You Had Me at Aloe: DIY Succulent Planter


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This post has been sponsored by American Greetings. All thoughts and opinions are my own."You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

Kyle, Nala, and I are finally moving into our first house next weekend! Not only are we excited to have the extra space, we can’t wait for Nala to have a yard (and a kiddy pool) all to herself. Plus, I’m pretty sure we found the cutest cottage in all of Columbia. We’re hoping to live there for like, ever, so I really want to make a good impression on our new neighbors. Since it’s brutally hot right now, I got the idea to make a cute “You Had Me at Aloe” succulent gift for each of our four neighbors. Aloe Vera plants make awesome gifts, since they’re pretty and can be used to alleviate summer burns. I also picked up some summer greeting cards from Target to more formally introduce ourselves. I only needed four but somehow ended up with a dozen– go figure!

If you’re looking for clay pot craft ideas, keep reading for a step-by-step tutorial on this cute “You Had Me at Aloe” DIY succulent planter! I should also mention that I’m by no means a master crafter. If I can make one, you can, too!

DIY “You Had Me at Aloe” Succulent Planter

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

Here’s everything you’ll need to make a “You Had Me at Aloe” DIY succulent planter:

  • Small Terracotta Pot
  • Small Aloe Vera Plant
  • White Acrylic Paint
  • Colored Acrylic Paint (I used a color called Lush Foliage)
  • Foam Paint Brushes
  • Smart Cutting Machine (I used a Cricut Explore Air 2 to create my stencil, but you can also use a sharpie or paint the text free-hand, too)

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

Start off by priming the terracotta pot with a foam paint brush. I ended up doing about three coats of white for each. For any colored terracotta pots, wait until the primer is completely dry and then apply 2-3 coats of colored acrylic paint with a foam paint brush.

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

Next, use a smart cutting machine to design a vinyl “You Had Me at Aloe” stencil. You can also paint free-hand or use a sharpie if you’re confident enough in your artistic abilities. I’m definitely not, so cheers to my Cricut!

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

Wait for the paint to dry and then perform any necessary touch-ups. Even with a vinyl stencil, I still had to do quite a bit of clean up. 

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

I bought myself this smart cutting machine for my birthday, so I’m still learning the crafting ropes. To familiarize myself with the software a little bit more, I made two different “You Had Me at Aloe” stencils for this project! I ended up liking them both, so I decided to make two of each. Which font do y’all like better? The cursive or the block font?

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

Once the terracotta pot is ready to go, place a small Aloe Vera plant in it and grab a fun summer greeting card! I love going to Target since they have the best selection of cards for all summer occasions, including blank cards for those unconventional “we’re your new neighbors” gestures! Like all hand-written cards, it’s a nice added touch. Plus, I like to make sure our neighbors have both mine and Kyle’s name and contact information. You never know when they might need it!

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards, American Greetings pineapple card, American Greetings flamingo card, card for new neighbors "You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards, card for new neighbors

The final step? Build up the courage to go meet the new neighbors! Luckily, Kyle is Mr. Congeniality, so his likability always makes up for all my awkwardness. Introvert problems!

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards "You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards "You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards "You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards

Also, next time you’re at Target, keep an eye out for their new line of cards designed by featured artists! Two of our neighbors also have pups, so I picked up two adorable dog cards from Audrey Jones’ bright and colorful “Optimism + Authenticity” collection! How cute are these?

"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards, card for new neighbors, American Greetings Optimism + Authenticity collection, Audrey Jones Optimism and Authenticity Collection"You Had Me at Aloe" DIY succulent planter by southern blogger Stephanie Ziajka from Diary of a Debutante, gift idea for new neighbors, easy clay pot craft ideas, terracotta ideas, cute aloe vera planter, American Greetings featured artists cards, card for new neighbors, American Greetings Optimism + Authenticity collection, Audrey Jones Optimism and Authenticity Collection

My DIY projects usually have about a 50/50 shot of ending up on PinterestFail.com, so I’m pretty pleased with this “You Had Me at Aloe” DIY succulent planter. I hope our neighbors like them as much as I do! Oh, and stay tuned for DIY aloe vera ice cubes tutorial in the next few weeks!

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One thought on “You Had Me at Aloe: DIY Succulent Planter

  1. Karissa

    Oh my gosh! Now I want to be your neighbor! This is such a cute idea to do when you are meeting neighbors for the first time! I love the aloe idea, everyone likes an aloe plant!

    Reply

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