During a recent online auction, my mom and I scooped up a box of vintage shoe trees. Shoe trees, for those of you who don’t know, are devices that go inside of shoes to help keep their shapes. Being mainly a Birkenstock, cowboy boot and clog wearer in my old age, I don’t have much need for a shoe tree in its intended capacity. However, my mom noticed this post from Sadies SeasonGoods, and we felt inspired to give this craft a try. After gathering the materials, these DIY mushroom garden markers made from old shoe trees came together quickly.
To make these whimsical garden markers, gather the following materials:
First, clean your shoe trees. I used a Lysol spray that’s a disinfectant and a degreaser with paper towel to give each of these trees a good wipe down. Mask off the top part of each tree, so that the bottom “stems” can be spray painted black.
Next, add a good coat of black spray paint on the front, then backs, of the shoe trees. When these are fully dry (it took about 20 minutes in the hot summer sun in my backyard), move on to the next step.
Now, spray paint the mushroom “tops” of each shoe tree. Before you spray, be sure to mask a few inches down on each “stem.” I chose Rust-Oleum’s Majestic Red in ultimate high gloss to create the caps. I stuck each shoe tree in a pot with loose dirt, to dry. This allowed me to spray all sides at one time.
When the red paint is dry, remove the painter’s tape. Shake up the white permanent paint pen and add spots to the mushroom cap. Write the name of each plant along the mushroom’s stem. The black paint marker can be used to touch up any stem areas that may have suffered paint loss during the process. It can also be used to correct any spelling mistakes. I plan to reuse these markers each year; I’ll repaint the stem and re-label with the correct plant identifier.
I’ve written about my raised Vego garden beds a few times – they are currently full of flowers and veggies! These markers are a wonderfully whimsical way to keep track of my various plantings in the garden.
Jackie Baird Richardson is an interior designer, editor at The WON and avid junker. Watch for her design tips and occasional crafting ideas, bringing the outdoors indoors. View all posts by Jackie Richardson
