Easy Clay Garden Markers

Every spring without fail, I get the gardening bug. It’s a good kind of bug where I watch the snow melt and the earth begin to awaken after a long slumber. I scour seed catalogs, plan my gardens, and even begin potting herbs up on the windowsill that I will eventually transfer to the garden after the danger of frost has passed.

Each year, I also create new garden markers for the season. This year I thought that it would be fun to create some customizable ones out of bakeable clay. We had some left over from a school project and it was the perfect easy project for a very rainy spring day.

For this craft you will need:

• bakeable clay
• small metal “cookie cutter” shapes
• rolling pin
• dried floral stems for texturizing
• small letter stamps
• bamboo skewer
• oven
• cookie sheet 
• wire coat hanger
• wire clippers
• pliers

I chose a copper colored clay for my markers because I love the look of copper in the garden. Begin by working the clay between your fingers and hands to soften it. Roll it into a ball and then roll it out flat on your working surface. Push the metal shape into the clay to create your shape.

Next, take a small bit of your dried floral selection and gently press it into the clay and remove it. This creates a bit of texture for the background.

Then with the small stamps, press the word into the clay. With the bamboo skewer, make a hole in the garden maker for hanging. Lay the garden markers out on a cookie sheet and bake according to the clay’s packaging.

While the markers are baking, take apart a wire hanger. The piece that lodges into the cardboard tubing is already a perfect hook for hanging. Simply cut this hooked piece and straight wire from the hanger. Once the markers are cool, add one to each hook and put them to use in your garden.