Garden Markers Made From Soda Cans

Kim
by Kim
9 Materials
$10
30 Minutes
Medium

This has been done before, but I learned a few tips I thought I could pass along. These little garden signs are quick and easy to make, and not expensive.

First, cut the top and bottom off several soda cans. They surprisingly cut easily with regular scissors.

Then choose your material to attach the metal signs to. I decided to use CEDAR SHIMS. They are tapered at the bottom, making them easy to drive into the soil, and the cedar makes them resistant to rot. They come in bundles of 25 for about $3. It's good to have these now, so you can plan the size of your lettering.

I used graph paper to do my lettering, sizing the letters to fit my sticks. You could also type them in your favorite font and print them out.

Tape your words onto the back (silver) side of your aluminum soda can scraps, lay them on a magazine to have a softer surface, and trace and fill in the words, pressing hard to emboss your letters into the metal. (I first tried doing this in reverse, pressing into the printed side of the soda can so the letters would be raised, but the ink wouldn't cooperate and that didn't work.) (OMG!! My hands are so rough! And DIRTY after doing all the inking!! Sorry!)

Next I rubbed a generous amount of StazOn ink onto the embossed area, making sure to get it into all the details of each letter. Then I rubbed off the excess ink around the flat parts outside the lettering.

The ink wasn't as dark as I wanted so I used a stylus and deepened the embossing, pressing against a magazine again, like the first time. Then I re-inked it and wiped off the excess again and then it looked a LOT better.

I trimmed the jagged edges and sharp corners, and used my stylus to score along the edges of my shims to wrap the metal tightly around.

Fastened it on the back with a staple gun. Easy Peasy!

I think they are cute, but I'm obviously going for the primitive distressed look!

Here it is in my garden. I made 6 in about 2 hours, start to finish. These are just for the herbs in my little kitchen garden: Parsley, Thyme, Sage, Chives, Oregano, and Basil. I am spraying 3 of them with sealer (Krylon Chrystal Clear Acrylic), but also experimenting with leaving 3 of them plain to see if they last without sealer. I think the StazOn ink will be fine. Total cost $6 (shims and sealer.) I had the StazOn on hand.

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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 8 questions
  • Nancy Nancy on May 07, 2020

    Aren't the edges of the cut pieces of cans extremely sharp?

  • Jane Doe Jane Doe on May 08, 2021

    Why not skip the soda cans and put the text on the stick?

  • Linda Linda on May 12, 2021

    Cute idea, looks nice at no real cost!

    What more can you ask for?

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