I found these concrete planters at a yard sale a few years ago. I always loved the shape of them, but I never loved the way they looked with plants and flowers. What should have eye catching just… wasn’t. And I couldn’t figure out why.
A new greenhouse opened up just a few weeks ago, and Husband and I went to see what they had available. It was supposed to be a quick run for some vegetable seedlings to fill in areas where I hadn’t started seeds, but it ended up being a huge haul of vegetable seedlings and flowers. I picked a couple of simple plants to put in my planters, this year I LOVE the bright pinks! When I brought them home and looked at those bright pink blooms next to my faded off white concrete planters I knew I’d be disappointed again. “Oh”, I thought, “if only they were darker, even black, so the colors of the flowers would pop.”
Well, once I knew what I wanted them to look like, I ran down to my stash of paint supplies to see what deep dark colors I have. I didn’t want to use latex paint because I was afraid it would peel. But I do have a small stash of some milk paint colors and I found some pitch black milk paint.
I quickly mixed up a small amount (it really doesn’t take much) and sloshed it on with a brush. I wasn’t going for complete coverage – I wanted the finish to look aged. Finished but not perfect.
I really like how they turned out! The almost black is exactly what I wanted to set off the greens and pinks of the plants. And I couldn’t beat the price – free to me because I used my $5 yard sale planters and the milk paint I already had on hand. Of course, I paid for the flowers, but I was also supporting a local small business, so that’s a win in my book.
What do you think?
Before:
After:
It’s not perfect, but I love it.