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Terracotta Jack-O-Lanterns Make for the Best Boho Halloween Decor

Terracotta Jack-O-Lanterns Make for the Best Boho Halloween Decor

Spooky season has arrived, and even your house plants can get in on the festivities this year with terracotta jack-o-lanterns! This DIY is easy, inexpensive, and way less messy than carving pumpkins. These terracotta jack-o-lantern pots add the perfect seasonally-appropriate touch to a home while preserving that boho plant parent vibe. Whether you prefer spooky, silly, or cute jack-o-lantern faces, the options are endless!

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Related: Easy DIY Halloween Decorations for Your Home That Are Absolutely Spooktacular

An overhead shot of required materials – terracotta pots, black acrylic paint, two paint brushes, a chalk pencil, and a paint palette.

Materials Required:

  • Terracotta pots of various sizes
  • Chalk pencil
  • Matte black acrylic paint
  • Paint brushes
    • One fine detail brush
    • One number 4 round brush
  • Paint palette (optional – you can use a plate, a plastic lid, or a piece of tin foil instead!)

Two overhead photos of sketching out jack-o-lantern faces and erasing errors in chalk pencil

Step One: Sketch Faces

To get started, you’ll want to sketch out the jack-o-lantern faces on your terracotta pots. Using a white chalk pencil for this allows you to be precise, and if you make a mistake, it’s easily erasable. Don’t worry about drawing perfectly, as it’s just a rough draft. As far as facial expressions go, think of jack-o-lanterns you’d carve as a kid – use triangles and squares for eyes and noses! – or look up some photos online for inspiration.

Two photos of a person's hands outlining and filling jack-o-lantern features on terracotta pot with black paint.

Step Two: Outline and Fill Shapes with Black Paint

Next, pour out a dollop of black acrylic paint. Use a fine detailing brush to outline the shapes and fill in any tiny details. Switch to a slightly larger brush to fill the shapes in with solid black paint. The paint may be patchy in some areas, but you can always go in for a second coat once the first is dry.

Related: 12 Timeless Halloween Decorations You Definitely Won’t Regret Putting Up

Person's hands painting a larger terracotta pot with a goofy jack-o-lantern face

Step Three: Let Dry (and Paint More Pots!)

Set your first pot aside to dry. Drying won’t take very long because terracotta is so absorbent. Use this time to repeat the process on a few more pots – they look so cute clustered together when they’re all different sizes with different facial expressions!

Two photos of a person's hands erasing leftover chalk lines and adding a second layer of paint on terracotta jack o lantern faces.

Step Four: Erase Chalk Lines and Add a Second Layer of Paint

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Once the pots are dry, you can erase any visible chalk outlines. If certain areas of black paint are patchy, go in for a second coat to make sure it’s nice and opaque.

Related: The Best Family-Friendly Halloween DIY Projects by Tiffany Pratt

Wider shot of terracotta pot jack-o-lanterns sitting on a shelf.

Step Five: Add Plants!

For maximum versatility, keep your plants in their plastic nursery pots and pop the nursery pot inside the terracotta pot. That way, you can swap the pots out seasonally with your decor without disturbing the plant’s roots!

Images courtesy of Amanda Roberts



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