Silver Plate Plant Markers -- with 20% off coupon code!

It's been far too long since I posted about any of the lovely handmade items available on Etsy, but now I can remedy that situation. Heidi of the CambriRae etsy shop has generally offered my blog readers a 20% off coupon (code "20off") which can be used on her lovely silver plate plant markers, Christmas ornaments, and page clips.

Although you should look through all of her beautiful offerings, I personally love the plant markers the best; each is made from vintage silver-plate forks and spoons with letters permanently engraved into the metal. Each marker is $5.00, or only $4.00 with the coupon code. They're perfect for outdoor or windowsill gardens, and as the product description states, they "make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves gardening, is an antique fanatic, enjoys a shabby chic décor, or simply likes to receive unique gifts."

And there's still time to get these for Christmas, at least within the United States. As long as you choose priority mail shipping and order by Sunday night (Dec. 19), you should have these by Thursday (Dec. 23).

And if you've already done your Christmas shopping, keep these in mind for Springtime birthdays and especially Mother's Day!

What: Silver Plate Plant Markers -- with 20% off coupon code!
Where: CambriRae (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $5.00 apiece -- $4.00 with coupon code!

Garden "Bon-bons" (not to eat!)

Wow, where did the last week go? I had planned to post every day, but I am teaching a class this semester for the first time, and it swallowed my life? It was only an 8-week course and last week was the last week (!), so I was dealing with grading and anxious students on top of my usual full-time job.

In any case, today I'm back with a stocking stuffer/small gift that looks good enough to eat, but you shouldn't eat it! These Garden "Bon-bons" are actually more like "seed bombs" -- bundles of clay, compost, and seeds that you drop into soil, water, and watch grow. The unique part is the packaging, because the "bon-bons" are made up in a box with little paper candy "cups" just like you'd see in a real box of chocolates. The seed assortment includes 2 basil, 4 parsley, 2 chives, and 2 thyme. These are handmade in the USA.

(Of course, for those of you in winter climates, this might not be the best time of year unless your recipient grows indoor herbs. Or you could just bookmark this for Mother's Day or some other Spring occasion.)

What: Garden "Bon-bons"
Where: Vat19
How much (as of today's post): $15.95 (plus shipping)

Postcardens

How cool are these? These vegetable ink "Postcardens" can be mailed for $1.30 postage, and the recipient just has to open the card, water the base, and sprinkle the packet over the diorama. In a few days, watercress will begin to sprout, decorating the scene with lovely (and edible!) foliage! The city scene has a "greetings" message, while the botanical garden carries a "thinking of you" sentiment.

The product description further notes that "Sprouts start to grow in 2-3 days and last for up to 2 weeks. Glue or tape can be used, but not required."

What: Postcardens
Where: Uncommon Goods website
How much (as of today's post): $12.50 (plus shipping)

Flowering Twig Pencil

I normally wouldn't spend $5 on any pencil, but isn't this one lovely? I can just see it tied into the bow on top of a Mother's Day gift, as a package topper that is a gift in itself. It's also perfect for gardeners, of course. The rose bloom is hand carved atop a bark-covered branch; the entire pencil measures 7 inches long and 1 inch in diameter (I assume that's the rose part, not the branch).

There's also a nice set of branch and twig colored pencils ($8 for a set of 8).

What: Flowering Twig Pencil
Where: Anthropologie
How much (as of today's post): $5.00 (plus shipping)

Kids Garden in a Bag

The other day in one of my online communities that has to do with food and nutrition, a person asked about Easter basket stuffers that are non-food, since she didn't want the Easter bunny to bring just candy. Here's something that would do nicely: a kid's "garden in a bag" from the Branch website. I love plants myself, and I like the idea of getting kids interested in growing things. This kit contains a plastic-lined kraft paper bag, soil, flower seeds, and a wood planting stake. The bag can be colored and personalized, and then the plant is grown right in the bag which is also waterproof. Once the plant is big enough, it can be transplanted elsewhere.

I wasn't sure whether to call this an eco-friendly gift since the bag is plastic-lined, but I think it does pretty well, all things considered. Where I live we can recycle all kinds of paper, so I would even be able to recycle the bag once I took the plastic lining out.

The following plants are available: sunflower, nasturtium, strawberry, tomato, a pretty Mother's Day assortment, and more! Altogether I counted 21 different options. Cat grass, dog grass (I never knew there was such a thing!), a "thank you" assortment, a number of herbs.... It's a lovely selection. The prices vary based on the plant, from $9.00 to $16.00.

What: Kids Garden in a Bag
Where: Branch website
How much (as of today's post): ranges from $9.00 to $16.00 (plus shipping)

Miniature Watering Can Clock

This graceful little watering can clock is the perfect stocking stuffer for a gardener -- and it's so Spring-like that it would also be lovely for a Mother's Day gift or an Easter basket. It's currently on sale for $12.95 from the Potpourri website. It measures 2.5 by 3 inches, and the battery is included. And by now, I'm sure most of you are ready for a taste of Spring!

What: Miniature Watering Can Clock
Where: Potpourri website
How much (as of today's post): $12.95 sale price (regularly 19.95) (plus shipping)

Handmade Seed Paper Heart Ornament

I love this handmade paper heart ornament that is embedded with Forget-Me-Not seeds! When you're done displaying it, or even restringing it to wear as a necklace on Valentine's Day, you simply soak the ornament in water and then plant it, either indoors or out. The paper is 100% biodegradable and will recycle into the planting soil, and the seeds will germinate in about two weeks. What's not to love?

The ornament itself is 2 7/8 inches high and about 2 2/3 inches at its widest. With the string, it measures about 6 3/8 inches high.

What: Handmade Seed Paper Heart Ornament
Where: Spoon Sisters website
How much (as of today's post): $4.00 (plus shipping)

Midwest Seed Bombs

Here's a lovely stocking stuffer for the gardener in your life, or even someone who's not really a gardener but who loves plants. Etsy seller VisuaLingual offers these "seed bombs", consisting of a "bird-, bee- and butterfly-friendly wildflower mixture" that allows you to commit random acts of gardening. See the description for the entire list of seeds in each packet, which were chosen because they are native to Midwest. And many of the seeds are native to most of North America, which means that these make a lovely gift no matter where the recipient lives.

(On an entirely different note, VisuaLingual also offers these wonderful Ohio River coasters, in green and several other colors. I was born in Cleveland myself and still have relatives in Ohio, so I'm partial to these, but they're clever no matter where you come from!)


[Note: I first came across these seed bombs on the Design Public blog.]

What: Midwest Seed Bombs
Where: VisuaLingual (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $6.00 (plus shipping)

Gardening Knowledge Cards Quiz Decks

At $19.90, this stocking stuffer just squeaks in under my $20 limit, but since the Gardening Knowledge Cards Quiz Decks comes in a set of two, you might consider putting one deck in the stocking and saving the other for another occasion, effectively bringing your price down to $9.95 apiece. One deck covers the "Kitchen Garden" and the other covers "The Potted Garden". Each deck has 48 cards with questions ("What are heirloom vegetables?" "Can I subdivide my Christmas cactus?") and detailed answers, making the decks fun and different stocking stuffers for the gardener in your life.

What: Gardening Knowledge Cards Quiz Decks
Where: Bas Bleu website
How much (as of today's post): $19.90 for set of 2 decks (plus shipping)

Puddle Jumpers Vase or Pen Holder

The Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that saves and stores heirloom vegetable, fruit, and flower seeds. They've been around for 35 years, and operate from an 890-acre farm in Iowa. They also participate in larger global seed saving efforts, such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. I love this concept! You can find out more about this organization on their website.

In order to support their efforts, the Seed Savers Exchange has a shop selling seeds and related merchandise. It was really by chance that I came across these "puddle jumpers", or little plastic containers shaped like a pair of rainboots. As you can see from the photo, they can be used as a little vase or as a pencil holder, and they'll be sure to delight the gardener in your life. They come in green with yellow trim, or yellow with black trim.

What: Puddle Jumpers Vase or Pen Holder
Where: Seed Savers Exchange website
How much (as of today's post): $7.95 (plus shipping)

Handmade Ceramic Garden Stakes

Today kicks off two weeks' worth of posts about Mother's Day, which is coming up quickly on Sunday, May 10! In my mind, Mother's Day is all about small but thoughtful luxuries that show your mother you appreciate all she has done for you. For whatever reason, I tend to think of Mother's Day in conjunction with flowers (especially sunflowers and daisies), gardening, fizzy lemons and limes, and Springtime in general, which you'll see reflected in many of the gift ideas I'll be listing over the next several days.

Today, I'm delighted to start with these beautiful handmade garden stakes from Etsy seller From Artisan Hands. According to the description, the stakes are cut from speckled stoneware, stamped, glazed, and fired. The Etsy shop shows stakes for herbs, vegetables, and even inspirational words; a set of three costs $20 plus shipping. Many of the stakes have lovely impressions of dragonflies, birds, or suns stamped into them. You can even order custom stakes if you don't see what you want!

Aren't they lovely? I love the harmonious colors, which are also earth-toned enough that they will look completely natural in a garden.

What: Ceramic Garden Stakes
Where: From Artisan Hands (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $20 for three stakes of your choice (plus shipping)

Fairytale Garden Sets

I think Uncommon Goods is fast becoming my favorite website to look for unique gifts -- every time I visit that site I find something that I haven't seen on any other website. This time, it was the Fairytale Garden Sets pictured above. What a fun idea! Each little tin, measuring 5 inches in diameter, contains the materials needed to grow either Cinderella's Pumpkin, Jack's Beanstalk, or the Princess's Pea.

Even better, the tins are made from recycled materials and the seeds are certified organic! Each tin contains a stake, a pencil, a growth chart, suggested fun activities, recipes, and of course the seeds.

What: Fairytale Garden Sets
Where: Uncommon Goods website
How much (as of today's post): $12.00 (plus shipping)

Japanese Pond Bells

The Red Envelope, like Uncommon Goods, is a website that features high-quality gift items. I prefer Uncommon Goods because the merchandise there is a bit more artsy and contemporary, and generally more affordable, whereas the Red Envelope seems to be aimed at the true "luxury" crowd -- the kind of people who don't mind paying $79.95 for an embossed leather notebook.

But occasionally I will find something on the Red Envelope site that is within my hypothetical price range, like this set of three Japanese "pond bells". The product page says that these tiny bells (approximately 1.75 by 1.5 inches high) have been a tradition in northern Japan for centuries, and are found hanging in gardens and parks. I had never heard of them before, but I do agree they would make a lovely gift for the gardener in particular -- something a little different than run-of-the-mill wind chimes.

This set of three, featuring a brown turtle, blue fish, and green frog, costs $29.95 plus shipping. At Christmastime, they could be divvied up between different recipients' stockings, or the set can make a nice gift for a Springtime occasion. Currently, Red Envelope also has a set of four "Japanese Bird Bells" available for $39.95. They're nice too, but I prefer the set of three shown here.

What: Japanese Pond Bells
Where: The Red Envelope website
How much (as of today's post): $29.95 for 3 bells (plus shipping)

Egglings and Nyokki

Egglings are cute little plants that grow in a clay/ceramic "eggshell" pot. The egg comes whole, and you crack the top by tapping it with a spoon, just as you would do with a hard boiled egg. Inside you'll find the seeds in a paper packet that dissolves when you water it, and after the plant has grown, you can transplant it to soil, cracking the egg the rest of the way. Even the eggshell pieces are degradable, making this not only a fun gift but a green one!

There's also a kids' version called Nyokki. These have little animal faces and feet stuck on the shells, and they grow grassy hair that can be trimmed, just like Chia pets. There are also versions called "taterpots" and "petit coco", both of which grow edible herbs in fun containers.

The Eggling website has an extensive FAQ and a list of retailers in several different countries that carry the Eggling products. I followed the link to catfishgreetings.com and found I could buy a single Eggling for $12.00. Windowbox.com has them for $8.95. Red Envelope has three for $34.95. So it definitely pays to shop around a bit.

What: Egglings and Nyokki
Where: Eggling.com
How much (as of today's post): $8.95