Polymer clay was one of my first craft projects that I got started with in middle school. I use to make Christmas ornaments and little figurines. I still have some of these and it is fun to look back to see how far my skills have come. I still have some of my polymer clay and although it has dried out somewhat it can still be molded which is awesome! However I recently bought some new clay so that I could try out some new projects. Including making these DIY clay markers for my container herb garden.
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Supplies for DIY Herb Clay Markers for Container Herb Garden
- Polymer clay (I used the terracotta color by Sculpey)
- Mini alphabet stamps
- Optional: Silcone cooking sheet (for rolling out clay as the color can transfer to your hands and surface)
Working with polymer clay is very fun, this clay is one that will slowly dry out but will not completely harden unless it is baked in the oven.
I did not measure any of the clay that I kneaded together so I would say you just need to eye-ball the size. The clay may be hard to start with so make sure to warm a small chunk in your hands so that you can work with it.
To make the base of the plant marker I rolled out a rope of clay about 5-6″ long and then tapered one of the ends into a point (this will be the part that goes into the ground/container garden).
For the top of your herb marker you will roll a ball and then I used the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten the ball. I was not concerned about the circles being exact. Once the top was done it was time to use the miniature alphabet stamps to spell out the names of the herb. I was planting basil, rosemary and thyme.
After this I gently turned over the top and attached the “stem” to the top on the back and then smoothed the clay together so that the marker top and stem became one. I then gently transferred the markers into an oven safe dish so that they could be baked.
The baking instructions may vary slightly depending on the brand of polymer clay you use. I like to use Sculpey and depending on the type of Sculpey you have (they have several types) the instructions are to bake at 275 degrees and for every 1/4″ of thickness you would set the timer for 15 minutes.
Once they are cooled you can stick them in your container herb garden an wait for the herbs to grow.
