In June, the Allan family will be welcoming the first grandbaby to the world and we could not be more excited about it. We threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law the other week and I loved how these favors turned out.
Here's what you'll need:
- Terra cotta pots- 79 cents each at AC Moore
- Mod podge
- Fabric- I used varying shades of blue
- Foam brush
- Potting soil
- Seeds
- Cellophane- one big roll or individual baggies
First, cut the fabric to match the pot. Start off with bigger pieces of fabric and then once you've figured it out you can adjust accordingly. My sheets were about 6 inches tall and 9 inches long.
Next you'll want to mod podge the entire pot. It doesn't have to be completely smooth; just move quickly!
Wrap the fabric around the pot. You'll want to start with the top of the pot about an inch down from the top of the fabric. Start on one end and move your hand along the outside of the pot to smooth the fabric. Add more mod podge as needed to stick the fabric to parts of the pot that have already been covered.
Once you've covered the pot completely, apply a layer of mod podge to the top of the fabric. This will keep it in position and take care of any loose strings. Trim the extra fabric so that you have an inch or two sitting on top. Then cut slits along that fabric. I spaced mine out so that they were about an inch apart.
I love that mod podge is so forgiving. Don't worry about using too much because it will all dry clear. Apply a layer, about an inch tall, all along the inside of the top of the pot. One by one, fold the flaps over. And again, apply mod podge over top of the folded flaps. (No, I'm not being paid to sponsor mod podge, but I should be...)
Trim the fabric so that it's really short; mine was a probably a third an inch longer than the pot. Now repeat the flap- cutting! Fold the flaps over one by one. You don't want the flaps to cover the hole at the bottom of the pot or else water won't be able to drain.
It's okay that the fabric doesn't cover all of the pot... that's where the soil comes in!
My mom bought a combination of plant/ flower and herb seeds and I loved the variety. I found it easiest to place the packets in before the soil. Some of the packets were a little large and this allowed me to experiment with folding them before committing and making a mess of the soil.
Don't you love the pictures on these herb packets?
And the terra cotta color is gone! You'll want enough soil to get about a half an inch off the top of the pot.
I would recommend buying a big roll of cellophane and cutting individual pieces to wrap the pots because it's a little cheaper. However, I did this shopping the night before the shower and Target only had these bags. The pots fit perfectly AND it saved a bit of time so I suppose it was worth an extra two dollars!
Wouldn't it have been nice if I'd taken a picture of these favors at the shower on display? We kept in accordance with the children's book theme and displayed them along with "The Tiny Seed" book by Eric Carle and a mini watering can. I guess you'll just have to trust me that it looked cute :)