Make Painted Rock Garden Markers

Some of my favourite DIY projects have been the ones where I use salvaged or free materials that I find in my crafty supply stash or even in nature. These DIY painted rock garden markers are a project just like this! We found these river rocks several years ago, and I decided to repurpose them with a little bit of paint and Mod Podge to use them as pretty signs in our garden this year. Come see how I made them and make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for more outdoor painting projects from my blogging friends as part of Outdoor Extravaganza!

I'm really happy to be a part of the Outdoor Extravaganza blog hop this year with some of my favourite blogging friends! Please make sure to visit the other fabulous outdoor decor ideas linked below, and come back TOMORROW to be a part of an epic outdoor decorating link party.

To make these simple garden markers, start with a clean, dry rock. I found the rocks with the smooth surfaces worked the best for this project. Quickly sketch out what you want to paint onto the surface of the rock with a pencil. You can erase it and re-draw as needed until you're satisfied. I chose to have a couple of garden sayings on my rocks ("garden" and "grow"), and then I made a couple to mark where we've planted our onions and potatoes so far.

Then, paint over the pencil lines with a thin paint brush and some acrylic paint. I really love the look of cream coloured paint on the natural rock colour. It's so simple and pretty! I also added a few swirls and dots with my brush as embellishment.

Finally, when the paint is dry, seal the rocks with a coat of Mod Podge. This will help the design stay intact when the markers are placed outside.

So simple, right?

Now it's time to see what my blogging friends have painted  for their outdoor spaces this week!