Today’s tutorial showcases five unique and fun handmade gift tag ideas to enhance any gift presentation! You can use these concepts for place cards or snail mail enclosures, too.
Gift tags often play second fiddle to the wrapped gifts they accompany, but the handmade gift tag ideas in today’s tutorial flip the script! These five simple tutorials will help you to give gifts that have a refreshingly creative presentation for birthdays, baby showers, holidays, and beyond.
This is a simple, vintage-inspired gift tag that looks particularly good when paired with packages wrapped in kraft paper.
Supplies: Black cardstock (affiliate link), scissors, white mechanical pencil, Bleed Proof white ink, your preferred pointed pen nib + holder, and string
Begin by using your white pencil to free-hand draw an oval on your black card stock. Don’t worry about the oval being perfect; your goal is a handmade look.
Next, use a pair of scissors or a hobby knife to cut out the oval along the white guidelines.
Use your Bleed Proof White ink to create the “Aunt Mildred” laurel wreath style — #4 in the 10 Ways to Draw Laurel Wreaths Tutorial — around the perimeter of the oval. I used a straight pen and a Blue Pumpkin nib to do this, but feel free to use the nib and holder combination of your choice.
Once the ink you used to draw the laurel wreath has dried, you can use whatever calligraphy style you’d like to write a name in the tag. I chose to create my recipient’s name in Janet Style calligraphy, and I used the envelope spacing template from the Marvelous Mail eBook to get my spacing right for the name on this tag.
Once you calligraph the recipient’s name and it has dried, erase your guidelines with a black eraser. Then, punch a hole in the tag, thread some string through, and the tag is ready to go!
This is the most no-fuss handmade gift tag concept because you can simply print out a template that I have created for you by clicking here. However, if you’ve got the time, you can paint the wreath yourself!
Supplies: Watercolor paper (affiliate link), scissors, watercolor palette, small paintbrush, and your preferred pointed pen nib + holder
Begin by cutting out a circle from a piece of watercolor paper. To do this, you can trace around a circular object in pencil first.
Once your paper has been cut out, use the instructions outlined in the Botanical Watercolor Wreath Tutorial to paint various natural elements around the circle. Here are the styles of florals you might include in your wreath:
Try starting by using a size 00-ish paintbrush to make turquoise branches.
After those dry, add some burnt sienna twigs and berries; then, paint a few simple maroon laurel branches.
Finish up by calligraphing your recipient’s name in the center using maroon watercolor. I used Groovy Style calligraphy from the Kaitlin Style Calligraphy Variations Worksheet.
I didn’t punch a hole in this handmade gift tag because I directly glued it to my wrapped package, like a sticker. That said, it would look good hanging from any sort of twine or thread.
This tag has a hip, bohemian vibe. You can vary the colors and shape to suit your personal taste.
Supplies: Watercolor paper (affiliate link), pencil, medium-sized paintbrush, gray + turquoise watercolors, sumi ink, and your preferred pointed pen nib + holder
Begin by drawing a feather shape in pencil on your watercolor paper.
Next, use a medium-sized paintbrush (size 3 or so) to paint turquoise watercolor along the tip of the feather. Then, use gray watercolor to add “V” shapes toward the feather’s base.
Once the watercolor has dried, use your favorite nib to write your intended recipient’s name on the feather in sumi ink. Consider using all-lowercase Kaitlin Style calligraphy to echo the free-spirited feel of the feather.
After the ink used to write the recipient’s name has dried, cut the feather out along the pencil guidelines. Then, add a light outline just inside of the feather’s perimeter for added contrast. Finish up by punching a hole in the feather and threading string through it.
This is a neat gift tag to create if your recipient enjoys card games. You can also use it for a clever way to reference a birthday. For example, my brother’s birthday is the 5th of the month, so I made a tag for him that features the five of hearts.
Supplies: Playing card, light box, watercolor paper (affiliate link), watercolor palette, small paintbrush, your favorite nib in a straight pen
To create this handmade gift tag, use a light box to trace over a playing card on watercolor paper using a small paintbrush (size 00 or so). Be sure to use whatever paint color the card features. That’s typically red for hearts and diamonds, and black for clubs and spades.
Once you finish tracing the card, cut it out.
When the watercolor has dried, lightly draw four sets of horizontal pencil guidelines in the black space on the card. Then, use Sans Serif lettering and black watercolor (or black ink) to write your recipient’s name at the top part of the card and your name at the bottom part of the card.
Punch a hole in the “playing card” to slip some ribbon through, and the tag is ready for use!
This is a bright, sunny tag that has a west coast vintage feel to it. Rustic twine complements the citrus theme!
Supplies: Watercolor paper (affiliate link), small paintbrush, watercolor palette
Begin with a 2″ x 3″ (~5cm x 7.5 cm) rectangle of watercolor paper. For longer names, be sure to cut out a long rectangle of watercolor paper. Use red watercolor and a small (size 000-ish) paintbrush to free-hand paint your recipient’s name in Garamond lettering. Don’t stress out about making the letters perfect; your goal is creativity, not perfection!
Once your red watercolor has dried, use green watercolor to add little leaves to the upper right and lower left corners of the tag.
Then, apply orange watercolor in a circular shape to draw a citrus fruit or two.
Next, identify all the right sides of each letter. Take a tiny paintbrush, and use your red watercolor to draw a line that hugs — but does not touch — the contour of each letter.
After you’ve drawn in your letter contours and your leaves are dry, use your paintbrush to paint in some oranges directly on top of the leaves. You may get a little bit of bleeding from the green paint as the yellow/orange paint goes over it; that’s perfectly fine.
To finish up, use a large hole punch to put a hole either before or after the recipient’s name.
Thread some jute twine through the hole, and you’ve got a sophisticated yet playful gift tag that’s ready to add sunshine to any gift!
I hope that you feel inspired by these handmade gift tag ideas and tutorials. Remember, you don’t have to use them as gift tags — they’d also make great place cards or delightful snail mail enclosures.
Thanks so much for reading the TPK Blog, and happy creating!
Warmly,
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon
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