Recycled Garden Markers

So I'm a bit of an Etsy fan. Whenever I feel inspired to begin a crafty project I go to Etsy and browse for ideas. With all of my gardening & outdoor living improvements being the most salient thing on my brain these days I thought I'd check out what the Etsy shops had to offer for garden decor.

I ended up really loving this one idea that I found....vintage silverware garden markers. Now, there are a whole slew of shops on Etsy selling this type of handmade item, but Monkeys Always Look is self-described as the "original" shop with this fantastic idea. Vintage silverware spoons are "up-cycled" by hammering them flat and stamping them with the names of herbs, veggies, etc. I think that they are marvelously charming and fit the trend of repurposing/reusing/recycling that we all are aiming for to show love for our environment.

These are the garden markers that Monkeys Always Look sells:



I figured that I could make these garden markers too, so I did a bit of research on how to make them. I found great directions for the DIY on this project on a blog called Bunny Hill Blog. I sourced out the letter stamps and ordered them online from a supplier within my province for $10. I then went to my local thrift shop for the spoons. While the Etsy shops use vintage silverware, I couldn't find silverware in my thrift shop, so I just bought stainless steel spoons for 10 cents each. I suppose the difference is that silverware will tarnish with weathering, while the stainless steel will rust. But, at 10 cents a pop it isn't the end of the world to replace them every year or two. I checked Ebay out as well, and it seems like a good source for buying mixed sets of vintage silverware. The prices vary quite a bit, but that may be a good option for going more upscale with this project.

I found out very quickly that I didn't have the muscle needed to hammer the spoons flat, so my husband graciously helped me out in my craft project. In fact, he ended doing all of the hammering and letter stamping while I assisted by handing him the letters in the right order to spell the names. He did a great job! We made five markers for the garden to start: chives, basil, rosemary, lettuce, and corn. We still have spoons leftover to make more markers (and I know where to find more!), plus I think that these could make awesome gifts to give to any gardening friends.

Here are a couple of photos of our garden markers already out in the garden. I haven't filled in the letters with black ink yet, so the words will stand out more once I do that.





Once I had them in the garden I realized another inadvertent benefit to these garden markers is that they give off a reflection when the sun is shining. This will be helpful by deterring birds from snacking on the seeds I just planted so that we can enjoy our garden's harvest later in the season.

My in-laws came by yesterday and loved the idea as well. I think that my father-in-law will be put to work post haste in making a batch of these for my mother-in-law too!