DIY Painted Planter and New Table

I have been looking for a large pot to put in our kitchen, and I recently found this one at a thrift store for $3.50.

It was exactly the size and shape I wanted, but the color was wrong, and I was hesitant about the stair step pattern that gave it a Santa Fe/Southwestern vibe. But I decided to take a leap and embrace the pattern and hold back my disdain for the Southwestern style - just this once.

I mean after all, some of my favorite designers and bloggers are infusing this style into their designs in a pretty amazing way, like HERE, and aztec prints and patterns are really on trend right now, so I decided to give it a shot.

I have heard good things about Martha Stewart's multi-surface paint, so I decided to give it a try. My daughter helped me pick out the colors and she chose "Surf" as the main color and I picked "Copper" as the accent.

With Scotch Edge Lock painter's tape, I taped the areas that I wanted to be copper, and then cut out the pattern with an exacto knife.

I then flipped the bowl over and painted, making sure not to paint the bottom. So this Martha Stewart paint is super durable and dries hard and fast, but you have to apply multiple coats. I had to do three coats of each color, and then some touch-ups on the copper after the third coat. But once it's on, it's gonna stay.

After the bottom portion dried, I peeled off the tape, and then reversed the tape, so that I could paint the copper areas. And somehow I neglected to get a picture of it, but I'm sure you get the idea. After that was dry, I took it out and gave it two coats of clear gloss for durability and shine.

Then I took my kids shopping for succulents and cacti. They LOVED picking out their own and my two older had messy fun helping me pot them. What kid doesn't like to get their hands dirty?

Here's the final product in all its modern Santa Fe glory.

I think I like it, but my kids love it, and that really matters.

And while I've got you here, I wanted to show you the new table and chairs we recently got. Our old table was a cappuccino colored pedestal table and chairs, and it was pretty beat-up.

Since our appliances and cabinetry are dark, we decided to look for something lighter this time, and NOT a pedestal. When I discovered this Crate and Barrel set on Craigslist for $290, I jumped on it.

We love the slightly more modern, simple lines and the lightness of the table, and it accentuates the brightness of that corner instead of creating a dingy and stark contrast like the old table did. The seat cushions are dirty and need to be replaced, but I actually think we might try to clean them and then replace them in a couple years when our kids are less likely to destroy them in 24 hours.

With the large drum pendant, light modern dining set, and our new planter, I feel like that corner of our house is really coming together.

What about you? Have you gone Santa Fe?