A while ago there was a craze with seed paper – a type of paper that contained seeds that would grow when planted. I still love the concept and it makes a great idea for wedding favours, cards or even business cards (if you have an eco business)!
However unless you are looking to make your own paper from scratch or soak your scrap-paper pile into a pulp, its not quite as simple to make as it seems. One medium that can provide a similar result is clay! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, this simple DIY is a great way to combine two great things: Our loved ones and plants. If you’re still an amateur in the paper-making world like me, try these DIY seed-growing clay hearts instead.
For this DIY you’ll need to use air-dry clay that is water based. Air-dry clay is generally water or polymer based. The polymer makes a chemical reaction as it hardens, which makes it more hardy when it comes in contact with water. But water-based clay will start to break down when in contact with water, which is perfect for planting these hearts!
The clay I used was terracotta, however you can also just use white or coloured clay. You can add whatever seeds you like into the clay, provided you give them out with the correct planting instructions! They can be used to grow in a pot or in the ground. I used a mix of Australian wildflowers in mine, but if you know someone’s favourite flower, why not go with that! Sunflowers, Pansies, Daisies or Billy Buttons would all make good choices.
DIY Seed-Growing Clay Hearts
You Will Need:
Air-dry Clay (water based)
Seeds
Cookie cutters
Roll out your clay until it is around 5mm thick. Use cookie cutters (or a knife if you don’t have any) to cut the clay into shapes. Remove the surrounding clay from the shapes. Gently use your finger to press the seeds onto the surface of the clay. They just need to be pressed far enough that they will stay put.
Don’t be shy with the seeds – not all of them may grow, so multiples is always better.
I used an alphabet stamp set to create Valentine’s sayings on the clay hearts, but you can do whatever you like to decorate them, or leave them plain.
Allow them to dry according to your clay’s requirements. Air-dry clay is exactly that – it doesn’t have to be baked, but may take a day or two to dry fully.
Once your clay hearts are dry, package them up nicely. For this you could use small organza gift bags, gift boxes or anything else you think of. You may have even noticed a second DIY in these photos – my DIY calico gift bags work perfectly with them!
There you have it! Using clay is a whole lot simpler than using paper to carry the seeds. These seed-growing clay hearts could even be displayed or hung until you are ready to plant.
For more great DIYs, check out this page.
