Landscaping: Broken Vessel

When we moved here there were several terra cotta pots that were left behind. One in particular was very large and I was very happy to see it still in the front yard after closing because it was big enough to put a tree in. It is also very heavy empty, much less when filled with dirt.
Over the last few years I have planted it with a few things, but it has been difficult to keep anything living in it. Eventually my rambunctious children have ended up breaking a large part out of the front of it and for a while it sat near the front door. I hated to throw it away even with the big chunk broken out of it. There has to be some way to re-purpose it.

Recently I saw a picture of what could be done and I was so excited. I created my own version and will be adding to it over time as pots become available. But for now this is what I've come up with this...It is difficult to see from the photo, but it is a layered planting. I would have liked to see more layers, but didn't want to actually break usable pots...even though the thought crossed my mind.
So my thoughts are that it will be-like so many other things here-an ever changing, growing project. The thought of a fairy village with houses is a really fun idea. Or plants gradually cascading from one pot into another would also be eye catching. It sounds like I will need to start finding broken vessels...anyone have extra old terra cotta lying around that they don't want anymore?

How do you re-purpose your old pots?