A few weeks ago, I mentioned I have a newspaper problem. They just collect in corners of the house, and can start taking over unless I put them to good use. I also have a pot problem: of the black plastic variety. There are hundreds of them, breeding quietly in the shed. Something has to be done about both of these infestations, and I think I may have come up with a solution.

Growing lots of plants, especially tender veg such as peppers and tomatoes, on our fire escape, means I need a lot of pots. Now this would be easy if I were a woman of means who owned a wholesome and burgeoning collection of gorgeous terracotta pots. But I don’t. I’m a graduate with a student loan far bigger than any terracotta pot, and I have a newspaper and black-plastic-pot problem.

I’m not especially keen to use black plastic pots in their native state. They just look a bit depressing. So last autumn I sat myself down on the kitchen floor with a large bowl of glue and a pile of newspapers and made these fun little pots. I simply covered the black plastic pots with two layers of newspaper papier mache, and then added a top layer comprising of fun headlines and cartoons. So far the pots have survived wind, snow and rain, and should probably last for another couple of years, by which time I will have forgotten all the politicians splashed across them.

These pots aren’t to everyone’s taste. I’m sure there are plenty of women out there sitting in their potting sheds amongst their terracotta pots who rather pity me for making these little creations. But they are quirky and interesting. When was the last time you actually stopped and stared at a terracotta pot, anyway?