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Decoupage Garden Markers

A Spring Garden Decoupage Project

Here’s a quick and easy Spring decoupage project for yourself or friends who garden.

Materials

• Plant images and names cut from your seed catalogs or magazines
• Cardboard or balsa wood rectangles to fit your images
• Wooden tongue depressors, popsicle sticks or stainless steel skewers as stakes to mount your plant tags and poke them into the ground
• Elmer’s Glue-All or Mod Podge
• Scissors
• Small bowl of water
• Acrylic paint (optional)

How to Prepare the Surface for Decoupage

If you are using balsa wood, you may need to sand off any rough edges. Do so gently to avoid splintering the wood. Then wipe away any dust with a damp sponge.

Decide if you want a colored background. The balsa wood showing through is a nice look by itself – kind of like old-fashioned orange crates. If you want color, apply two coats of acrylic paint, allowing two hours drying time for each coat. If there are any rough spots, sand again; and wipe away any dust as before.

Decoupage the Markers

This is a great tip from Durwin Rice. If you are using images with color on both sides (like from a catalog or magazine), soak each image in a small bowl of water until it stops curling and floats freely without wrinkles.

This relaxes the paper fibers making it much easier to position the image cleanly on the decoupage glue/sealer. Images will slide easily into place and not be “grabbed” by the glue.

Liberally apply glue/sealer to the area for each image and slide the image into place. Gently smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles with your fingertips.

Using a damp sponge, wipe over the image and around the edges to remove any stray glue.

Repeat until all your images and plant names are in place.

Let dry thoroughly.

Check for bubbles while they dry. If some develop, smooth gently. If they are already set, pierce with a pin or craft knife, then smooth. It won’t even show when your piece is done.

Plant Marker Back (optional)

Paint the back of each tag with two coats of acrylic paint.

Embellish (Optional)

Use a wide nib pen to draw outlines, background patterns or border trims on the front. Run the pen around the edge to give a nice finished look.

Seal Your Decoupage Project

Using a sponge brush, apply at least two coats of acrylic-based polyurethane. Since the markers will be exposed to the elements, three or four would be better.

You’ll also see how additional coats add a special depth. Your markers will look as if you hand painted them!

Mount

Using appropriate glue or fasteners, attach each plant label tag to a stake.

For more on decoupage, visit The Decoupage Index Page.

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Recommended Reading

These books are excellent resources for decoupeurs. Not only do you get tips and techniques, but also artwork that you can use in your own projects.

New Decoupage: Transforming Your Home With Paper, Glue, and Scissors By: Durwin Rice The Victorian Scrap Gallery: A Collection of over 500 Full-Color Victorian-Era Images By: Dee Davis Absolute Beginner's Decoupage: The Simple Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Beautiful Decoupage By: Alison Jenkins Collage Discovery Workshop: Make Your Own Collage Creations Using Vintage Photos, Found Objects and Ephemera By: Claudine Hellmuth 930 Matchbook Advertising Cuts of the Twenties and Thirties (Pictorial Archive Series) By: Trina Robbins Decoupage: A Practical Guide to the Art of Decorating Surfaces with Paper Cutouts By: Dee Davis

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