DIY Marbled Gold Foil Planters

This is the second of five projects featured in the Seattle Goodwill SPEED.I.Y ad campaign. I had 5 minutes to run through the store and find as many items as possible to repurpose into fun DIY summer projects for gardening. See the main post with videos here, the first gardening DIY project here,  and check out the Seattle Goodwill DIY page for lots of projects and resources!

Seattle Goodwill SPEED.I.Y Campaign: Garden Projects!

I’ve had a thing for planters this summer (see here and here for evidence). And the plants I have are actually still alive (!!!), which is amazing and fueling my plant love. This planter project is a fun one and you can’t mess it up. You can’t. I swear.

Materials

• Terracotta pots of any size at Goodwill
• Spray paint or acrylic paints or of your choice (optional); I recommend FolkArt or Martha Stewart
• Clear spray varnish
• Gold foil sheets
• Transfer adhesive
• Painter’s tape (I love Frog Tape)
• Cactus or succulents of your choice (I found mine at Home Depot)
• Foam brush or paintbrush

Basic Idea

Paint the pots with acrylic paint. It may take several coats. Let dry. Note: painting the pots is optional—you can apply the gold foil directly to the terracotta as shown in the photos. I love its rustic look!

Apply adhesive with a brush to the pot in random places. You can’t screw it up! Try blobs, brush strokes, dots, thick and thin in random places. This will create a marbled effect with the foil.

Wait until it becomes tacky (follow the manufacturer’s directions; wait time will vary). Apply a gold foil sheet directly to the pot. The foil will only stick to the adhesive. Use a brush and/or your finger to smooth the gold leaf onto the pot.

Repeat these steps until you’ve covered the pot with foil to your liking. If the adhesive dries before you can foil it, you can reapply it! You can’t mess it up!

Spray 1-2 coats of clear varnish to seal it. Plant cactus or succulents.

Planter lover like me? Check out other planter DIYs: DIY planter roundup, triangle gold foil planter, washi tape planter, painted mason jar herb garden and tray. 

Did you make a project with items you found at Goodwill? Tag @SeattleGoodwill (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) and use #GoodwillDIY for your DIY projects! We’d love to see them! xo