Beginners Gift Tags Craft

This is a great project that doesn't take much space or time. Making tags in colorful, muted or monotone colors is your choice.

First visit your neighborhood craft store or discount store. Mix and match some of your favorite design papers depending on the theme you wish to make, a few sheets of card stock, matching ribbon,string, hemp or heavy thread. Any 3-D embellishments you would like (such as a Santa, flower, Valentine, pumpkin, etc.), a glue stick and sharp scissors. If you choose to buy a paper cutter, this will be the best for perfectly straight cuts. One last smart purchase would be a hole punch.

When you get home, set up your table as your own little design studio. Being organized will really help the project go smoothly, cleanly and cheerfully. Always keep a wastepaper basket next to you.

Decide which design paper you will want to cover the card stock with. The card stock will give you that quality feel.

Take the card stock of your choice and decide how big/small you would like your tags to be (4" x 2.5" is a nice size). Cut the sheet into as many rectangles as you will want. Once you have them divided up, you can choose to snip the corners off, snip only two corners,round them off, or leave them the way they are. You are the designer.

Now take the design paper and do the same thing only about 1/8" smaller. This way the border of the card stock will show all around the design paper.
You can layer as many different colored design papers as you want, each time cutting them 1/8" smaller. Just remember that you have to punch a hole at the top for the thread to go in.

Simply glue the design paper onto the card stock.

Now, you can choose to put the recipients name (or name of bread or cookie) on the top or choose to flip it to the backside for the text. If you choose to use the front and your design paper is dark or too graphic for the recipients name to show up on, simple glue a matching solid color paper on top of design paper. Do not glue this if you will be doing the next step.

You can choose to get professional looking letters if you go to your Word Pad and type the name you want, print it and cut the name out and glue it on the top of the tag. This is where that paper cutter is desperately needed. Nice straight lines.

Paper punch the hole on top, hang coordinating ribbon.

You have completed a tag that someone will know you spent time and care just for them.

These tags can be neatly bundled and tied together with pretty ribbon to give as a gift also.