that resembles hair. Moss rose is a nice alternative in a sunny location…and it has flowers! Just thread the pot right on to the top portion of the rod or wire.

044 Finally, add Spanish moss to the lower pots to give the limbs a finished look. And…taaa daaa…you’ve got a flower pot man! Of course, you can use wire instead of twine for a longer lasting man and metal spacers rather than corks, but I disassemble and bring my little man into the garage each winter, so he only has to last a few months. Plus…I prefer the look of the twine to wire. It's so much more vintage-y! Isn’t he cute?

074He sits in the little corner of my patio where I drink my coffee each morning. See him…next to my giant escargot? lol Every frenchy patio needs a giant snail!

ozOur CEO Ozzie likes to doze nearby. And today it is a good thing that she is sleeping…

063 …because this visitor would have been in trouble if she had seen him! She’s no spring chicken, but she still likes to hunt lizards!

044 Here’s a final look at my little flower pot man! Isn’t he a fun and whimsical  little addition to my patio? And he was practically free since I already had most of the pots or found them at Goodwill! It makes me smile each day just to see him waiting for me there!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my flower pot man! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays

Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Swing into Spring

Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday

Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Jen at Tatertots & Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

See you next time! A la prochaine!

38 comments:

  1. Cute potman...Ozzie looks quite content snoozing among the greens!

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  2. Great photos, Deb. I'm not sure how I'd be with lizards around. We never see them here. They kind of freak me out. Maybe Ozzie feels the same way and shut the eyes on purpose.

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  3. Your little man is cute and a whimsical. I had my photo taken with one of these guys (life size) on a recent trip. I'll have to share it with you. ;-)
    Morning coffee in the garden is a wonderful habit! ~ Sarah

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  4. Very cute....thanks for the instructions. If I get some pots...I would love to make one!

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  5. Too cute Debbie..thanks for sharing..May you and your sweet family have a GREAT Memorial week end my dear friend..Hugs and love Gl♥ria

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  6. I love your garden guy- he's quite handsome. :)

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  7. So fun and whimsical! He looks so cute and I love your fluffy kitty!

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  8. Lovin' your little man! Thanks for sharing how to make him. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend Debbie:@)

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  9. Wonderful to see a picture of the CEO Ozzie taking a break from his job.

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  10. I remember seeing your little garden guy before! He's really cute again.

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  11. I've wanted to make one of these for the longest time but couldn't figure out exactly how to do it. Thanks so much for sharing. I'll start mine this weekend.

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  12. I have always been going to make one of these guys! I think I have enough pots left to do it- I LOVE yours! xo Diana

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  13. He is so cute! Thanks for the great how to.. Have a wonderful weekend, Laura

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  14. Oh my! He's adorable!!! I would love to invite you to join us and link up at our Friday Block Party at Curb Alert! The link is live now and throughout the weekend. Hope to see you there!
    http://tamicurbalert.blogspot.com/2012/05/friday-block-party-6-feature-from-party.html
    Tami @ Curb Alert!

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  15. I love your little potted man. I bought a half dozen of these in miniature a couple of years ago and I tucked them into my cages and pots. They are too cute and you are right. They make me smile too.

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  16. How cute!! I am knee deep in sooo many projects now..but one of these days.. Adorable!

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  17. He sure is a cutie, Debbie! Looks to me like he's standing guard over the "escargot"! Linda

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  18. I love your little flower pot man! So cute! My Mom's cat Sam loves him some lizards, brings them in the house also! LOL! Have a great weekend. hugs, LInda

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  19. Your Pot Man is just precious!!! Thanks for providing a tutorial, too! :)

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  20. Debbie,
    How adorable is this??? Too darn cute, for sure!!! Loved seeing another staff member. Look out Ozzie...someone's watching you!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  21. i LOVE MR FLOWERPOT MAN...GOING TO TRY TO MAKE ONE...HE IS TOO CUTE...GREAT JOB, THANK YOU FOR SHARING HIM...HAPPY WEEKEND..WITH LOVE JANICE

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  22. Very cute, Debbie! Even the lizard is enjoying it. Happy Memorial Day weekend!..Christine

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  23. Hi Debbie
    That´s a great job :)
    Lovley photos,,,,,
    and do not miss.....

    S
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    it is FUN :)
    WELCOME
    HÃ¥kan ( The Roseman)

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  24. I kick myself every time I see a great project using pots for the time I passed up dozens of old pots at a garage sale for FREE- How stupid of me- love your man!

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  25. I love your flower pot man and I'm going out today to buy the stuff to make him! I adore whimsy in the garden. Thanks for another fun inspiring tutorial, Debbie!!

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  26. Okay, that is just hysterical and adorable! Love it!

    :)

    Linda
    www.itallstartedwithpaint.com

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  27. Your little flowerpot man is so creative and cute!! A must have for every garden...Thanks so much for sharing the "how to"! :-)

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  28. So adorable, Debbie! We stayed at a B&B that had a man made from huge terracota pots. He was so big they had him sitting in a full size chair.

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  29. Oh my gosh, I was scrolling along "Crafty Texas Girls", and my son saw your link. He (and I) laughed, and headed right out to make it! This is adorable!! Ours has rosemary for hair... it's hilarious, and we laugh every single time we walk out to our herb garden. Thanks for the fun idea!!

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  30. Your pot man is so cute..love his creeping jenny hair. Chartreuse plants are among my favorites, cute lizard, too. Glad Ozzie is snoozing and didn't catch it.

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  31. This is one of the cutest things I've ever seen! I'm going to have to make these for my mom and mother-in-law, too!
    Jacki@redheadedmommy.com

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  32. I hope you don't mind Debbie that I copied your idea for a miniature version of the Rustic Flower Pot Man. I got inspired from your post. I hope you like it!

    Jody

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  33. This is so freakin' cute! I just gotta have one!!

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  34. Came back to share your cute flower pot man on Friday Finds.

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  35. Well that's just the cutest thing Debbie - I LOVE it !
    ( and love your cat too - but that lizard? not for me - I'd be screaming my fool head off LOL )
    xoxo

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Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! I appreciate my wonderful readers!... Debbie