I love the versatility of terracotta pots and the array of projects that can be created from them. Today, I am sharing how I made a candy bowl that looks like an old fashioned looking gum ball machine.
We make these terracotta candy bowls for an array of holidays and they make great homemade gifts! The best part is that we all can customize this project to our preference and make it the way we like it by the colors we choose, the size of the terracotta and style of the glass bowls we choose to even the transfer we use (or not use) to create a beautiful candy bowl that fits with our home decor.
I love the rustic country look, so that is what I opted for — the white with the brushed grey — although I also made a reverse one as well (grey with brushed cream) and the glass jar I opted for each suits the design I chose. The square jar works great for the rustic looking terracotta candy bowl and the smaller, dainty jar looks great with the smaller grey terracotta pot. If you would rather not fill it with candy or chocolate (but I mean, chocolate, am I right!?!), you can easily fill it with dried rose hips, sewn objects like hand sewn Easter eggs for spring or hand sewn pumpkins or acorns for fall, a blessings jar for Thanksgiving or even ornaments for Christmas! What I love most is how this terracotta candy bowl can travel through the seasons with simple changes!
Let’s get started!
You will need a terracotta pot and saucer (any size), large wooden doll head, bead, dowel cap or knob, glass jar (any size as long as it will fit on the base of the terracotta pot), felt, raffia/jute/ribbon, as well as acrylic paint, hot glue, chalking paste and transfers. The transfer is completely optional – you can still create a beautiful candy bowl!!
First off, paint the terracotta pot and saucer. I am painting mine white, but you can paint it any color you like. I have applied 4 coats of paint.
Be sure to paint the wooden knob as well – I am using a wooden dowel cap which will resemble the handle on the lid of the jar. Let dry.
Next I am brushing my surfaces with a grey chalk paste (in the color storm) that has been slightly diluted with water. I brush it onto the terracotta with a dampened paper towel and apply as much or as little as I would like. This part is total preference and can be done in any color you like, or you can skip this step. I have chosen grey on white so it has that country rustic look to it.
Glue wooden cap onto the saucer – the bottom of the saucer has now become the top of the saucer and is our lid.
To hide the hot glue, I attached some raffia. You can also use jute, twine or even ribbon.
On the bottom (base) of the terracotta pot (which is now our top), glue felt on. I use hot glue since it holds well and dries fast.
We are using the “hello spring” transfer. This step of course can be skipped if you so choose and looks great without!
Cut the transfer you would like to use. Remove backing and fuzz transfer on the fuzzing cloth or a towel. Fuzzing helps to remove some of the stickiness. Place on glass jar.
Once transfer is positioned on glass jar, dip squeegee into paste and brush onto transfer. Spread paste around, scraping off excess. Remove transfer to reveal your design! I used “Happy Easter.” Wash transfer under warm water and let transfer air dry. Wash squeegee too because dried paste can be tougher to clean! I used the color Shimmer Melon which has a sparkle to it.
If you would like something more permanent, you can also use etching cream for a lovely frosted design.
I dabbed on a circle to look like a gumball would come out here. I used the same color that I brushed the pot with. I also added the 25 cent transfer design that had come with a past transfer at Christmas time. You can draw this on, use a sticker or omit this part.
I then hot glued the glass jar onto the felt of my terracotta pot which is the base of our candy bowl. I applied extra glue around the base of the terracotta pot and glass jar to be sure it has stuck really well! Then, I glued the lid of the jar into the saucer – now we turn the whole saucer and lid to open. Normally, the glass jars I select do not have additional lids, but I thought this would be helpful in keeping the goodies inside fresh and gave me the look I was wanting.
Next, we’ll add some finishing touches. I’m using raffia around the base to hide the glue as well as making it aesthetically pleasing. I chose raffia to keep with the rustic look. I also hot glued a piece of raffia around the circle we painted on. You can also use ribbon, jute, twine or omit it.
The candy bowl is now complete. I leave it sit for a few minutes to be sure the glue is set and it stays together! I think it looks fantastic, but it really needs to be packed full of goodies!! I could hardly wait to toss in some candy or chocolate!
Here are both of our candy dishes we made. I made the smaller candy dish with the supplies I just picked up from the craft store the other day. I painted it grey and brushed it with dune (a beige color) and chalked a bunny on in the color Golden Hour.
I wanted to show that you can use various sizes of terracotta and saucers as well as different sizes or shapes of glass jars. As long as the glass jar can fit onto the base of the terracotta pot, then it can be easily glued on! If it seems wobbly, I would not attempt to attach it.
I began to fill it with chocolate bunnies for Easter and realized either I did not purchase enough chocolate, or my jar is far too large!
Looks fantastic and festive and I can easily remove the Easter designs from the glass jars and re-chalk it with something else — this way I create one candy bowl and I can have it for any holiday! I simply chalk a different festive design!! I placed a white chalking chip in behind the words of my white candy bowl since it was difficult to see! I think it pops beautifully and I may even chalk onto the chalkable chip instead of the jar next time and attach it with velcro so I can easily change up my chalking design, as often as I like!
I really do love how it has turned out!
This would also make a fun family project! What do you think – is it something you would enjoy making? It would also make the cutest cookie jar!
Looking for other terracotta crafting ideas? Check out a couple of our Easter themed crafting projects here: https://www.ourcityhomestead.com/decorative-easter-terracotta-pots-two-ways/
This Finished Good has been created using an assortment of Chalk Couture Products but are not the Products themselves. I am not in any way affiliated with Chalk Couture. I enjoy using their products to create fun home decor pieces. Unfortunately, these products may become unavailable.
