Enchanting garden labels

Hands-on time: Less than two hours
Total time: Plus three minutes for baking
Skill: Easy
Cost: $10

Materials and Tools

• Grafix shrink film for ink jet printers in white or clear
• Ink jet printer
• Hole punch
• Regular or novelty edged scissors
• Cardboard, Teflon sheet, parchment or vellum paper
• Fine craft wire and wire cutters
• Small glass beads
• Wooden craft sticks in assorted colours

I can never remember what perennials are growing where in my garden, and I can only identify about half of the plants. But charming flower stakes help me plan my garden and easily identify each plant.

No paint brushes are needed. Use your computer to create name tags and print them on shrink film or draw directly on the shrink film with markers. A few minutes in the oven shrinks the tags by 20 per cent, creating strong items that can be used for assorted decorations and crafts. Name tags can be used for flowers, vegetables or herbs. Simply print, cut out, bake and shrink. It's that simple.

Each tag has the name and an image of the plant. I found the process taught me about the plants and helped me decide what to plant.

Take an inventory of your garden, recording existing plants and any new purchases. Use the Internet and gardening books to identify them.

Design labels on your computer using the software of your choice. Make templates of simple shapes such as ovals, squares or rectangles, add plant names and pictures that you download from the Internet. Make as many tags as you need. Size your image 50 per cent larger than the desired finished size. I made tags 15 by 7.5 centimetres (6 by 3 inches), three to a sheet.

Set your printer to normal output and lower the colour intensity to minimum because the colours will intensify when the tags bake and shrink. Print on the sticky, dull side of the film. Test a corner by slightly wetting it with your fingers. It's not a problem if you print on the wrong side, simply wipe off the ink with a paper towel and reuse the clear sheet. After printing, let the sheet dry for a few seconds before handling.

Cut out the tags using plain or novelty scissors. Punch holes at the top with a paper punch. Place tags on medium-weight cardboard, Teflon sheet, parchment paper or vellum paper, leaving plenty of space between each item. Do not place the shrink film on metal or stoneware. Cover with a sheet of parchment or vellum to keep the film from sticking to itself when it curls in the heat. Bake at 120 C to 200 C (250 F to 400 F) for three minutes. Lower heat is recommended for larger pieces to reduce distortion. Don't panic - paper will curl before it flattens. Remove from oven with a spatula when pieces are flat. If the pieces are still a bit curled, flatten on a heat-safe surface with a spatula. Wear oven mitts as paper will be hot. Let tags cool.

Punch a hole in the wooden sticks and attach tags with wire, adding a glass bead if desired. The colour of the sticks can co-ordinate with bloom colour, plant height or whatever system is right for you. You can also write the date you purchased or planted using a permanent marker. My son drew pictures of the vegetables he planted and enjoyed watching the paper shrink in the oven.

Variations

• Shrink film can be used for scrapbooking, paper crafts, rubber stamping, kids' crafts, jewellery, school projects and tag art.