I am obsessed with Talavera pottery! The bright colors and boldness of the designs makes me smile inside and out. I would love to own every piece that I find but unfortunately it’s just not realistic. Thus my crafting partner, Thrifty Rehab, and I decided to see if we could replicate and recreate our own.

Interestingly, we learned that Talavera ceramics are named after its origination city, Talavera de la Reina, Spain. Over many centuries, the influence of Mayans and Aztecs, changing land boundaries with colonization and technology, specifically the pottery wheel and glazing, Mexican Talavera was born.

Pieces are highly sought after for its great quality and beauty. Check out some of my favorite napkin holders and serving bowls.

Use this DIY to recreate Talavera’s beauty on a budget and use them to grow herbs indoors for fresh year-round use.

Not only will you save money, like us, you will have a greater appreciation for these remarkable artisans!

Supplies:

  • Acrylic paints colors: yellow, orange, purple, pink, blue, green and white
  • Paint pens – Blue, Red and Black
  • Clear high gloss spray paint
  • Pencil
  • Brushes
  • Terracotta clay pots

Find images of your favorite Talavera designs online to use as a template. Some artists use the natural Terracotta color for the background. However, we covered our pots with a white, paint base.

Let the base color dry then sketch your design with pencil. It is somewhat difficult to erase pencil markings while painting; we covered ours with darker, outline colored paint pen where possible.

If your design gets wonky, don’t worry… you can simply cover up mistakes with another layer of the base color. If you don’t like your end design, simply start on another, as the terracotta clay pots are readily available at most dollar stores at 3 for $1.

After your final design is complete and has dried for at least 24 hours, carefully seal with high gloss spray paint.

Photography: Raemi Vermiglio & Thrifty Rehab  / DIY: Thrifty Rehab