Hi everyone, well whilst I work on some new tutorials and articles to post here on my new blog I thought it would be nice to share with you some of my older postings which were originally posted on Krafting with Kat blog page. Enjoy! 😊
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| Tags are great not only for putting on gifts but are now regarded as pieces of artwork in their own right. They make beautiful hanging decorations, card front and additions to scrapbooks. |
Making a gift tag
What you will need.
Cardboard, if possible from recycled packaging.
Scissors, pencil, glue and an awl
Tag Die Cutter (optional)
Paints (optional) if not paints you will need fabrics or papers.
Assortment of paper, charms, die cuts.
Metallic pen (optional)
Ribbon/string.
This is a really simple gift tag tutorial using cardboard from recycled packaging. I used the cardboard from Amazon packaging, you can use any cardboard for tag making but it's a great way to be more environmentally friendly and it's cheaper too!
I used a die cutter and my Sizzix machine to cut my basic tag shapes but if you don't have these you can draw a tag shape using pencil and a ruler and then cutting out with scissors. My Sizzix die cutter produces a ready made hole for threading string or ribbon but you can easily add a hole with an awl. I actually ended up using an awl as my cardboard was a little fibreous! Obviously please make sure an adult does this if making with children.
Paint or paper your tag.
Before you add all your pretty decorations your tag needs a background. The easiest way is to paint your tag simply with smooth layer of acrylic paint or Gesso. Matt paint looks particularly lovely on a tag.
If you want something maybe more colourful or indeed more lavish you can use tissue paper, foil, patterned paper, wall paper samples, you can even cover them with fabrics. Just cut to size and glue on. You can even add strips of paper or a mixture of both paper and fabrics.
One you have painted, papered or fabricated your tag then it's time to have fun adding some decorations.
I have glued on die cut shapes made from black and red cardstock. You can glue on shapes cut out from magazines, newspapers, old gift cards or you can even use stickers.
Finishing touches
To add a little more depth to my die cut shapes I edged them with a gold pen.
You could add charms, beads and buttons! The joy of tag making is they can be beautifully simple or a mixed media masterpiece worthy of framing and displaying for all to see!
To finish your tag thread through the hole a length of string or a pretty ribbon. Your tag is now ready to use.
Uses of tags!
You can of course use tags for their traditional use to decorate parcels or to tie around a bouquet of flowers to send someone a lovely message especially great for Birthdays, Anniversaries and at Christmas and Easter. But you can also use tags in scrapbooks, junk journals, as ornaments, you can snip the top off and glue them onto cards.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it maybe inspires you to have a go. I shall be posting more tutorials and crafting ideas soon!
Until then happy crafting! Kat 😊
