During the Labor Day weekend, I finally had some time to try Instagram’s new DIY trend “Trash to Terracotta” where you buy cheap vases and paint them to look like they’re made of clay.

I was inspired by a few women on social media who put pampas grass in the vases. I just ordered my first bunch of pampas, so this was perfect timing.

It was a relatively inexpensive and a super easy project! I spent $15 on the vases at Goodwill and about $10 on sample-sized paint from Home Depot.

How to try it yourself:

Find some vases! I was mainly looking at the shape. I wanted a tall, skinny vase with a small opening for my pampas grass. But I also wanted a shorter, round vase. I was hoping the two different shapes would complement each other. Don’t worry too much about their color. I did avoid some of the vases I saw at Goodwill that had an etched logo or indents.

Pick out your paint! Most of the photos I was inspired by had vases that were nude, blush colors so I went for Behr paint’s Canyon Dust (a beige-y peach) and Ash Blonde (a lighter cream).

Mix baking powder in the paint to give it that gritty, clay look. We put about a tablespoon in each of the 8 oz. sample containers of paint.

Got for it! It’s helpful to paint in long strokes. Be aware that the baking powder makes the brush strokes a little more visible.

Once they dry, fill the vases with flowers, pampas or whatever your heart desires! And feel proud of the great work you did — both saving money and making your home a little more trendy! 

Watch our Instagram reel below to see how the project went!