Garden Goodies: Two DIY Ways to Label Your Herbs
I wouldn't say that I have a green thumb. In fact, I've even managed to kill a succulent in the last few weeks, leading me to create a faux succulent planter box. However, I have been pretty successful growing herbs in the past.
My first herb garden was on an apartment patio in the cutest little garden box that had a chalkboard sign attached. At the time I ordered some custom stamped herb markers on old silverware. They are still adorable, but I shelled out $20 for them! They were perfect for my little garden box, but now that we live in a home with HUGE gardens in the back, these little markers could barely be seen among the dirt and plants. I also have to give my husband a shoutout because he's been busy growing seedlings inside and patiently waiting to get out and garden. I think he's got the green thumb in this relationship.
Using my crafty talents, this year, I decided it would be fun to make a couple of versions of some herb markers! These are both simple projects that don't require a ton of supplies.
Scrabble Tile Herb Markers
What You Need
Be aware that Scrabble wood tile pricing will vary. I was able to get 400 tiles for $12. It looks like the price from the seller I linked to above in the supply list has increased by about $1. There are multiple options on Amazon, so spend a few minutes comparing prices. You can also get them in a variety of quantities. I wanted to make sure I had plenty of the different letters of the alphabet and also planned to sell some of these, so I opted for a higher quantity. I still have plenty left over for other fun Scrabble tile projects.
Assembly is easy! Lay out the tile letters that you want to use to spell out any number of herbs. For the shorter herbs like Basil or Mint, I applied a dot of wood glue and attached them vertically. Too much glue might leak out the sides, so no need to go overboard. If some does leak, use a paper towel to wipe away the excess. Note that the wood glue will take a little bit to dry. You do have some time to move the tiles up or down (before they dry) as needed if you don't get them placed quite right.
Some herb names can be a bit longer! For example, Lavender or Oregano just don't leave much room to put the popsicle stick into the ground. For longer words, use the wood glue to create a "T" shape with two popsicle sticks. Then glue the desired herb name horizontally along the top. Below, you can see some of the ones I currently have for sale at Country Style Accents.
Fork and Cork Herb Markers
What You Need
Forks (Old or New)
Wine Corks
Sharpie
Twine
I love when my love of wine can also support my crafting habits! This second set of herb markers puts used corks to good use, but if you don't happen to have any around, you can buy them at a local craft store or on Amazon.
Using a Sharpie, write out your choice of herbs on the corks. I decided just to do capital letters, but you could get fancier with some calligraphy.
Next up, you'll stab the forks into the cork. I picked up a set of vintage looking forks at Walmart (4 forks for $.88), but you could also grab some vintage forks at a local thrift store. Garage sales and estate sales and great places to find these kinds of things for a bargain as well.
Admittedly, the assembly was harder than I anticipated. I had to call in my husband for back- up on this one because I had trouble getting the forks secured into the corks. I later read that if you boil corks for about 10 minutes, they can be easier to manipulate when crafting. You would want to do that and secure them in the forks, let dry, and then do the Sharpie writing if you try that method.
To finish these off, I used some jute twine from Dollar Tree (also available at your local craft store), to wrap around the fork and tied it off into a bow.
There you have it! Two DIY ways to make some herb markers for your garden this year. Now it just needs to stop raining around here long enough to get out and plant!
