I wasn’t kidding when I said we got a ton of use out of our metal stamps this year. I saw the idea for these hand-stamped herb labels in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The set was made from vintage butter knives, with the stamping on the blade of the knife, and cost $35. A great gift idea, but I knew I could make my own for less!
After lots of thrift store scouting, I came across a drawer full of mismatched stainless steel cutlery begging for a makeover. The stamp set would have been much easier to use on silver knives, but with a little extra muscle I was able to make my mark on these stainless ones as well.
Instead of stamping the herb names on the blade of the knives, I chose to stamp them on the handles instead. I figured they would be easier to insert into the dirt that way and the handle was what made each label unique – why not show it off?
I made two sets of labels, one for my mom and one for Stephen’s. I used the same Sharpie + acetone technique to make the letters darker as I did on Rachel’s necklace and the little girl lockets (method via Brooklyn Limestone). To wrap the herb markers, I sewed a little red fleece pouch and tied it shut with a bit of lime green ribbon.
I love how fun these mis-matched markers are and that both sets turned out differently.
Because we like giving “whole package” gifts, our moms both got flower pots and herb seeds to go with the labels.
Stephen’s mom loves to cook, especially with fresh, gourmet ingredients, so we also included this herb mill in her package.
After lots of careful packaging, these gifts were ready to go!
These made great Christmas gifts but could just as easily have been perfect Mother’s Day presents or spring birthday gifts.
So what do you think? Do you like how the herb labels turned out?
