Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Inspiration: Handmade Holiday Gift Tags

One of the best ways you can add a special, personal touch to a gift is by adding a handcrafted gift tag. 
Whether you buy some premade tags from an artist, or decide to try your hand at making some yourself, 
holiday tags are a great way to make your packages extra special. 

You can make gift tags from all different types of materials. The most common are paper or cardstock. 
Upcycled materials such as old maps, old book pages or sheet music are great ways to add interest and 
charm to tags. Printed cardboard is another material that can be upcycled into a gift tag. How about last 
year's old Christmas cards? Some folks start with premade manila tags that you can find at office 
supply stores, while others cut their own tags with paper punches or die cutting machines. 

Creating your design 
Rubber stamps go together with gift tags like peanut butter goes with chocolate! What easier way 
to create tags than by hand-printing plain tags with a rubber stamp? Not only is this inexpensive, it's fast. 
Other ideas for designs are: copies of family photos and children's art.

Embellishing your tags 
I like gift tags that are simple and uncomplicated. It it's over-embellished, too busy, or simply overdone,
I tend to lose interest. It's just personal preference. Plus, super-fancy tags are harder to match up with 
gift wrap! My advice: keep it simple and stick with only one or two colors - three at most!  Some easy 
embellishments for tags include: glue and glitter, jingle bells, quality ribbon, natural elements such as 
small pine cones, acorns, twigs and sprigs, and buttons. Scrapbooking papers and fancy papers such 
as tissue paper, foil, and vellum make great additions to tags because they add texture and interest. 
When finished, use a hole punch to attach ribbon, twine, or yarn to your tag and you are finished! 

Check out some of my picks for the most pretty and unique tags, and maybe you'll be inspired to create your own!





Vibrant Red For Christmas






Cute button snowman by Scrappin' with DeeDee






























What do you think? Do you make your own tags?



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