Craft a set of clay HERB MARKERS
These colourful and easy air-dry clay markers are a smart way of labelling up pots of herbs or any other seedlings
Never confuse your chives with your chervil again by making these cute herb markers to pop in your pots. Many of us are opting to grow our own food, be that tomatoes on the windowsill to a full-scale veggie patch in the garden.
However, when plants are still seedlings, it’s easy to get mixed up with what you’ve planted where, so these easy-to-make ceramic labels are the perfect solution. We’ve chosen circles, but you can make them any shape or colour you like.
YOU WILL NEED
Rolling pin White air-dry clay 4cm diameter circular biscuit cutter Skewer Alphabet stamps Fine paintbrush Watercolour paints
Fine sandpaper Green floristry wire Clear matt varnish
1 CUT OUT THE CLAY DISCS
Use a rolling pin to roll out your air-dry clay until it’s about 4mm thick. Use a small circular biscuit cutter to cut out discs from the clay before making small holes in the tops with a skewer.
2 STAMP THE HERB NAMES
Decide which herbs (or plants) you want to label in your garden and select the correct letters from the alphabet stamps. In the centre of the discs, gently press the alphabet stamps into the clay to create the herb name. Leave the discs to dry and harden for at least 24 hours.
3 COLOUR IN THE LETTERS
Once dry, flood the stamped letters with a small amount of watered-down paint. Make sure to use a fine paintbrush to move the paint around, and choose bright colours to help them show up among your greenery. Allow to dry.
4 MAKE THE MARKER POSTS
Gently sand down the edges of the discs using fine sandpaper until smooth, then thread them onto a piece of floristry wire and bend the tip so it stays in place. Coat with waterproof varnish and allow it to dry before using in your garden.
AIR-DRY CLAY IS A SUPER-VERSATILE MEDIUM TO USE AS IT’S EASY TO MOULD AND IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE CURED IN A KILN TO SET