Custom Gift Tags: Sample 1

Materials list: I purchased pre-scored place cards at a closeout store for less than a dollar, there were 25 cards in a package. The local craft store had several styles of patterned paper on clearance, $0.25 per 12" X 12" sheet. And, though they were not specifically Christmas, the color scheme could be broken into parts, key in this particular layout was a wide red stripe. I also found a dollar section in the front of my favorite craft supply store, which had several brands of dimensional stickers.

Tools: A glue stick or, my favorite, double-sided tape. A tearing ruler to get a textured edge and add some interest. And a gel pen for personalization but you could use stickers or alphabet stamps.

Step 1: I ripped the wide red stripe out of my patterned paper using the deckle edge of the ruler to provide texture to the edges. The strip I ripped was approximately ½ the width of the place card front. If it's too wide you can always rip it down again.

Step 2: Paste the strip in the middle of the card front. Trim to fit.

Step 3: Choose a sticker and place it an appropriate distance from the edges for its size and shape. I chose a smaller sticker and placed it just off the left edge leaving a large portion of the red stripe available for the personalization.

Step 4: Add the name. I used a gel pen and my own handwriting, which is not the best. You could go with a calligraphy pen, which would add flair to your own penmanship, or you might choose to use letter stickers. These are readily available at any craft store. Many have several sheets with several fonts in a booklet format for only a couple of dollars. Another option is to use alphabet stamps.

Tips: If you are concerned about stamping letters directly on your stripe you can do it before you glue everything down that way you don't ruin a completed piece and waste a sticker. Be sure to leave enough room for the sticker. You may want to put a pencil mark on the strip just inside of the space the sticker will occupy. If you choose stamps a useful instrument for lining them up, letter stamps in particular, is the Stamp-A-Majig. This gives you a corner to line your stamp up in and a plastic sheet to stamp onto. Once you have the image on the see through plastic sheet you can place it over your paper, line it up, put the corner down against it, remove the plastic and stamp directly on your paper using the corner as your guide. It sounds, rather reads, more complicated than it is.