Silver leaf plant pot DIY

We're hosting a party here this week for my brother and his fiancee and I'm trying to get the back garden in festive shape for the occasion.

Rather than go with cut flowers for all the tables, I thought I would put out potted herbs on the tables with a few cut stems from the flower shop to add some colour. I didn't have enough pots kicking around though, and I didn't want to spend a fortune on a bunch of stuff I would have no use for after the party was over, so I headed to the dollar store to see what they had.

I remember seeing terracotta pots here that had been gold-leafed and I thought it gave the prettiest sheen to the matte pots, so when I saw a row of terracotta pots for under $.50 each, I thought I'd try something similar.

The art store sold me the necessary tools for the job - silver leaf and gilding paste - and I was able to finish off all the pots in less than an hour.

I think they turned out pretty well. I didn't put a sealer on them which I probably would recommend if you want to keep your pots outside, but I had a grumpy baby with me and it didn't even cross my mind!

The lady at the art store said to paint on the adhesive and wait 15 minutes before applying the silver leaf, but I found that it was tacky pretty much immediately (rather than wet) and almost dry by 15 minutes, so I would paint the adhesive and right away stick on the silver. You just place the silver on top of the paste and then rub it in with your fingers. It couldn't be easier. When they were almost dry I gave them a wipe with paper towel just to get rid of any silver dust, and that was it.

I'm happy with how they turned out. I think they make the otherwise brand new pots look a little more aged. Next time I might try to weather the pots more before I start this, but for this event, I think it will add just the right amount of shimmer under the string lights.