I simply cannot WAIT for the SPRING weather!! I feel like it will be here, just around the corner and I wake up in the morning and there is snow and sleet everywhere. I get excited when I see the first tulips barely poking a little green leaf out of the ground, only to be covered an hour later by old man winter. SO. What to do? Garden crafts of course! Today I am going to show you how to use simple baked clay to create pretty, stylish plant label tags for your pots.
Supplies needed to make your own plant label tags:
- Clay (I used brown, but pick whatever works with your pots/decor)
- Clay Press (optional, but makes the process MUCH faster!)
- Circle Cookie Cutter
- Serrated Knife
- Metal Stamping Letters
- Oven/Baking Sheet or Glass Pan
Note: You might be tempted to skip the clay press, but let me warn you that this clay is HARD and takes quite a bit of rolling and kneeding to get it soft enough to work with. The clay press saves TONS of time and makes a really nice, even surface and tags that are of even height all the way around the circle. Bonus: It also works on homemade pasta! Bonus 2: It is half off right now – go get it!
On to the instructions! Cut off a piece of clay with a knife. I cut off about 1″ sections using a serrated knife. Push a section down into the clay press, rolling the handle as you push down.
The clay will flatten out like this:
See those air bubbles/holes? Fold the flattened clay back onto itself and send it through the press a second time.
After two rolls through the press, your clay is pliable and you have a smooth, even surface. WELL worth the money to me!
Here is the entire process:
Take your circular cookie cutter (or any shape you choose!) and press straight down onto a smooth solid section of the clay.
Gently, pull the clay up from around the piece you cut out. DO NOT do this the other way around (by picking the circle out of the clay). You will get smudges and fingerprints and smooshed sections all around the circle trying to remove it.
Handle your circles gently at this point. They are very soft and moldable. Using a metal stamping kit, I added plant names to my tags. You can also carve words by hand into the tags or use a picture stamp – anything you choose!
I added detailing with a slightly serrated knife, individualizing each tag. Be creative!
Once you are happy with each tag, it is time to bake them! Set the oven to 275 degrees, place your tags (carefully!) on a nonstick baking pan or glass dish and bake for 30 minutes. (True story: I forgot about one batch of tags and they went longer then 30 min. (oops!), but were ok. Apparently, the right temperature matters more than the right time!) Clay will darken into its true color as it bakes and cools. You can see the variation in the fresh clay and fully dry product below.
You might notice that my fresh clay is flat while the finished tag is slightly curved. This was intentional so that the tags would attach to my pots seamlessly. They will not typically curve when baked. If you want them to curve, simply squeeze the ends gently to create a slight curve every 5-10 minutes as the tags are cooling. They will settle into the curved shape without a lot of hassle. Once stamped, baked, dried and curved, your tags are ready to work! I attached mine with hot glue directly onto my pots (from IKEA), but you could certainly attach them to sticks and place into your outdoor garden.
I am totally sold on the possibilities of this oven-baked clay and cannot wait to make some more projects! What would YOU make?!
More Project Ideas
Simple DIY Spring Pallet Sign
DIY Geometric Clay Succulent Place Cards
Weather Resistant Garden Calendar
Garden Supply Organizer Pallet
Mason Jar DIY Herb Garden
DIY Severed Finger Halloween Place Card Holders
Colorful Wooden Garden Pinwheels
Reusable Chalk Plant Markers
Burlap Carrot Craft Garland for Spring
DIY Lighthouse Garden Craft
Great idea! Thanks for posting on how to make such a simple item for plant markers.
The customers will love them and they’ll make a great addition to my plant sales. I pinned some
of your photos too!
Thanks Joan and shelby!! I’d love to see what you end up making!!
I too love this one! What an inspiration ~ thanks for sharing such complete details! I’m off now to put my twist on this idea! Have a great day and keep enjoying life!
This looks very interesting for many small projects one may choose to do without purchasng all the expensieve equipment to bake pottery.
Thanks you guys!! Dolly – I see you found it the link to the metal stamping set — others that might be interested, it is up in the “supplies” section! 🙂
Amy ignore question please, I see where you have it linked and THANK you!
Love it! I have so much clay sitting around and this will be fun to make…May I ask you where did you get your little lettering tool set?
Ooooohhh I love this idea! I so want to do it, thank you very much for this awesome tutorial xxx