Garden Journal | Cork Burned

One exciting aspect of my newfound succulent hobby is reading up and learning about all the new-to-me varieties that we’re collecting here at the cottage. Remembering the details, and planting/care instructions is the not-so-easy part. To better help me, I created a cork burned garden journal to better keep track of all the particulars. With just a few simple supplies I can keep notes on all my pretty babies; a baby book of sorts!

The initial set-up took just under an hour to complete and once established it was ready to be used all summer long. Here’s how I did it…

Gather:

• Succulent picture (Thom found this one online and converted it to black and white and then printed it in gray scale)
• Razor knife and cutting mat
• Wood burning tool
• Letter stencils
• Washi tape
• Cork covered, lined journal
• Marking pen or pencil

Prepare:

• Use razor knife to cut picture into a stencil
• Tape stencil to cork covered journal and trace with pen/pencil
• Wood burn the stencil onto the cork (see notes below)
• Stencil a title onto the cover
• Decorate the journal with washi
• It’s ready to fill out!

Notes: Read wood burning tool instructions thoroughly before burning cork and set controls/heat temperature accordingly. My cork cover had flakes of gold in it so it burned very, very easily.

Garden Journal How-to

• Print and cut out pictures of plants
• Write out care instructions, growing season, watering suggestions
• Update through out the season (ie:blooms, problems that arise, replanting dates)

I’m so happy to have this little garden journal to keep track of my new plants. I’ve been updating it when a cactus blooms or when a pot gets knocked over and I have to replant my baby. And, any excuse to play with washi tape is a good excuse, isn’t it? Have you used a garden journal? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below, or as always, you can join in the conversation over on my Facebook page.

Happy Garden Journaling, friends!