Terra Cotta Birthday Cake Centerpiece : Holidays and Entertaining : Home & Garden Television

Terra Cotta "Cake" Centerpieces

Design by guest Kriss Weber

Throwing a birthday party? These centerpieces made of terra cotta pots from designer Kriss Weber are the perfect projects for a gift or cake table.

Terra Cotta Pot Birthday "Cake"

Materials:
8" azalea pot
4" cylinder pot (azalea pot will also work)
acrylic paint in pale yellow
dimensional fabric paint in medium blue
texture magic dimensional paint in white
clay pot sealer
duct tape
cake frosting decorator tips round and star shape
buttons or beads or embellishments of choice
crayons or other small toys for decorating top of cake
Aleene's patio & garden outdoor adhesive
double-sided adhesive tape

Steps:
1. Prepare all of the pots in case you choose to use them as planters when the party is over by sealing the inside of them with a clay pot sealer. If desired, use a lazy susan or turntable to place your pots on to paint for easier decorating.

Figure A

2. Base coat the outside of the eight-inch azalea and the four-inch cylinder pot with pale yellow acrylic paint. You may need two coats to cover (figure A).

Figure B

3. Overturn the eight-inch pot and stack the four-inch pot also overturned centered on top. You may want to use double-sided adhesive tape or hot glue to temporarily secure these two pots in place and avoid any tipping (figure B).

Figure C

4. Using duct tape, tape a star tip to the end of the dimensional texture magic paint tube. Using it just like you would a tube of frosting on a real cake, trim around the lip of the larger pot, the base of the larger pot and the base of the four-inch pot (figure C).

Figure D

5. Add decorative dots as embellishments randomly around the cake using dimensional fabric paint to simulate sprinkles and candies. If desired, write "Happy Birthday" on top with the fabric paint (figure D).

Figure E

6. You may want to add further dimension by gluing on buttons randomly around the cake (figure E).

Figure F

7. Candles - In an effort to make everything useful after the party, guest Kriss Weber used crayons to simulate candles by taping them to the top of the cake with double-sided adhesive tape (figure F). As an option, you could certainly secure real candle in small candleholders and light them if you wish.

8. Customize the cake any way you like by changing colors and toys—use matchbox cars or lip gloss or nail polish (or any object favored by the guest of honor) instead of crayons. If desired, stuff the overturned pots with candy and/or toys for a hidden cache of birthday party fun.

Terra Cotta Pot Cupcake
These adorable cupcakes may be used as decorations, table place markers or filled with candies for party favors.

3" standard terra cotta pot
3" terra cotta saucer
two 1/2" wooden spools
1 yellow chenille stem
acrylic paint in medium blue, pink, hot pink, black, white, pale yellow
clay pot sealer
dimensional fabric paint in white and medium blue
Aleene's patio & garden outdoor adhesive
double stick tape

1. Prepare all of the pots by sealing the inside of them with a clay pot sealer in case you choose to use them as planters when the party is over.

Figure A

2. Use double-sided adhesive tape or hot glue to temporarily attach the overturned three-inch saucer to the top of the three-inch pot. If you don't want to re-use the pot as a planter, you can glue the saucer to the pot with the construction adhesive (Figure A).

Figure B

3. Paint the top of the "cupcake" pink by covering the whole saucer and the lip of the three-inch pot. Once dry, paint a cupcake paper on the bottom half of the pot. Paint on the lip make a pointed edge that resembles the top of a cupcake wrapper (Figure B).

Figure C

4. Paint the two 1/2-inch spools yellow. Once dry, glue them together. Simulate a flame with a yellow chenille stem. Cut about a two-inch length off of the stem. Fold over about a 1/2-inch length on one end of the stem. Place the unfolded end down into the center holes of the two spools (Figure C).

Figure D

5. Use the dimensional fabric paint to simulate sprinkles and candies on top of the cupcake (Figure D). Paint highlight of vertical stripes around the cupcake wrapper to make the wrapper appear more realistic.

Guests
Kriss Weber
Designer and owner of Terra-Cotta Treasures
We apologize no contact information is available.

Resources
Aleene's Patio & Garden Outdoor Adhesive, Polymark dimensional fabric paint - Duncan

Texture Magic dimensional paint

cake decorating tips

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