
I’ve owned this ceramic cat cookie jar for years. It turned up again after our move to the new studio, so I decided to refresh it and turn it into a planter.
Why convert it? Two simple reasons: cats are the unofficial mascots of the internet, and I rarely need a cookie jar—cookies never last long enough to justify one. Turning it into a planter felt like the perfect second life.
I didn’t have to repaint it before adding soil and a plant, but I wasn’t keen on the original brownish-green finish. I grabbed primer and paint and went to work. Painting store-bought ceramics is straightforward, and with a little prep you can get smooth, lasting results. Below is a concise, practical guide plus photos of the finished cat planter.
Here’s what the jar looked like before I started.