DIY plant markers, pins and tags

Homemade seed packets with DIY clay plant pins affixed to them.

When everything in the garden starts growing and blooming, we tend to get a little plant obsessed. We give cut flowers from our gardens, pot up pups from our houseplants and share saved seeds. That’s where the ideas for these DIY clay plant markers, pins and tags came from—we couldn’t wait to share them, too.

Inspired? Create and share by tagging @HallmarkStores.

A greeting card featuring illustrations of 9 different potted plants that reads,

We recommend making a batch of these cute clay designs so they’re ready the next time you want to give something from your garden. 

What you’ll need:

  • Card stock and free template download
  • Oven bake clay (like Sculpey)*
  • Acrylic craft paint
  • Paintbrushes
  • Paint pens for accents
  • Rolling pin
  • Craft knife
  • Scissors
  • Toothpicks
  • Hot glue and glue gun
  • Wooden plant stakes (for plant markers)
  • 1″ brooch pin backs (for pins)
  • Small craft paper envelopes (for seed sharing)
  • Tissue paper and bakers’ twine (for wrapping cut flowers or attaching designs to…anything)

 

*Doing this craft with kiddos? Use Crayola Model Magic, let it dry overnight and decorate with markers. 

 

Supplies needed to make DIY clay plant markers and pins, including Sculpey, paint, a craft knife, a free template and a rolling pin.

Step 1: Print the templates

Download and print our template onto card stock and cut out the designs you want to use.

To make your own templates, start with illustrations from any greeting card or other source you like. The goal is to create the simplest outline possible. As examples, look at our plant paintings—we don’t cut leaf shapes into our templates.

Sculpting clay that's been rolled out with a rolling pin; various shapes have been cut out of the clay and placed on a blue speckled baking sheet.

Step 2: Play with the clay

Preheat the oven to the temperature suggested on the label of your clay.

Knead the clay as directed to get it ready, then roll it out on a clean surface to about 1/4″ thick.

(If you’re using Model Magic, just knead it a little and roll it out. No need to preheat the oven.)

Place your card stock templates on the clay and gently trace around them with a toothpick. Then remove the template and cut all the way through the clay with the craft knife. Pull away the excess clay.

If you’re going to add string to turn your design into a tag, make holes with the toothpick before baking.

Follow package instructions for baking the clay.

Baked clay shapes in the process of being painted.

Step 3: Paint your heart out

Let the clay designs cool completely.

We painted ours to match a card, which is completely optional. A fine-point, gold paint pen gave us the control we wanted to add the little details.

A house plant with a DIY clay plant marker sticking up out of the soil in the pot.

To make DIY clay plant markers

Use hot glue to attach your clay design to a wooden plant stake. Poke it in a potted plant for a birthday, Mother’s Day, Easter, housewarming or hostess gift.

Homemade seed packets with DIY clay plant pins affixed to them.

To make DIY clay plant pins

When the paint is dry, use hot glue to attach a pin back. To make cute gifts, we stuck our pins in some craft paper envelopes filled with seeds. Give the pins and packets by themselves as party favors or place cards or tuck them inside a card.

A DIY clay plant tag strung with baker's twine and used to tie up a flower bouquet with pink tissue paper.

To decorate a bouquet

Thread some bakers’ twine through the holes and tie your DIY clay plant tag around a bunch of blossoms or a jar full of cut flowers. Keep some tags and twine on hand for spur-of-the-moment giving—just because your flowers are pretty and you want to share.