DIY upcycled gift tags

I tend to forget about gift tags. At any given time, I probably have a decent stash of wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue, and ribbon. But somehow, I never think to buy gift tags. And then I’m wrapping Christmas presents and think “hmm…everyone would probably like to know whose gift is whose.”

The good news is there’s a really simple fix for this. You can easily upcycle holiday cards or envelopes with festive stamps into gift tags!

Here’s what you need…

Holiday cards (or other festive paper)
Paper cutter or scissors
Pen and/or letter stamps or stickers to say who it’s to and from
A way to attach your tags to your gifts (any of these will work):

• Tape
• Stick-on bow
• Hole puncher plus ribbon or twine

Optional:
Deckle-edge or scalloped scissors
Corner rounder

1. Cut the front off the card.

2. Cut the front into thirds for nice, big tags. This is great if you write big (like me), need to fit lots of names on a tag, or need the space for stamping. You can always cut it into smaller pieces if that works for you.

3. Optional: Do any corner-rounding or edge cutting before you go any further. In case something gets wonky or uneven, you can still cut off the edge of the tag with the mistake and try again without messing anything else up.

4. If you’re going to attach your tag with ribbon, punch a hole near one of the sides or corner.

5. Write who the gift is to and from on the back of the card. If you have time to stamp to and from, that looks great and still very personal. If the back of your upcycled card isn’t blank, you can use letter stickers to label it.

6. Tie or stick it on to your gift. Slip it into the gift’s ribbon or under a stick-on bow, or use a little ribbon or twine to tie it to the handle of a gift bag.

And that’s it! I’ve also made gift tags from parts of envelopes with festive holiday stamps, event programs, and fliers.

This is a craft you can pull together at the last minute. Or, take a stack of last year’s holiday cards and make a bunch assembly-line style while you watch your favorite Christmas movie or chat with a friend.