It is handy to have a few gift tags stored away in case you need one at short notice. They are also a lot of fun to make, require very small amounts of materials (ie great to use up scraps!). They also take little time and can be used on bigger projects such as cards too!
I am going to make a set of three matching tags using the new Tin Teddy Horse Ovals Collage Sheet. Horses are a great subject for tags like these as they are suitable for such a wide range of recipients.
I printed out the page of the Tin Teddy Horse Ovals with the black borders. I printed them on to glossy photo paper which gives a very sharp image. After cutting three of the horizontal ovals out, I ran a black Sharpie pen around the edge of each oval. This makes the edge look neater and gives the impression that I cut it out perfectly!
Handy hint! Hold the image with the picture facing away from you, then run the Sharpie around the edge, whilst the underside of the oval is facing you. This way, if you should slip, the marker will go on the back of the oval, and not all over the image!
I cut out three tags from the Love Letters 6″x6″ premium paper pad by First Edition Paper. They are sturdy 200gsm papers, so heavyweight card stock. I am using one of the double sided pages from this stack so that the back of the tag looks nice too. I used my trusty Tiny Tabs and Tags die by Tim Holtz.
I rubbed Worn Lipstick Distress Ink around the edges of the tags. I am very pleased with these little finger daubers, they are perfect for this job.
I did this on both sides, again to give the back a nice appearance too. This is where I will write the recipient’s name etc. when using the tags.
I next cut out three ovals using the smallest size die from the Xcut Large Scalloped Ovals set of stacking dies. This card is from the same Love Letters stack as above. I particularly needed sturdy card for this part.
And then I daubed the edges of the ovals with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink. This makes such a difference! I do love using Distress Ink on my projects.
Next, I took some red sewing thread and wrapped it around each oval, in and out of the scallops around the edge. I held the ends in place on the reverse with sticky tape. Don’t pull too tightly on the thread so the oval still lays nice and flat.
I stuck sticky pads on to the reverse of the horse pictures and fixed them to the middle of the ovals. Then I put more sticky pads on the reverse of the oval horse images. I added the ovals to the tags, keeping them to the left of the tag, partly to give me room around the hole, and partly because I felt that a bit of overhang looked more interesting. The sticky pads give the tag a nice bit of dimension.
I made some very simple bows using red paper ribbon. I am using my peg weaving loom as a bow maker here. If you do not have a bow maker (or similar!) then you could use a fork. Wrap the ribbon around two prongs then wrap one tail under and over the middle of the bow. Tie a knot and trim the tails to suit.
I added more paper ribbon to make the cord on the tag. Then I poked the tails of the bow through the hole in the tag, and tucked them into the “knot” of the tag ribbon. A couple of dots of glue ensure it will not fall off.
And now my tags can go in a box, ready for when I have a gift that needs a nice tag.
