Paint your mum the perfect Mother’s Day present this May

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking of a present she’ll love. If you don’t fancy perusing the shops, or haven’t got a huge budget, creating a one-of-a-kind plant pot is a gift she’s sure to cherish.

Northcote Pottery has partnered with gardening Instagram account Growing Mad to create a range of simple pot designs for under $ 10, using its nine-centimetre Italian terracotta pots (currently $ 1.15 at Bunnings Warehouse).

“These pots require very little artistic talent, and just a little time and patience while you wait for coats of paint to dry,” says Growing Mad’s Niall Hughes. “It’s a lot of fun and a cost-effective way to make a really personal present.”

Here he explains how to create beautiful pots that are bound to make any mum proud.

Geometric Shapes. Masking tape is perfect for creating sharp lines. Just choose whichever coloured paints you want and start applying, drying and taping.

• Paint your base colour. I chose a dark blue to make a set (see main pic), but you can choose whatever you want.
• Mask off the sections you want to remain in your base colour, try anything from small sections to taping off everything except one stripe.
• Apply the paint, from a single metallic hue, to a rainbow of splatters, or even glitter paints.
• Remove the masking tape to reveal your design.

Fruit Salad Perfect for any kitchen, pineapple and watermelon designs can be made in four easy stages. You just need pots, paints (red, green, yellow) and a permanent marker.

• Paint the rim of your pot green. Don’t worry about being too neat here, you may need a couple of coats. Optional: Use masking tape to cover the rim. The easiest way to do this is to tear off a strip and attach it to the pot at one end. Holding the other end taut, carefully roll the pot toward the other end.
• Paint one pot red for the watermelon and yellow for the pineapple
• Carefully remove the masking tape if you used it. Draw alternating rows of V-shapes on the yellow pot in permanent marker and tear shapes in random directions for the watermelon
• If you have a lighter green paint, put a little on the end of a brush and wipe off any excess, then add uneven stripes around the rim of the watermelon to create the look of the rind.

Possibly the easiest pot to create in just three stages with only two paints, the ombre look just takes a soft touch.

• Paint your pot white. This will take a couple of coats, which need to fully dry.
• Choose your base colour and mix a slightly lighter shade, apply this at the base on long, shallow humped shapes.
• Wipe your brush off and use sweeping motions to draw your coloured paint up the pot letting the brush dry out to the point of smudging. Don’t worry about being too neat here, it all adds to the effect.
• Options: Use your original shade to create smaller humps at different points to create a range of hues

These simple gift ideas are part of Northcote Pottery’s Pots of Hope campaign, a fun activity during isolation that encourages people to decorate their own pots, and display them in the front garden or windowsill to brighten up the day of passers-by.