Ombre Plant Markers

Since my garden is really small, I'm pretty much able to identify most of my plants without using plant markers.  I do like garden accessories though (even if they aren't entirely functional) so I decided to make some for my garden.

I've always liked the ombre paint technique, which is just the gradual blending of three different shades of the same color from light to dark.  I don't like it enough to commit to painting an entire wall in my apartment or anything, but I can commit to a 6 inch Popsicle stick so I decided to paint my plant markers with an ombre technique.

I chose turquoise paint to match my pots.  Here are the 3 colors I used.  You could use just one color of paint and lighten it yourself by adding some white paint, but I was too lazy to do that.

Working from light to dark, paint the popsicle stick or tongue depressor with the three colors.  Each color should be about a third of the stick.  I left a little bit unpainted at the bottom so I had a place to hold it.

Now, using a clean dry brush, blend the areas where the colors meet.  You will want to do this quickly because if the paint gets too dry it won't blend nicely. 

Let the sticks dry completely before adding the plant names to them.  I used a paint pen for this because I have shaky hands, but a thin brush would be fine too.  Or a permanent marker.

I left the backs of mine unfinished, but you could either repeat the ombre technique on the other side or paint it a solid color if you want.

Here is what they look like in my pots:

I think Hootie likes it...