• “Little Love Letter” DIY Holiday Gift Tag Tutorial

    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…

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Use a pencil to trace around the template on your chosen piece of paper.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Cut around the lines you traced; the result will look something like the cut-out pictured below.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Next, fold in all the flaps of the little envelope.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Glue the two side flaps to the bottom flap.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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.)

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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.)

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    While you’re waiting for your “Happy Holidays” ink to dry, you can go ahead and glue the calligraphed rectangle to your envelope.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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.)

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Tuck the card into the envelope.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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.

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Tuck your envelope gift tag under some ribbon on a gift, and prepare to delight a lucky friend or family member!

    DIY Holiday Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock