You can use small decoupaged metal containers as your herb pots. To decoupage our pots and herb markers we used black-and-white prints of gardening tools and equipment. You can also use giftwrap or paper serviettes for the decoupage.

You will need

• small metal containers
• pictures of your choice
• grey spray-on undercoat
• white spray paint
• paint for the wooden handle
• modge podge
• waterproofing paint (such as for roof tiles)
• paintbrushes, paint tray, dropsheet
• sponge brush
• Prestik

To make
1 Clean and dry each container inside and out. NOTE If they are rusted, lightly sand and treat with an anti-rust agent before painting.

2 Apply an even coat of spray-on undercoat – first inside, then outside – and leave to dry.

3 Apply an even coat of white spray paint to the outside of each pot. Leave to dry, then spray two more coats, if you prefer. We sprayed one coat for a less solid coverage.

4 Seal the inside of each container with a coat of waterproofing paint, such as one suitable for roof tiles, to prevent rust forming. Leave to dry completely.

5 You can now do the decoupage. Paint the outside of each pot with two coats of modge podge to prepare the surface, leaving it to dry between coats.

6 Meanwhile, cut out the pictures. Use tiny balls of Prestik to arrange the pictures on the container, in the composition of your choice.

7 When you’re ready, remove the first picture and the Prestik, then paint modge podge on that part of the container and on the back of the picture. Press the picture onto the container and use a sponge brush to smooth it out, then apply another coat of modge podge. Repeat to decoupage all the pictures, then leave to dry.

8 Seal the pots with a few more crisscross coats of modge podge. Leave to dry between coats.

9 Paint the handle in a colour of your choice, to complete.

Herb markers
You will need

• old silver cutlery
• metal polish and soft cloth
• resin
• tongue depressors or ice-cream sticks
• acetate
• thin double-sided tape

To make
1 Wash the cutlery in warm, soapy water and dry it well before polishing it with metal polish.

2 Type the names of your herbs in a typeface of your choice, making sure each word will fit on the cutlery, then print out and photocopy onto acetate.

3 Cut out the names and affix with see-through double-sided tape.

4 Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to mix enough resin before carefully drizzling it over each piece of cutlery (we used Pratley Kraftex Pratliglo). Use a tongue depressor or ice-cream stick to spread the resin to the edges. The resin will form a slight film and shouldn’t seep over the edges if you’ve applied just enough. Let any excess resin drip off the cutlery – especially spoons – while it is still liquid.

5 Leave the cutlery to stand for 24 hours in a dust-free space, or until the resin has hardened. Insert the markers into your herb pots, to complete.

Text and image: Ideas magazine