When I was a little girl, you had one option for Valentine’s Day gift tags: go to the local grocery store and buy some. At that time, we weren’t in the age of Pinterest — we didn’t even have internet, really — so the DIY spirit hadn’t yet been ignited. I remember getting Beauty and the Beast-themed gift tags one year, and Aladdin cards another year (my brother’s choice, not mine; my mom wanted to economize). Once you got the gift tags, you taped candy to them, wrote your classmates’ names on them, and brought them to school. Everyone brought the same tags and the same candy, but no one cared because … candy!
Thankfully, the dark ages of unoriginal gift tags are over now (and the candy thing hasn’t changed). While there’s nothing wrong with a little Beauty and the Beast on Valentine’s Day, you have the option to make gift tags that are much more unique! And … you don’t have to sacrifice the convenience that is readymade tags. In today’s post, I’d like to share four hand-drawn gift tags with you, which you are welcome to print and use either for yourself or for your kids’ Valentine’s Day exchanges!
About the Valentine’s Day Gift Tags
I drew all of the designs in the Valentine’s Day Gift Tags printable using sumi ink and a Nikko G nib. Some of the designs predominantly feature calligraphy and flourishes, while others focus more on illustration.
After I created the designs, I used the techniques outlined in the Digitizing Artwork and Calligraphy eCourse to make two PDFs. The first PDF features two circular designs. One of them is a laurel branch surrounding a Janet Style calligraphy “Love”, and the other features a banner that says, simply, “XO”.
The next printable has two rectangular designs. The top design has a vertical orientation and a modern heart motif. The bottom design is comprised of a highly-flourished Kaitlin Style calligraphy Valentine’s Day greeting.
Instructions for Using the Gift Tags
You can download both of the Valentine’s day gift tags PDFs for free by clicking here. When you go to print, make sure “Fit to Page” is not selected in your printer options. Otherwise, the tags will end up being smaller than intended. Once your desired design has printed, feel free to customize it if you have the time!
Don’t forget that gold watercolor paint is never out of place on a project like this! After all, Valentine’s Day is nothing if not sparkly and elegant.
Once you have customized your tags, cut them out along the guidelines. If you’d like, you can use washi tape to secure a piece of candy on the back!
If you’re using the gift tags for a package, I would punch a hole in the top and run a ribbon through.
Other Valentine’s Day Goodies
No matter how you choose to use these gift tags, I hope that you enjoy them! It was fun to spend my afternoon creating them for you. If you’re already covered in the Valentine’s Day gift tags department, you may enjoy some of the TPK Valentine’s tutorials from past years! My three favorites include:
- Printable Valentine’s Day Card and Envelope
- Words and Vines Valentine’s Day Card Tutorial
- Free Artistic Valentine’s Day Printables
Whether you plan on celebrating Valentine’s Day or not, I hope that your February is off to a good — and creative — start! Of course, you know that if you have any questions about these printable gift tags, you’re more than welcome to ask. For now, I’d like to ask you: which of the four designs is your favorite? (I like the rectangular modern heart motif! It’s artistic and not too terribly feminine.)
Thanks very, very much for reading TPK, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Warmly,
