If you’re anything like me, you start playing Christmas music the second that giant Thanksgiving meal has settled. (You might even start your holiday shopping in September…) So now that Thanksgiving is over and the leftovers are finding creative uses, I’m thinking about ways to make the next holiday super festive.
One of the ways I get into the holiday spirit is finding new and fun ways to decorate and wrap gifts. I’m excited to share a few holiday gift-wrapping techniques in the coming weeks, and today I’m kicking things off with these easy holiday gift tags.
We so carefully pick out papers and bows, but in my experience, the gift tag is an under-appreciated afterthought. It often doesn’t match the rest of the wrap job. This year I’m putting some more thought into it than usual. These tags one way I’ve drummed up to make gift tags more interesting, and they are super customizable, so the sky is the limit with what you can do with them!
Supplies:
- AdTech Project Pro glue gun
- AdTech Mini Multi-Temp glue sticks
- 2.5″ wooden gift tags from Michael’s
- Acrylic paints in seasonal colors
- Paint brush or sponge
- Sculpey clay in colors green, red, white, brown, and any other colors you think you’d like to use
- Craftsmart mini arrow cookie cutters
- Access to an oven
- Cooking sheet
- Christmas stamps small enough to fit the wooden tags
- Twine
- Mini star sprinkles
- Acrylic sealer (optional)
Christmas Tree gift tag:
On a clean, flat surface, roll out about 1 Tbs. green clay for Christmas tree. Punch with medium-sized arrow cookie cutter (from mini kit)—just one or several to make several trees.
Roll tiny green rounds of clay and twist into “branches.”
Press branches, big to small and from bottom to top, into arrow.
Press top of tree with star-shaped sprinkle, then remove (will melt otherwise in oven!).
Bake at 275 for 15-18 minutes and allow to cool.
Cover work area with newspaper or other protective barrier before painting tags. Paint and stamp wooden gift tag, leaving room for tree. (Use paint for stamp, not ink.)
Use hot glue to apply tree to tag.
Secure tag to gift using twine.
Pinecone gift tag:
On a clean, flat surface, roll out about 1 Tbs brown clay for pinecone. Punch with medium-sized arrow cookie cutter (from mini kit)—just one or several to make several pinecones. Then punch 8-10 tiny-size arrows from clay for every pinecone you want to make.
Cut the bottoms off the mini arrows using the edge of the cookie cutter, just leaving the points. Secure arrow tips to the medium-sized arrow, starting at the top and working to the bottom (note: this is opposite from the Christmas tree design).
Create larger arrow tips if needed to gradually increase the size of the “petals.”
Bake at 275 for 15-18 minutes and allow to cool.
Cover work area with newspaper or other protective barrier before painting tags. Paint tips of pinecones with white for a snow effect. Paint and stamp wooden gift tag, leaving room for pinecone. (Use paint for stamp, not ink.)
Use hot glue to apply pinecone to tag. Secure tag to gift using twine.
Peppermint gift tag:
On a clean, flat surface, roll 2 Tbs each of red and white clay into “logs” about an inch in diameter (do white first to prevent contamination).
Refrigerate the logs for 30-45 minutes.
Cut into sixths length-wise.
Create new logs in a peppermint design, alternating red and white pieces, and roll together to secure.
Use a piece of floss or thread to slice the logs into buttons.
Bake at 275 for 15 minutes and allow to cool.
Cover work area with newspaper or other protective barrier before painting tags. Paint and stamp wooden gift tag, leaving room for mints. (Use paint for stamp, not ink.)
Use hot glue to apply mints to tag.
Secure tag to gift using twine.
