I haven’t planted a thing in the garden yet, but I already feel the stress. Is it just me? I can’t for the life of me understand why I keep trying year after year. It’s not good for my self-esteem. I mean, I am a nice person. I never mean to be cruel. But if there is one species that receives undue punishment by my hand, it is anything botanical.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, then you may have read some of my garden tales of woe. Perhaps you are like me, and you find gardening perplexing and difficult, but you keep trying anyway. Maybe you are a seasoned and skilled gardener, or perhaps you are somewhere in between.

But wherever you are in your horticultural journey, if you plant seeds in your garden, here is a pretty way to mark your rows. These markers are simple to make and can be assembled quickly.

There are two ways to make these markers. If you own a microwave kiln, you can fuse your own glass accent gems from recycled glass bottles. Check out the video below for more on using a microwave kiln. Alternatively, you can purchase pre-made glass gems. I got mine at Dollar Tree.

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The materials you will need are:

• Several Glass Gems (Large 1″ to 1 1/2″ Diameter)
• Wire Hangers
• Nail Pulling Pliers
• 20 Guage Copper Wire
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Clear E6000 Glue

Step 1 – Stakes

To assemble the row markers, I used my nail-pulling pliers to cut the wire hangers into five-inch sections to make the stakes for the garden markers. You can make the markers taller or shorter if you prefer by cutting your wire shorter or longer. You can also use the needle-nose pliers to straighten the hanger wire to utilize most of the hanger.

Step 2 – Gluing

Next, I selected several glass gems. The pieces I used are approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, rounded on one side and flat on the other. I used E6000 glue to attach one wire to the flat side of each gem. E6000 glue needs 24 hours to fully cure, so I let my row markers sit overnight before proceeding to the final step.

Step 3 – Finishing

The final step is to add a decorative element. To finish the garden markers, I used an 18-inch piece of 20-gauge copper wire wrapped around the stake and the gem.

Now, I just need to summon up the courage to plant a few seeds. Apologies ahead of time, my little victims. 🙂

Happy Upcycling,

Cindy

If you would like to learn more about fusing glass in a microwave kiln, watch this video series.