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Milk Bottle Herb Tags
Author: Nicole H Date Posted:1 June 2023
Are you a fan of gardening and looking for a creative way to label your herbs? Repurposed milk bottle herb tags might just be the perfect solution for you! With the help of a cutting machine like ScanNcut or Cricut, and some adhesive vinyl, you can transform old milk bottles into charming and eco-friendly labels for your herbs. Not only will you be repurposing items that might have otherwise ended up in the landfill, but you'll also add a touch of style to your garden.
These herb tags are not only functional but also a great conversation starter when friends and family come to visit. Plus, they're incredibly easy to make, and you can personalize them to fit your unique style. So, let's grab our cutting machines and milk bottles and get creative!
Download the files for this project →
Herb Tag ShapeHerb Names What you will need:
- Cutting machine (Brother ScanNCut, Cricut, Silhouette etc)
- 3L Plastic Milk Bottle
- Permanent adhesive vinyl (colour of your choice)
- Transfer tape
- Scraper
- Weeding tools
- Scissors
- Masking tape
- Design files Download here →
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you check the maximum media thickness that your cutting machine will allow and ensure that the milk bottle medium does not exceed this.
Step overview:
Step one
Wash and cut out the flat part of your milk bottle and place it on your machine mat. Use masking tape to hold the plastic firmly in place.
Step two
Cut out Herb Tag Shape from the milk bottle. Make sure your machine allows cutting of the thicker medium.
Step three
Cut out the Herb Names from a piece of Permanent adhesive vinyl. Once completed, unload the mat from the machine and and gently remove vinyl from your mat. Ensure you set your machine to the vinyl or half cut option.
Step four
Starting from one corner of the media, peeling the unwanted coloured layer away from the clear backing (also known as ‘weeding’).
Step five
Place transfer tape over the cut-out vinyl ensuring all the vinyl is covered. Gently rub and then start peeling off the sticker backing. The sticker should lift off with the tape.
Step six
Move the sticker to the desired surface, towards the square end of the plastic tag and press down to force the adhesive to tack. Slowly peel away the transfer tape to reveal the applied sticker.
Step seven
Repeat the steps to create as many herb tags as needed and stick them in your pots to be able to easily identify what's growing in your garden.
Learn about cutting adhesive vinyl using the ScanNCut
We have put together step by step instructions on how to cut and apply adhesive vinyl using your Brother ScanNCut.
Detailed instructions:
Herb Tag Shape
- Download the .svg files and save these onto a USB to plug it directly into your cutting machine.
- Rinse your milk bottle and remove the stickers from both sides.
- Using some scissors, carefully cut out a rectangle of the flattest part of the bottle. This is usually where the label was located. Be aware that some brands may have an indent in the mould, this should be avoided where possible as the machine will be unable to detect the indent when cutting. Repeat on both sides of the bottle. You should be able to get a piece approx 12cm x 9cm from each side.
- Place the piece of cut plastic on your machine mat. Use masking tape to hold the plastic firmly in place. This will also help to keep the plastic as flat as possible and reduce any chance of movement.
- Load the mat into your machine.
- Load the HerbTagShape.svg. (If you have a Brother ScanNCut do a quick scan of your mat to make sure the design is positioned correctly on top of the plastic).
- Adjust your machine settings to be suitable for cutting the thicker medium. (The SDX range of Brother ScanNCut will do this automatically if you have enabled this setting). Note that some machines will go over the design multiple times to cut through the plastic.
Tip: We suggest doing a test cut to ensure you have your settings correct for the medium you are using. Cutting a small hole in the corner of your mat is a lot less upsetting than cutting a large design straight through your mat.
- Proceed with cutting the design.
- Once the machine has finished cutting your design, unload the mat from the machine and gently remove the cut plastic.
- Peel the cut outs from the plastic. You should now have 4 herb tags, set these aside.
- Repeat the above steps to create as many herb tags as required.
Vinyl stickers
- Place a piece of vinyl in your chosen colour onto your machine mat, making sure it is large enough for the required design. Ensure the media is stuck to the mat the correct way up, using a brayer/roller may be helpful.
- Load the HerbNames .svg file. (If you have a Brother ScanNCut do a quick scan of your mat to make sure the design is positioned correctly on top of the vinyl)
- Adjust your machine settings to be suitable for cutting vinyl. For ScanNCut users you will need to enable the half cut option.
Tip: We suggest doing a test cut to ensure you have your settings correct for the medium you are using. Cutting a small hole in the corner of your mat is a lot less upsetting than cutting a large design straight through your mat.
- Proceed with cutting the design.
- Once the cutting is complete, unload the mat from the machine and gently peel the vinyl sheet off as a whole.
- Starting from one corner of the media, peel the coloured layer away from the backing (also known as ‘weeding’). Using a weeding tool, spatula and hook set, tweezers or fine scissors may be helpful to get you started.
- Keep peeling the unwanted sections away, leaving the finished design stuck to the backing.
- To remove the sticker from its backing, cut a piece of Transfer Tape large enough to cover your design.
- Peel off the grid side of the Transfer Tape. Grid Transfer Tape is perfect for this type of application as it will allow you to get the words straight.
- Place the transfer tape over the cut-out vinyl ensuring all the vinyl is covered. Gently rub the transfer tape whilst on the vinyl. A scraper can be helpful when doing this.
- Gently start peeling off the sticker backing. The sticker should lift off with the tape. If not, lay the tape down again and press firmly again. You want your design to stick to the tape so you may need to give it a rub as you go.
- This then exposes the adhesive side of the sticker. Quickly move the sticker to the square end of the plastic tag and press down over the sticker very firmly to force the adhesive to tack. The sticker’s own adhesive is much stronger than the masking tape or transfer tape, so once the sticker is applied the tape can be peeled away to reveal the applied sticker.
- Peel off the transfer tape to reveal your design.
- Create the remaining herb tags as needed and stick them in your pots to be able to easily identify what's growing in your garden.
Want to create your own?
Simply install the Google font Berkshire Swash Regular and create your own in CanvasWorkspace! Check out our easy guide on how to Add Google Fonts to Brother CanvasWorkspace →Free Embroidery Designs
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