How to Make DIY Stamped Clay Plant Labels for Your Garden

Start With a Mound of Air-Dry Clay

Grab a handful of air-dry clay, enough to roll into a flat surface. If you're planning to make several labels, grab enough clay for all of them.

Roll the Clay Out

Set a sheet of parchment paper onto a working table and place your air-dry clay on top. Using a rolling pin, begin rolling out your clay mound into a flat shape. Be sure to not make it too thin because it needs to be sturdy enough once it dries.

Cut With Your X-Acto Knife

Once you've rolled the clay out into a good thickness, use an X-Acto knife to clean up the irregular edges into more of a rectangle shape. Then, start cutting the clay into smaller strips. These strips don't need to be perfect or have straight lines, as the goal is to make them look rustic and handcrafted, but you can use a ruler to make line marks to know where to cut or if you prefer straighter lines.

Once you've made several strips, use the X-Acto knife to straighten out the strips. Cut off small pieces on one of the ends to make a triangular shape at the top of the plant label. If you have a different idea for the design in mind, feel free to customize the labels to your preference and with whatever shape you prefer.

Stamp Away

Using your mini alphabet stamps, begin stamping your clay labels with the letters that you want to create for your vegetables, fruits, herbs, or plants. Be gentle with the way you stamp, so you don't flatten out your clay labels. Make sure you don't get too close to the edges of the labels with your stamps. Again, the goal here isn't perfection—if the letters end of being a little off-center from each other, this will result in a cute, rustic look.

Let the Labels Air Dry

Once you've cut out the labels and stamped them to your liking, allow them to sit and dry on the parchment paper for a few hours until they are no longer sticky to the touch. Check the instructions on the air-dry clay package to get a better idea of how long you may need to wait.

Being patient is a key step because you don't want to the plant labels up before they're fully dried. Doing so may cause them to fall apart, so be cautious when checking and if in doubt, leave them to dry for a bit longer.

Protect the Labels With a Sealant

To protect your labels, spray an acrylic sealant over your labels to make them resistant to water. This will be an important step as you'll be placing them directly in wet or damp soil.

Pop the Labels in Your Plants

Once your DIY plant labels are all sealed and dried, you can pop them into your plant pots or beds, wherever you need them. Enjoy a gardening season, either indoors or outdoors, knowing exactly where you planted everything.