Making Artful Gift Tags

Artful gift tags make a package special. My friend Cynthia wrapped her gift with a variety of tags that she made. The one below is painted on watercolor paper and hand lettered.

An image of the Virgin de Guadalupe is stamped into paper clay and painted with gold to highlight the folds of her gown. Each tag shows a lot of attention and creativity in making it.

At our Portland Art Collective Show, someone commented that I should sell my gift tags. Here's a little tutorial on how I make them. First, cut or use a pre-cut tag and paint it with acrylic paint.

Tear apart a paper napkin. Don't stop at the first layer of white, the second layer needs to come off, too. Now there's a thin layer of tissue to use for the tag.

Glue the tag

Place the glued-side of the tag to the wrong-side of the tissue paper.

Trim off the tissue paper around the edge of the tag.

Follow the same process for the back side of the tag.

Color the edges front & back. I used a Marvy Brush in aubergine for this tag. A Krylon gold leaf pen works well, too.

Punch a hole in the top and tie a ribbon through it and voila- an artful gift tag is created.

Enjoy making tags for your gifts this holiday season.