28 April 2010

Personalized Garden Markers

Do you ever get that feeling as you're doing something that you shouldn't do it?  I'm not talking about breaking the law or telling lies, I'm talking about a fleeting thought that hardly stays long enough to make an impression in your mind.  When I planted my garden a couple months ago, I bought those plastic white garden markers and had the thought, "You shouldn't get these, even though it's your only choice here," but picked them up anyway, not wanting to make another stop.  Fast forward a few weeks.  I go outside to check on the garden and am pleased to see several things sprouting.  I check the markers to see what I had put where.  You'd think I had used disappearing ink!!!  Permanent marker gone.
So, I [of course] complicated the solution and came up with these.  
Materials:
Sheet Metal
Tin snips
*Patina
disposable sponge/brush
plastic gloves
Steel wool [not shown]

*patina is a chemical that reacts with the metal changing the color--it is not just a paint
Clean sheet metal with steel wool, followed by soap and water.
Apply patina, wearing protective gloves.  Do not let patina touch your skin!
Wash sheet metal with soap and water--some of the black will wash off.
Draw lines 1'' apart, cut using tin snips
Round corners if desired
i thought these scraps were beautiful
etch the vegetables/herbs/fruits you are growing with a dremmel (everyone should own one)
VOILA!!



and even though I'm not even growing any, I had to make this one
safety first: don't mess with a woman in goggles.

16 comments:

  1. How cute! I just made garden markers too! I used some pieces of old wood fencing. I cut them down so they would only stand about 1 foot out of the ground after being staked. I painted pictures of each vegetable and fruit on each one.

    I must admit...I like the etched metal better....so unique! Love the idea. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. oh, that is PRECIOUS! too cute!
    i have a horticulture degree and you'd think i'd be all about marking our garden rows...i use (and i'm so embarassed to admit it)...leftover seed packets stuck in the ground. yikes!

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  3. Perfectly creative, well done. Your cilantro looks so voluptuous and wonderful! How do you do it?

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  4. They turned out great, Katy!

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  5. Definitely worth a little spilled Patina.

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  6. clever markers. healthy sproutings.

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  7. that is so creative! (second last picture = awesome header!

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  8. I am making these this weekend! Love them. It just so happens that I already have all of the supplies. My husband will be thrilled. He thinks we need row makers that the dog won't want to play fetch with. (the rows are marked with twigs for now)

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  9. Oh my goodness! What a beautiful garden.
    Can't wait to reap the goodies with you.

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  10. looky at all those comments!... i'm thinking your etsy shop needs to expand beyond pretty girl accessories to pretty garden ones, don't you? i will be first in line to place an order.

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  11. Wow. Forget about Korean tape + plexiglas or whatever it was...

    The dremmel script is a Knudsen home staple to me.

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  12. Now this is a seriously cool, yet still practical idea. Off to raid my FIL's shop for some tin. :)

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  13. DANG! You mean the ones I made with permanent markers won't last?? I planted tomatoes, wax beans and cantaloupe. We'll see what happens.

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  14. Wonderful idea. I love the pictures!

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  15. I do have dill in my garden. Yum!

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