Afternoon ladies and gentlemen-Indian Clay pots with French-country upcycle here today and it took me back to little trips I used to take with dad.I’ve been seeing a lot of French Pottery around the blogland and it inspired me to do my little take on it!

I enjoy every bit of French Pottery and it’s pottery in general that quite takes me by fancy. Clay/terracotta/bone china- I am interested. Best part is, this wee country of mine is not behind in the league of fantastic pottery’walas’ (wala is a prefix added to a particular service that a person offers. Strange isn’t it? So for a guy who has a tea stall, he is chai wala. Similarly a catering guy would be known as dabba wala- dabba=tiffin cases. Rickshawpullers are rickshawala and so on!)- it has an ancient history and is one of the most tangible and iconic elements of regional art. History records that the evidence of pottery has been found in the early settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization and has slowly come down as a cultural art that is still extensively practiced. Among all the forms of Indian Pottery, the one I am particularly familiar with, is Terracotta.

An art that started from Neolithic age, today Indian Pottery has evolved. But irrespective of its aesthetic growth, I doubt anything can take away the charm and the beauty of frail, petit terracotta tea cups that are so ubiquitous in this country. 1 rupee/cup and often found if travelling by railways- its a different league altogether sipping sweet chai in terracotta cups, with a sound you’ve been told not to practice while drinking tea. If anyone of you ever travel by train from Mumbai to Guwahati (that’s an extensive West to East stretch) you’d find these Chaiwalas hawking hot tea in every station. And zillion years ago when we used to travel with dad (he prefers train to plane and a non-ac compartment as opposed to an ac compartment) we used to open the train windows, sip tea and watch the sun go down over the barren flats! You know what dad used to tell us? See the changing topography after every 25 miles, experience the cold and the heat for this is what you’ll really remember and cherish. He was right.

I am from West-Bengal- a state culturally very strong and which makes some of the best Terracotta products in the country. So when a friend of mine got me two terracotta cups from his recent visits to Madhya Pradesh, telling me he thought I might find use, I knew I had to save it.

PROBLEM

Terracotta, unless it’s the terrace space I’m talking about is not my color and style.

SOLUTION

French Country Love. A little slather of white paint, a rough brush to make it look aged and sweet signs modge-podged to live up to my style.

The process is simple-

2 coats of white

Sanding

Take printouts in reverse and stick it with modgepodge.

Once dry, peel the pulp off gently and coat it with a layer of modge podge.

That’s it!

Simple and easy, slathered with French love and with an all Indian heart. An Indo-French love affair if you’d like to call it. Reminds me of a book called La Nui Bengali! Have you read? It’s beautiful!

And guess what I will be growing in them- Microgreens!

Sharing @

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia – Tuesday’s Treasures
Coastal Charm – Nifty Thrifty
Vintage Wanna Bee – Talent Tuesday 

 
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23 thoughts on “Indian Clay Pots. French Country Upcycle”

  1. love the painted pots, your bitchen styling, and the mood you set with the photography. can’t wait to give your music a listen when i have a calm moment. a hair tragedy has me frazzled and bummed as i’m about to leave town! when you hear ‘beige and champagne highlights’ don’t you think of a lovely subtle change and not MOUSEUGLYBROWNFRIGGINNEST? OY.

    half smile.

    michele

    1. Oh Christ! You should sue whoever did this. Of course Beige and Champagne has nothing to do with brown and yes, a lovely subtle change is what i’ll be expecting. So not done. I hate when things like this happen. Dont worry though- your hair might go through some stress but it can be bleached out and sorted. Having said that, i love your hair.

  2. Oh man this takes me back to my visit to Calcutta. Sweet, hot tea from sweet little pottery cups. Shards of these cups scattered along the streets home to tea vendors. Such a sweet memory, and such a sweet DIY. I really like your style. ^^

    1. Hey, thanks Whitney. I had exact similar feelings when I got them. It just took me back to that time and space. It’s called “Khorai” if you’d like to know. And comeover so that we can share a cup 🙂

  3. Your Frenchied up pots are wonderful but even better is the history lesson! What a clever man your dad is to know that you needed to experience the countryside instead of hiding in the A/C.

    1. Thank you maureen. Ya, dad is very good. I like him. He always shows us the right way, the right thing, the right places. The wrongs that’s right even 😀 Am I sounding like a little girl?

  4. LOVE these!

    Coincidentally, I just scheduled a crafts post for my blog which deals with how to cover terracotta (and/or other types) pots and make them pretty. I now *have* to make one similar to yours and add it to the mix 🙂

    1. Go on Es. I love terracotta. They take colors really easy- the unglazed ones of course. Do come and tell me when you put them up on your blog!

  5. Your pots are amazing, and you never seem to amaze me with your creativeness! Thanks for sharing your inspiration with Sunday’s Best – you helped make the party a success!

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