Exclusive pots for houseplants...

Houseplants add freshness, vitality and comfort to any home; they make the smallest room “breathe” and brighten the darkest of decors. We all know flowers are gorgeous, but what you might not know is that finding the right planter, pot or vase for your arrangement can be somewhat tricky.

Flowerpots can be made from a variety of materials - terra cotta, wood, plastic, stone etc. Most flowerpots have wide moths holes in the bottom, which allow excess water to flow out, and saucers are often placed underneath to contain the water. Planters tend to be bigger in size than pots, but are often made of the same materials. A vase is a more bulbous vessel that’s most commonly used to hold cut flowers and typically made of ceramic or glass.

All three containers come in various shapes, sizes, colors and designs. Once you’ve figured out which one fits your arrangement, we recommend the Do-It-Yourself method. You can buy a plain piece and decorate yourself or even make one from scratch – all you need are some Orange Elephant products! You won’t bust your budget and it’s a great project to share with your kids.

Here are seven, simple ways you can for your planter, flowerpot or vase:

1 – Use Orange Elephant’s special outline paints to draw a picture (or trace a pattern) on your container and then color it in with window paint. While the paint is still wet, add beads, sparkles, buttons and more to jazz it up!

2 - Use window paints to make stickers that you can stick right on the surface of your pot, planter or vase. Choose from our collection of Orange Elephant pattern (which are sold in sets and available to print directly from our website), or also draw your own. Outline the picture on a vinyl sheet, paint as desired and once the paint dries, peel the sticker right off and stick it on your container. Repeat to add as many as you want; the more stickers the merrier!

For maximum effectiveness, glaze your pot or planter before applying stickers.

3 – Construct your own vase out of A-Clay or model details out of A-Clay and glue them to your vessel’s surface. One of our favorite quick decorating fixes is the face – make eyes, a nose and a smile to give your pot, planter or vase some instant personality.

4 – Coat the outside of your container with A-Ball clay for a sleek, textured look. You can use more than one color or blend them together to make it sizzle. Once it’s dry, accentuate with stickers.

5 – Apply our amazing, brush-less PUFFY paints to achieve teensy, weensy detailing. The custom-made tips of our PUFFY paint bottles are adjustable, so you can determine the thickness of your stroke. When the paint has dried and your detailing is done, follow the instructions on the label to heat your pot in the oven. As you may have guessed, the paints will “puff” up, adding fantastic volume to your piece!

6 - For a simple, smooth look, glaze your piece and coat it with Deco paint. PUFFY paints also work wonderfully over Deco paint, so

7 - Mix and match materials to come up with ideas that are unique to you and your family!

When you finish your planter, pot or vase, it’s time to find the perfect spot to put it. Here are some tips:

Find a sunny spot for your green guys; they love to soak up the sun.

Take the size, shape and color scheme of the room into account. You want your arrangement to compliment the room, not distract from it.

The smell of flowers near food can be unpleasant, so keep bouquets away from kitchen and dining room tables when you’re eating.

Flowers and plants should fit the vessel they are filling. Don’t stuff big stems into tiny containers.

Spread your arrangements out to get the maximum impact.

Don't let cacti rub you the wrong way! They make great conversation pieces and are easy to dress up. One of our customers used our “Sweet Puppy Cup & Saucer” ceramics kit to give his cactus a colorful home....a great way to jazz up a prickly plant.