DIY: Tiny Plant Pot

I’m really a sucker for anything miniature. You know what’s cute? A horse. You know what’s even cuter? A miniature horse. Just try to deny it. You can’t. It’s scientifically proven. It’s also undeniable that these tiny little plant pots, complete with mini plants, are way cuter than full-size ones. They’re also super convenient, since you can fit one just about anywhere, and you can make tons of them if you have more space.

Materials:
Polymer clay (I used Sculpy Premo in white, from here)
Melon baller (or other tiny scooping tool)
Knife
Oven

Methods:
1. First a little bit about clay. I haven’t used polymer clay much, but from what I read about it the different types (Sculpy, Fimo, etc.) have slightly different characteristics. I chose this one because it is supposed to be very strong and durable after it bakes up. I’m sure you could use another type if you wanted to. Like all polymer clays, though, it needs to be conditioned before you use it, which just means it needs to be kneaded and worked until it has softened up.

2. After you soften up your clay, grab a couple of inches and roll it into a ball. Keep rolling until it’s a perfect sphere, without any creases or lines. After you’ve achieved a ball you’re happy with, put your clay in the freezer for about 10 minutes to stiffen it back up. This helps prevent it from getting squished in the next few steps.

3. Take your clay out of the freezer and scoop out the insides using a melon-baller. It helps to use a knife to start the scooping.

4. Keep scooping until you’ve thoroughly hollowed it out and the walls of the pot are about 1/4 inch thick, unless you plan to cut geometric faces. If you want a faceted look, leave the walls of your pot at least 1/2 inch thick.

See that excess clay you scooped out of your pot? You can squish it all back up and use it for another pot.

5. If you want a faceted pot, put your clay back in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then use a very sharp knife to slice geometric planes into the sides of the pot. For one of my pots I did very regular cuts, and for the other I freestyled it. The photo below shows the pot without the hole in the middle, but scooping out the middle after you’ve cut the facets is really difficult and I don’t recommend it. I tried several times and had to restart each time. If you cut too deeply or squish your pot while you’re doing this you’ll have to start over. I won’t lie, I had to re-do mine several times before I got the look I was after.

6. Place your clay pot on a small piece of cardboard on top of a baking sheet and bake according to the directions on your clay. My clay said to bake at 275 F for 30 minutes for each 1/4 inch thickness of clay, and I think I baked mine for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the pot.

7. Put some teensy plants in your pots! I borrowed some succulents from a nearby sidewalk and my yard. You really don’t need much dirt, but try to use some that is kind of sandy, since you won’t have drainage in these pots. If you want drainage you can poke holes in the bottom of the pot before you bake the clay, but I didn’t think it was necessary.

I made this plain little pot a holder using these instructions and substituting embroidery thread for rope.