(These holiday gift tags were originally featured in Paper Holiday 2014-2015.)
Holiday Gift Tags Materials
- paper and scraps for the basic tags and collage (cardstock, magazine cutouts, old children’s book illustrations, collage sheets, pictures, etc.)
- scissors
- rubber stamps
- ink pads in various colors
- adhesive of choice
- pens and crayons (I used Sakura Glaze™ and Souffle™ pens, a black Copic® marker, Sharpie® poster paint, and DecoColor™ acrylic paint markers.)
- sewing machine and thread
- Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels
- eyelets and eyelet-setting tool
- ribbon
- Glossy Accents™ INKssentials™
- Stickles™ by Ranger
How Make Holiday Gift Tags
- Select the papers for the background of the basic tags, and decide on the size and shape of your tags. Don’t fret too much; most of the base will be covered up in the process of completing your tags.
- Cut out your tags. The tags can be any size and shape you want. Design your own shapes or buy pre-made tags to use as templates, and simply trace them onto your paper and cut them out. (Get our free gift tag downloads!)
- Ink all of the edges of the paper tags with an ink pad. I enjoy using colors that you would not normally put together; I like the colors to clash.
Note: I wanted to keep the shape of my holiday gift tags interesting, so I chose two different shaped tags that fit well together color-wise and played with putting them together as one tag.
- Start layering paper onto the tag with your adhesive. The more layers you add, the more depth your tag design will have. At this point, I really have no idea what I want my tags to look like. I simply go through my box of paper scraps, magazine clippings, etc., and start adding some interesting pieces to the tags. The key is not to think about it too much.
- Choose and add your focal point (or main image) to the tag. I chose to use animals.
Ideas for Fabulous Images
- Look in thrift stores and antique markets for old royalty-free images.
- Use the backs of old playing cards.
- Look online. There are great sources for collage images.
- Search out vintage books.
- Add more papers to make the piece cohesive. Play with the paper scraps until you feel there is enough layering. Consider adding borders or text over the focal image. I found some great holiday sentiments and text in old song books.
Tip: Add a little bit of fun. I added some festive holiday hats to my woodland friends.
- Play with the different pens and markers in lots of different colors. Add some doodling, some dots; have fun with it. On some of my images I used a white paint marker and faded out the background images and/or colors.
- Using a minimal amount of glue, adhere the tags to a large sheet of decorative paper, and then sew all around the edges of each tag. I picked some simple, brightly colored solid cardstock. After you sew around the tags, cut out each individual tag shape.
Finishing the Holiday Gift Tags
- Decorate the back of the tag. I rubbed the back of the tag with a variety of colored ink pads. I also randomly sprayed the tags with Glimmer Mist, did some stamping, and then drew some lines and added “To” and “From” to each tag.
- Add an eyelet to each tag, and insert a ribbon, string, or some thread through the eyelet.
- Add a little glitz. I used Glossy Accents and Stickles to highlight my focal point. Sparkles and glitter say holiday to me. Allow the tags to dry overnight.
More Ideas for Gift Tags
- Use up those spools of thread that don’t have enough thread left to do a large project, but have too much thread to just toss out. Decorate with the thread or gather some strands together to use as the tie string.
- Personalize your tags by stamping the name of the recipient right on the tag.
- Add a touch of fabric with rickrack or some remnant ribbon.
- Use leftover yarn as the tie for your tag.
Holiday Gift Tags as Gifts
These gift tags are a great little project to use up a lot of the odds and ends that have a way of accumulating in your studio, and they make a nice gift in themselves. Make a set, six, or a dozen. Wrap them in a pretty basket and give them to your party host, or tie one to a bottle of wine. I am sure whoever ends up with one of your holiday gift tags will cherish your miniature work of art.
Save a bundle with our holiday crafting bundle!
Get more holiday gift ideas in our handmade holiday gift guide!
Karin Winter moved to the United States from the Netherlands when she married. She has always had a love of arts, sewing, and creating with papers and fabrics. Karin lives in Peyton, Colorado, with her husband Josh, four young sons, and a beautiful little daughter.