DIY Plant Markers

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Made for Mom Blog Hop!!

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This is a fun trash turned into treasure something useful project. This is a wonderful project for yourself, but my boys and I are making them for all the garden loving Mom's in our lives for Mother's Day!! 

We could have used a number of things as markers – the stamped spoon idea is so cute, but I don’t have any extra spoons. Tongue depressors or Popsicle sticks – they just aren't cute. I could have went to a garden shop and bought some, but Mom's love handmade!! So I looked around the house and found these items and went about creating something wonderful.

Wire hangers (from the dry cleaner), orange juice can tops and bottoms, and a few beads from my collection.

Before

After

Cost: Nothing Time to Complete: about 15 minutes

They are very easy to make. The hardest part is waiting until you have collected enough OJ cans to make enough markers for all the plants you want to mark in your garden.

1. Pull the wire part of the hanger from the cardboard tube. One on each side. This will be the hook on the top of the stake.

2. Untwist the hook part of the hanger.

3. Open up the hook, by spreading the two wires apart.

4. (Parent's job) Cut in the center with wire cutters. You have just created 2 stakes to hang the OJ lids on.

5. Press the smaller hook end back a bit with your fingers so that it is closer to the wire behind it.

6. Mold the bigger hook end with your hands so it resembles the ones shown in the photo below. This end will go into the ground, so it does not have to be perfect. It will give the stake support.

7. Optional: Spray paint silver to match the OJ lid. Being a gift, we painted them, when I make some for my own garden, I'll most likely skip this step.

8. (Parent's job) If you have a drill – punch 2 holes in an OJ lid – one at the top and another at the bottom. Make sure the bottom hole is close to the edge of the lid so you will be able to thread a jump ring through it. I placed mine right in the lid’s groove. If you don’t have a drill, an awl and a hammer or I later found out my Crop -A- Dile also works to punch a hole.

9. Add some pretty beads to a jump ring and attach to the lid. I was going for an all green look so the markers would look nice, but would blend in with the garden at the same time.

10. The idea is that the lids can be labeled with a permanent marker. Skip this step if these are going to be gifts... here are a couple we labeled to give you all and idea of how to use these markers.

11. Push the larger hook end into the dirt and never again forget what you planted. The beads and the lids move in the breeze and jangle a bit- it might scare the birds and other animals who may decide to make a feast out of your garden.

Each of the Moms in our lives will get a set of ten plant markers!! I've been saving juice lids for a while now, I just didn't know why until this re-purpose idea came to me. :)

Thanks for visiting me today. 

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