How to Make Tree Tags and Plant Markers out of Drink Cans
Aluminium plant labels and tree tags are free to make and very long lasting. When long exposure to the sun bleaches away felt-tip-pen marks, engraved words will remain.
Make sure you round off the corners - sharp angles are dangerous. Drink can aluminum is relatively soft, but use normal caution when working with it. This is not a project for small children. Don’t slide your skin along the edges or you will get a “paper cut” type injury. Wear gloves to be safe. Carefully sand off any burrs that might be created while scissoring. For plant labels, if you make the pointy end somewhat blunted it will still go into the soil easily and will make the end product friendlier. For tree tags, use a hole punch to allow copper wire to pass through. Some people like the drink can graphics on the reverse side, but they can be sanded off if you prefer.
Plain Tree Tags
If you're short of time you can simply cut out the shapes and write directly on them with a used-up ball point pen, without bothering about writing backwards on the reverse side or outlining the lettering on the right side to make it pop out. (Note: in the following four images the corners should be rounded!)
Pretty Tree Tags
With thanks to Little House in the Suburbs.
Supplies & Equipment:
Aluminium Drink Cans
Utility scissors
Dried up ball point pen
Straight edge (for the straight plant markers)
Impressionable work surface, like the cork back of a place mat or coaster, mouse pad, etc.
1. Cut off the top and bottom of an aluminum can. Cut down one side so you have a rectangle of aluminum.
2. Work on the cork or similar surface. Using your straight edge (emery board seen here), square up one short edge and trim it off. With your dud of a ball point pen, scribe cutting lines for the markers to your desired dimensions, here about 3/4 in. wide.
3. On a sheet of paper you can see through, ordinary notebook paper works fine, write the name of the plant you want to mark. Turn the paper over and trace it, backwards. On the back of the aluminum, use the backwards lettering as a guide to scribe the name with the pen. Make additional decoration, etc., if you like.
This is how it will look on the right side now. (You don’t have to outline the shape like I did in this photo–I was just trying something out):
4. With the ballpoint (here is where you really need it to be inkless), outline the lettering on the right side to make it pop out.
6. Make as many as you want and cut them out. Trim one end to make a point for pushing the marker into the soil. Round the top end off with the scissors, too. Lightly sand edges with fine sandpaper. If they aren’t flat enough, a rolling pin will help straighten them out.
You can make them any shape you can think of besides the typical “stake”:
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