I'm also looking for cute, funny, catchy garden sayings so if anyone has a favorite, feel free to pass it along. I'd welcome those as well.

I don't have any experience with letter stamps but I have wanted to do something like this myself. Marly had a tutorial on making molds with lettering by using POP and transparency film with inkjet printer images. The stamps sound like an easier solution but I don't think we will get the perfection that Marly achieved. It will be virtually impossible to keep the letters perfectly straight. However, for whimsical sayings and informal plaques, that may be more in line with your project.

My personal preference was to take most of the "sayings" from the Bible and make the garden more of a place of meditation. Starting from Genesis where man was placed in a garden to dress it and keep it and going through the whole book there is a ton of allegorical references to the spiritual state of man and tilling, sowing, planting, growing, harvesting, etc.

For a reminder of my grandmother I will certainly have the classic garden poem: "The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the birds for mirth..."

Anyway, I don't guess I answered any questions or helped you at all. All this verbage came out because you sparked the idea in me again.

Good Luck with your stamps. I'd like to see some pictures when you get some pieces finished.

I have been using the letters. They are fun but can be tricky to get a crisp impression. Some thoughts I can share with you....

If you using the letters to put words in concrete, consider using a vinyl concrete instead of a regular mix of portland cement and sand. I have tried both and the vinyl concrete mix seems to work best at holding the letter shapes. As with everything there is a learning curve and I am rounding the bend on that curve. :-)

-Too wet of a mix the letters don't hold well or deep enough
-Too dry of a mix and you can't push the letters in well
-Use a trowel to level the surface of the object before pressing in the letters, or at least level where you want the word
-Don't rock the letter while pushing it in or it makes the letter less distinct, just use both hands with even pressure and push straight down
-Leave the first letter in the concrete while you are pushing in the second letter. It helps to hold the shape of the first. If you can, leave all letters in briefly before pulling the letters straight up and out.
-Very small letters are more difficult, especially those with inside counters i.e.-the center of the "o" or the "e" make take a couple of tries to get it to look just right
-But best of all... if you don't like how it looks just use the trowel, smooth it over and try again!!

Happy lettering!
Nancy

"Birds are as important as plants in my garden." ~Anne Scott James

"Tresspassers will be composted!"

or

"Gardening is cheaper than therapy"

Those are two I like!

Marly

If you want garden quotes to use for plaques, stepping stones, etc... this link is excellent!

Nancy

Then there's always -- "My motto: If you can see dirt in your garden, you need more plants."

The best place to find God is in the garden, you can dig for him there.
George Bernard Shaw

I may have to find another use for the panel though as I may not embed it into the bench after all. I need ideas on what to do with it.

Laura

very neat idea!
Laura