• Easy Vintage Gift Tag Tutorial

    A gorgeous gift tag can make even the most plainly wrapped gift stand out! In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create eye-catching artistic gift tags in a matter of minutes.

    Easy Vintage Gift Tag Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    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.

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    The thicker your paper, the more substantial and durable your gift tags will be.

    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.

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I charge a nominal fee for this template because the roses took so long to draw and digitize! You can use the template for other projects as well — like this DIY holiday card.

    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.

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    It doesn’t matter what paper you print the gift tag template on. You’ll just be using the template for tracing!

    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!

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    Try varying the position of the gift tag template in each square of roses. That way, all of your tags will look a little bit different.

    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:

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    If you can see any pencil lines after you cut out the tags, use an eraser to get rid of them.

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

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    You can use any size of hole punch as long as it will accommodate the width of the ribbon that you plan on using.

    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!

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    This is Sans Serif lettering written in Bleed Proof White ink on handmade red paper.

    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.

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    This is Janet Style calligraphy written in black sumi ink.

    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!

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    This variation is very fuss-free. I used different sizes of George Style Lettering to write the name, then I filled in the blank spaces with a fine-tipped red marker.

    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.

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    This is Kaitlin Style calligraphy and Bleed Proof White ink.

    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!

    Easy Vintage Gift Tags Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    These tags have an elegant, vintage look because of the roses illustration. You can write your name on the back of each tag so your recipient knows who the gift is from!

    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,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock