Pot Puppy Materials 11 (2-inch) pots and 4 (3-inch) pots tie wire 2 (2 1/2-inch) dry florist foam balls 14-gauge galvanized wire industrial-strength craft adhesive 3 (1 1/4-inch) mini-pots tile nippers glue gun and sticks decorative sheet moss

Step 1:
Place the 2-inch pots in four stacks, large openings down, for the legs. We used three for each front leg and two for each back leg. Place the two (3-inch) pots for the torso on top of the legs, with the large openings together. Use a pencil to mark two holes toward the bottom of each torso pot. Mark the holes as close as possible to the spot where the legs and body meet. Using a 3/16-inch masonry drill bit and applying steady pressure, drill holes where you've marked. Tip: It helps to use a large nail to scratch a "starter hole" on the pot's surface. Mark and drill a hole near the edge of the tapered end of the front torso pot to house the support wire for the neck.

Step 2:
Using wire clippers, cut two pieces of tie wire, one 9 inches long and one 8 inches long, to secure the dog's legs. Going inside the front torso pot, bend the 9-inch wire in half, and push it down through both holes. Do the same for the back torso pot with the 8-inch wire. Now, stack the 2-inch pots onto the wires that extend from the torso pots. Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to go inside the last pot on each leg, and twist the wire to create a knot that is large enough to prevent the pots from slipping off.

Step 3:
Using a kitchen knife, cut about a half-inch off the top of two florist foam balls. Place them in the two torso pots, with the balls' cropped ends flush with the large openings of the pots. Cut a 15-inch piece of the heavier, 14-gauge wire. Hold the two torso pots together with the large openings touching. Insert the wire through the drainage hole in the backtorso pot, and push it through both foam balls and out the hole for the dog's neck. Leave about 4 inches of wire at each end to attach the dog's head and tail.

Step 4:
Apply a small amount of adhesive on the edges of the two torso pots, and push them together. For the head, pull the wire through the drainage hole of a 3-inch pot. For extra stability, attach the dog's head to the front torso at the neck joint using the craft adhesive.

Step 5:
To attach the muzzle, bend the center wire from the head down at a 45-degree angle, and guide it through the large opening in the last 2-inch pot. Pull it through the drainage hole, and twist it into a loop to secure. Use the excess wire at the other end to create the tail. Stack three (1 1/4-inch) mini-pots on the tail wire. Using the pliers, make a loop at the end.

Step 6:
It is best to use a pair of tile nippers to form the dog's ears. It may take several attempts to achieve the desired shape. Using a small hammer, carefully tap along the sides of a 3-inch pot to break it in half. Working with one of the halves, start at the rim, and use a pencil to sketch the shape of an ear. Gently cut your way toward the pencil markings with the tile nippers. Use the other half for the second ear. Attach the ears using craft adhesive. Using a glue gun, add decorative moss at joints, between leg pots, or wherever you would like to soften the look. Fill the head pot with soil, and add a small-leaved plant, such as ivy, to complete the pot puppy.

"Pot Puppy" is from the Favorites 2004 issue of Southern Living.