DIY Giant Pot of Gold

Fitting for the season I’m sharing this giant pot of gold project today because sometimes you need an enormous pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day party or any rainbow themed party.

A DIY tutorial to make a giant pot of gold with rainbow. Create this large rainbow with enormous pot of gold for your St. Patrick’s Day themed party.

I actually made this giant pot of gold for the Spring auction at my kids school. We had a shamrock race whereby each class was raising money to move across the rainbow and get to the pot of gold in first place. We had large 24″ shamrocks the kids decorated and hung them in the school, this pot of gold was at the actual auction for decoration purposes only.

The gold coins are my favorite part and a super simple craft project for you hot glue gun lovers.

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I used a plastic black cauldron for the pot and foam pipe insulation pieces for the rainbow. You could use pool noodles too but they are definitely thicker and stiffer compared to the foam insulation.

Below I will share the steps to make a giant pot of gold with a rainbow and cloud. As always follow all safety precautions with power tools and be careful with kids and hot glue.

Supplies:

black plastic cauldron
2×4 scrap wood
1/2″ scrap plywood
3″ wood screws
drill & drill bits
jig saw
gold gift bag
scissors
hot glue gun & glue sticks
6″ craft styrofoam discs & 4″ foam discs
6′ foam pipe insulation
primer & latex paint
E6000 craft glue
clamps
scrap wood (rainbow holder)
2″ wood screws
3/4″ pvc pipe or wood dowel
1″ foam sheathing / underlayment
foam hot knife
stuffing

Step 1: Build a open cube out of 2×4 scrap wood to fit inside the plastic cauldron. This provides weight and fills the space. Cut 2 half circles from 1/2″ plywood and attach to 2×4 cube leaving a 1″ gap in the middle. This gap is where you’ll shove the rainbow down into the pot.

Step 2: Cover the plywood with gold gift bag pieces. This is the false bottom and makes the pot look full of gold.

Step 3: To make the gold coins trace the foam circle onto gold paper and cut out a top and bottom piece. Cut long strips wider than the foam thickness to cover the sides.

Step 4: Use the long strip to wrap the sides of the foam disc using hot glue to attach. Snip the gold paper then fold down and glue flat. Then attach the top and bottom circles for complete coverage. Pile the gold coins on top of the frame previously built and hot glue them in position, be sure to keep the middle portion clear of coins.

Step 5: To prepare the foam insulation for paint you must use primer. Once the primer is dry then paint each piece a different color to create the rainbow.

Step 6: Layout the foam pieces in order and apply E6000 glue inbetween each piece then form the arch and clamp to hold while glue is drying.

Step 7: To keep the rainbow arch in position build a wood trough for the ends. This trough keeps the ends of the foam together and provides a place to attach the cloud.

Step 8: Predrill holes for the wood dowel posts then glue and screw into position. This is the frame for the cloud pieces and holds the rainbow arch.

Step 9: Use a hot knife the cut the foam sheathing into a basic cloud shape. Cut 2 identical pieces.

Step 10: Prime the foam pieces to cover any labeling that may show through the batting. Attach the foam pieces to the wood trough. Then use hot glue and attach stuffing to make the cloud soft.