Construct A Birdbath From Painted Clay Pots

Fri., July 26, 1996

Mary Gottschalk San Jose Mercury News

Who hasn’t longed to live in Mary Engelbreit’s world: a place populated with cheery red cherries, rose-covered trellises, adorable black-and-white spotted dogs, impossibly blue birds and always positive advice and thoughts such as “Happiness must be grown in one’s own garden.”

You’ll have to provide your own optimism, but you’ll find a guidebook for giving the personal touch to your garden, porch, yard and other outdoor areas with “Mary Engelbreit’s Outdoor Companion” by Charlotte Lyons (Andrews and McMeel, $24.95).

Of course, Engelbreit’s own garden is featured in this book, but there are many more. It is in these gardens and others that you’ll find inspiration and ideas for your own. Ideas include floating a child’s colorful ball in your fish pond, using an old rusty wagon to hold a grouping of potted flowers or adding carved finials to the corners of simple planter boxes.

“Mary Engelbreit’s Outdoor Companion” also contains instructions for eight projects, such as making a wind chime, creating a gardening tote, or using vintage tablecloths to make a garden jacket.

Among the eight do-it-yourself projects in “Mary Engelbreit’s Outdoor Companion” is a birdbath made of stacked and painted clay pots. Here’s how to make one:

Materials

3 clay pots that nest in increasing sizes: 12, 14, 16 inches in diameter

1 clay saucer 20 inches in diameter, or at least 4 inches larger than the largest clay pot

Acrylic paints in assorted colors

Brushes

Acrylic sealer

Construction glue and caulking gun

What to do

Before painting, turn the largest pot over and stack the clay pots upside down to see how they will fit together. Use a pencil to mark where the pots overlap so that your decoration won’t be hidden.

Base paint each pot and the saucer in the colors of your choice. Don’t forget to paint inside the rim, too. Add decorative patterns.

When dry, seal all painted and unpainted areas, especially the inside of the saucer, with acrylic sealers.

Stack the pots using a caulking gun to apply construction glue to the joints. Glue the saucer right-side up on the stacked pots.

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