Air Dry Clay Garden Markers {Monthly DIY Challenge}

It’s the second Wednesday of the month, so it’s time for another edition of the Monthly DIY Challenge!  (Hard to believe it . . . these days are just flying by!)  For any new visitors to my blog, the Monthly DIY Challenge happens every month, and it’s when some of my best blogging buds and I team up to create projects based on a common item or theme.  This month we’ve all created projects using wooden dowels – one of the easiest to find supplies around!  I used dowels to create some cheeky air dry clay garden markers, and I’ll show you exactly how to make these, too – just keep reading.

Before I show you how I made these garden markers, here’s a sneak peek of the other dowel projects my friends created!  Also, you’ll find links to all of their projects at the bottom of this post.

Supplies Needed for Air Dry Clay Garden Markers

Thank you to ACTÍVA Products, Inc. for providing the air dry clay used in this post.  The project and opinions are my own.  Also, some links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no added cost to you if you purchase through them.  Read my disclosure policy here.

• Round dowels
• Hearty Clay lightweight air dry clay
• Clay text embossing tool
• Acrylic paints in colors of your choice
• Paintbrush
• Triple thick clear glaze
• Wax paper

How to Make Air Dry Clay Garden Markers

To begin, paint the dowels in any color you like.  To make painting dowels easier, I always stick them into a piece of floral foam so I can get every part of them without smearing the paint.  (For some strange reason I have painted a lot of dowels in my time.)  

Once the dowels have dried, take two chunks of air dry clay and work some acrylic paint into them.  Make sure your air dry clay accepts acrylic paints as a pigment or a finish.  I used Hearty Clay, which accepts acrylic paint prior to drying, because it is SO lightweight and I knew it would not be too heavy for the dowels – like making them fall over once they were in the flower pots.  Some air dry clays are really heavy once dry, so make sure you don’t choose a heavy clay for this project!

I kneaded the paint into the clay, and then joined the two pieces of clay together to create a marbled look.

Next, I formed a ball and stuck it onto one of the dowels.

I flattened the clay ball on a piece of wax paper, and then I used my clay text embossing tool to write cute little messages on my air dry clay garden markers.  I’ve seen a million versions of garden markers, but they’re all so descriptive – saying things like “basil” or “parsley.”  Mine are funnier.  🙂  

I let the garden markers dry for about 1.5 days, and then I sprayed them with triple thick clear glaze to give them a shiny look and to protect them if I use them outside.  Because the Hearty Clay is so porous, I sprayed about four coats of glaze onto the garden markers before I got a decent level of shine.  

Once they dried, they were ready to go!  

I love their marbled look!  

They stand up just perfectly on their own – the clay is definitely light enough to work great on this project!  

And can I just say that I’m so happy I had an excuse to buy all these pretty spring flowers?  They smell ridiculously good!  

I’d really appreciate it if you’d PIN this post to share this idea with fellow creatives!  

And please make sure to visit my friends’ blogs to see how they used dowels for this month’s Monthly DIY Challenge!  I know they’d be so happy to have you stop by!

-Bre

You May Also Like These Other Dowel Projects! 

Hanging Jewelry Holder

Easy DIY Map Art