Read This: Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers & BOOK GIVEAWAY!

July 10, 2017


I’m crazy for Los Angeles garden shop Potted and its colorful, modern accessories for patio and porch living and gardening. I’ve made two pilgrimages to the store (here and here) when passing through L.A., and I’ve ordered from and received gifts from their online store (yes, you can shop from home in your jammies!).
Over the years of crushing on their shop, I’ve enjoyed getting to know the two inventive women who own and operate Potted, Annette Gutierrez and Mary Gray. These dynamos of creative energy are continually coming up with their own designs for planters, tiled tables, and garden decor that they produce and sell as Potted Exclusives, among which their Circle Pot may be best known.

And now they’ve put their creativity on paper by publishing a Potted-loving DIYer’s dream book: Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers. In this colorful and well-illustrated paperback, Annette and Mary share 23 original, DIY-able planters that they dreamed up and show how to create them from readily available materials like concrete cinderblock, PVC pipe, plastic trash cans, attic gable vents, paint cans, and spray paint.
Take this stacked cinderblock planter with a colorful stripe of glued-on tile, for example. They suggest using leftover tiles from a kitchen or bath remodel or sample tiles purchased from a tile store. With step-by-step instructions and photos to illustrate each step, they make construction look totally do-able and fun.

Here’s another of my favorite projects: a spray-painted PVC-pipe “bracelet” to dress up a plain nursery pot. As the authors point out, small PVC pipes are inexpensive and easily cut, painted, strung together with wire, and wrapped around an existing pot. The beauty is that you can customize the colors to harmonize with your porch decor or house colors. This is a fun idea for inside or outside.

I also love the cleverness of this idea: spray-painted metal gable vents from a building-supply store turned into wall planters with the aid of DIY plastic backing to protect the wall and hold soil. The authors used cheap plastic placemats for the backing material. Imagine how cool this would look planted with succulents.
The 23 planter ideas shown in the book are organized by basic material: concrete, plastics, metals, terra-cotta, and organic materials like fabric, rope, and decoupage. You can follow the instructions to duplicate their examples, or, as the authors point out, you can mix-and-match ideas from the various projects to create your own totally unique planters. The book is sure to give you some fun ideas for dressing up your patio, porch, or living room, and it’ll show you how to look more creatively at everyday items that can be turned into something only you have thought of.

GIVEAWAY

And now for your chance to win the book! Annette and Mary are offering one lucky reader a free copy of Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers, and to be entered in the giveaway all you need do is leave a comment right here on this blog post. The winner will be drawn randomly at 11 pm CDT on Friday, July 14th, and announced here on Saturday.
Thanks for reading and commenting, and good luck!
Update 7/15/17: Congratulations to #13 Jenny Young, who is the winner of Potted! Thank you to everyone who entered. This giveaway is now closed.
Photographs by Potted with Sydney Michael and Amanda Brooks.
Disclosure: Timber Press sent me a copy of Potted for review. I reviewed it at my own discretion and without any compensation. This post, as with everything at Digging, is my own personal opinion.
I welcome your comments; please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading this in a subscription email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post.
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All material © 2006-2017 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

46 responses to “Read This: Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers & BOOK GIVEAWAY!”

  1. Heather says:

    Wow…would love to win this. Thank you! Love reading your blog. 🙂

  2. Suzie says:

    Would love to win this book!
    Love your blog!!

  3. Judy Baumann says:

    Looks like a fun book. Will it be available on Amazon?

  4. Trisha says:

    I love the designs. I only wish our local nurseries and stores carried such stylish pots.

  5. How exciting! I would love to win this book!

  6. Jenny says:

    I’m always on the lookout for creative ideas for the garden. Count me in on the chance to win this book.

  7. Wanda Pylant says:

    Love new ideas for pots and the chance to create my own. Wanda

  8. Cheryl Hawes says:

    What a fun collection of ideas! I’d love to add this book to my library.

  9. Karen H says:

    So creative! Would love to make some of these myself!

  10. Looks like a lot of inspiration packed into this book.

  11. Laura Munoz says:

    I looked at the book on Amazon, and the projects I could view seemed like something even I could do. (I failed a mechanical aptitude test in high school.)

  12. Alison says:

    I’d love to win this. That concrete block container is cool. We have a great source for recycled glass tile, Bedrock Industries, right here in Seattle that would be perfect!

  13. Jenny Young says:

    I have a weakness for container gardening. I’m always looking for new fresh ideas & already want to try the cinderblock planter on my front porch! I hope I win!

  14. Sandra Cunningham says:

    Love reading the blog. I’m always inspired. ?

  15. Meg Morris says:

    This book looks incredible! I’ve been doing lots of replanting lately.

  16. Stephanie says:

    I would love to have this book!

  17. L Everitt says:

    It looks like there are so many fun ideas!

  18. Chris says:

    This book looks like a keeper. Great ideas in there.

  19. Kris P says:

    Thanks for letting readers know about this book, Pam! I love the gable vent wall planters.

  20. Jane says:

    Wonderful!
    I would love to win the book! Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers, Love it!

  21. Carol says:

    The book looks amazing!!! Fingers crossed ?

  22. I need to check this book out! I am pushing myself to do more with containers in my designs.

  23. D Wilson says:

    What a lovely offer – count me in!

  24. wendy says:

    Love your Blog ….even though I’m in Wisconsin.

  25. Linda says:

    Having recently retired, I have more time to garden. I love the creative way of making the pots, and I am going to work on some of the ones that have been suggested. Would LOVE the book. Thank you.

  26. Shirley says:

    Sounds like an awesome book that I would love!

  27. Sheryle G says:

    It looks like a wonderful book!

  28. Pat B says:

    I’m always looking for ways to change up the garden, patio and front porch and would love to have this book for inspiration (and straight out copying). Thanks for the chance!

  29. Mary Gray says:

    So pleased you like our DIY book. It was a labor of love (of all things garden.) The best thing about this 14 year Potted journey is the amazing network of other folks, such as yourself who are just as excited about their outdoor spaces as we are! Cheers, Mary Gray

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Mary, you and Annette did a great job with this book, not only by showing how to DIY cool planters but by inspiring general creativity. I look forward to your next one! —Pam

  30. Suzanne M. says:

    Very cool ideas!

  31. Lori says:

    Pick me pick me!!!!

  32. Ella Young says:

    What a fun book to read! And a fun way to dress up my potted garden!

  33. Hollie Bordelon says:

    I’ve ordered three of the circle pots from Potted after seeing them on your blog. Would love to receive the book to find even more inspiration!

  34. hb says:

    Looks like a cool book!

  35. Michelle says:

    Great ideas!! You have inspired me. I am a landscape designer who always looks for new ideas. The concrete block planter could also be totally covered with natural materials like stone or slate. Would love to win the book.

  36. Donna Martinez says:

    Creating personal planters and giving away some to those you love. How fun!!!

  37. Dianne Vinson says:

    It is always a joy to see your posts and perfect photos

  38. Dee says:

    This book looks so exciting! My husband and I are happily moving from Atlanta to Southern Arizona (Bisbee!) in just 14 days. We would love to have this book to welcome us to the Southwest and help us as we create gardens in our new yard!

    • Noelle says:

      Hello Dee,
      Bisbee is one of my favorite places to visit. My husband and I try to go at least once a year – we live in the Phoenix area. I love the little garden vignettes that are scattered about throughout the town. I am sure you will love living there.
      Best,
      Noelle

  39. Noelle says:

    I already love what I’ve seen through your photos and would love to see more!

  40. Cheris says:

    Oh… this is a great alternative to expensive nursery pots.

  41. Chris Watkins says:

    I’m enjoying your posts from the blogger tour!

  42. Marcia Rathbun says:

    I’ve been looking for a way to dress up my front yard garden beds. Need super ideas! Thanks for sharing.