I love DIY gift tags for a few reasons. First of all, they’re generally pretty simple to make (as you’ll see in this tutorial). Secondly, they make fantastic keepsakes; they’re so small that they’re easy for your recipient to display on a bulletin board or in a scrapbook! Finally, they elevate the already wonderful circumstance…
This DIY holiday gift tag concept requires a little bit of cutting and folding, but it is a simple tutorial nonetheless, and the results are well worth it! You’ll want to begin by cutting out the Miniature Envelope + Card Template, which you can download for free by clicking here.
Next, identify a piece of paper — any piece of paper — that you’d like to make an envelope out of. I have chosen to use a page from a vintage book.
Use a pencil to trace around the template on your chosen piece of paper.
Cut around the lines you traced; the result will look something like the cut-out pictured below.
Next, fold in all the flaps of the little envelope.
Glue the two side flaps to the bottom flap.
At this point, you can either write your recipient’s name directly on the envelope; or you can calligraph the name on a small rectangle of paper (which you will then glue onto the envelope). There’s a lot of text/imagery going on on the front of my envelope, and I don’t want my calligraphy to visually get lost as a consequence, so I am opting for the latter option. My rectangle here is about 1″ x 0.5″ (~25.5 mm x 13 mm), but your rectangle’s size doesn’t really matter. As long as it is smaller than the envelope, it will look great! (By the way, the ink I am using here is Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent in “Copperplate Gold”, and the calligraphy style is Kaitlin.)
While your ink on the small rectangle is drying, it’s a good idea to prepare a little card for the inside. Use the Miniature Envelope + Card Template to trace a little rectangle on any piece of paper or card stock. Then, use Kaitlin Style calligraphy to write a message in the center of the card — for example “Happy Holidays”, “Merry Christmas”, etc. You can frame your message with laurel branches or laurel wreaths; for inspiration, visit the 10 Ways to Draw Laurel Wreaths tutorial. (I used a variation of “The Julius Caesar” from that tutorial in the photo below.)
While you’re waiting for your “Happy Holidays” ink to dry, you can go ahead and glue the calligraphed rectangle to your envelope.
Next, you can write a little note on the back of the “Happy Holidays” card. Heartfelt words make any gift that much better! (I am using a white Gellyroll pen to write opaque white cursive.)
Tuck the card into the envelope.
Close the envelope with the aid of a tiny dot of glue. Then, light a match and use it to melt 2-3 drops of a crayon to make a DIY wax seal.
Tuck your envelope gift tag under some ribbon on a gift, and prepare to delight a lucky friend or family member!
Like the vintage ornament concept, the mini love letter gift tag concept can be modified in any way that you wish. You could include a little DIY envelope liner, seal the envelope with washi tape instead of wax, make a mini folded card to tuck inside the envelope … whatever you want, really!
Thanks so much for reading TPK, and enjoy your weekend!
Warmly,
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