Easy Vintage Gift Tag Tutorial

This is the time of month when things start to get hectic. You’re probably making travel plans or preparing to host, trying to get work done before the new year, and finish up gift shopping. Understandably, you probably don’t want to spend a ton of time making gift tags! Don’t discount these DIY gift tags so soon, though: with the help of a printable, you can whip them up in no time! Here’s how:

1. Choose a Piece of Cardstock

Any relatively light color that you have on hand will work! I chose beige for this tutorial.

2. Print Off the Small Roses Template

The Small Roses Template is a hand-drawn template available in the TPK catalog for $4.25. You can find it by clicking here.

Once you download the Small Roses Template, print it off on the cardstock.

3. Print + Cut Out the Simple Gift Tag Template

You can find the Simple Gift Tag Template for free by clicking here. Once you download the template, print it out. Then, cut it out along the guidelines.

4. Trace + Cut Around the Gift Tag Template

Use a pencil to trace around the gift tag template one time in each square of the Small Roses Template. The position of the gift tag template within each square doesn’t matter!

Once you’ve traced around the template four times (again, you’ll trace once in each square of roses), cut along the guidelines you made. The result should look like this:

Finish up by using a hole punch to make a hole in the top center of each gift tag.

5. Add Recipients’ Names

This gift tag tutorial is a bit of a blank slate. How you write a recipient’s name on each tag depends on your personal style and the supplies that you have on hand! Here are some recipient name styles that I came up with:

Colored Base

To make this gift tag variation, cut out a 1/2″ x 4.25″ (13 mm x  108 mm) strip of colored paper. Apply glue to the back of the paper, then wrap it around the bottom of the gift tag. Use any color of ink to write the recipient’s name!

Traditional

Cut out a 1″ x 2″ (25 mm x 50 mm) piece of white paper. Next, use an elegant calligraphy style and black ink to write your recipient’s name on that paper. Wait for the ink to dry, then apply glue to the back of the paper and center the paper on the gift tag. Once the paper is glued down, use any black pen to draw a border around the piece of paper to help it stand out.

Funky

Find a blank space in the roses pattern on your gift tag. Then, use a fine-tipped pen to write the recipient’s name in various sizes of block letters … super simple!

Black and White

Cut out a 2-1/4″ x 1/2″ (57 mm x 13 mm) piece of black paper or cardstock. Use white calligraphy ink and the calligraphy style of your choice to write the recipient’s name on that paper. Once the ink has dried, turn the paper over and apply glue to the back. To finish, center the paper on the gift tag and apply pressure to bond the glue to the tag.

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While there are many more variations you could try, those are the four that I came up with! I especially like the “Funky” variation because it’s so quick and simple. Those are two adjectives that I really appreciate around the holidays!

If you have any questions or observations about this gift tag tutorial, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! In the meantime, have a great weekend, and we’ll reconvene on Tuesday!

Warmly,