How to Make Plant Marker Spoons

Preparing the Spoon

• 1

  Lay the spoon rounded end up on a flat, hard surface such as a work table or piece of scrap wood.

• 2

  Hold the handle of the spoon. Pound the bowl firmly with a rubber mallet until it begins to flatten and spread.

• 3

  Turn it over and pound it some more. Continue flipping and pounding the spoon until it is flat.

Painting the Markers

• 4

  Clean the spoon with a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol. Let it dry.

• 5

  Put a strip of painter’s tape across the spoon to give yourself a guideline for writing.

• 6

  Write the name of the plant across the flattened spoon bowl with a paint marker made for use on metal surfaces. Allow the paint to dry according to manufacturer directions.

• 7

  Remove the tape. Spray the spoon with a clear acrylic sealer made for outdoor use. After two hours, spray on a second coating of sealer.

• 8

  Allow the sealer to dry according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Plant the spoon handle into the dirt next to the plant for which it was made.

Metal Stamping

• 9

  Count the number of letters in the plant name that you want to imprint upon the spoon. Make one dot with a black marker for each letter in the plant name across the flat surface of the spoon. Space the dots out evenly.

• 10

  Sort through the metal alphabet stamps and find the letters in the plant name you are imprinting on the spoon. Lay them out.

• 11

  Place the spoon on a metal block, cinderblock or other hard surface.
  Take the first letter and place it over the first marker dot. Hold it firmly and without letting it move, strike the back end of the stamp firmly with a hammer to make an imprint.

• 12

  Make each subsequent letter using the same technique. Ensure each letter is facing the right direction before you stamp it. Finish imprinting the name of the plant.

• 13

  Color the imprinted letters with a black marker to darken them. Wipe away the excess marker ink with a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol or with steel wool.

• 14

  Polish and buff the spoon and place it in your planter.