Make beautiful gift tags to send with your gifts OR send a set of gift tags as the actual gift. Everyone loves these gorgeous tags!
 

Make a gift tag TEMPLATE out of a piece of cardboard. I used a ruler but did not measure sides precisely. Mine is approx. 4 ¾” long and 3 ¼” wide. Narrow one end with slanted cuts from the end to about 1 ½” down the length.

Cut out gift tags and punch hole. I used a sheet of 140 lb. water color paper.

Tag #1: Dab card with green stamp ink (makeup foam applicator) or do watercolor wash. Rip any background paper. (I used page from old mountain flowers guide.) Dab paper with Antique Linen Distress Inks (or use light brown watercolor wash). Glue down background paper. You can use glue stick. With thin papers I like to use a liquid glue under and over paper (or use gel medium). Note that around the edges of the paper, the glue creates a resist that repels the next color and creates interest. Glue “girl & clover” main image. Wings used as a bow on girl’s head are from Petite Parade II (or use a bird). Add butterflies from faux postage or kit. Choose small red item for corner if you are lacking matching butterfly. Add strip of decorative paper along neck of tag. At this point I hated the solid green background so I added a red watercolor wash. Much better! Loop the ribbon through the hole and send! (Try to keep the back of the tag clean so you don’t have to cover it.)

Tag #2: Use glue stick to cover entire tag with yellow handmade mulberry paper with leaves and flowers in it. Cut excess paper off around edges. Use stem from tall flower image from ATC Nature's Beauty Kit and add dictionary page to the right. (Mine says “hummingbird”.)  Dab Tattered Rose Distress Ink around border of tag. Glue images and ribbon in corner. For the large flower highlight, I tried to use the original 1/2 flower from the postage and then add another for the top part. I circled it in red gel pen. This didn’t work (!) so I glued the rose over it, leaving the ‘4’ showing, and the red pen smudged easily on this paper for a nice halo effect.
 

One alternative background is the handwriting transparency from the kit. If you want to make quick backgrounds with minimal supplies, I find the Ranger Distress Ink stamp pads to be fantastic for this purpose along with watercolors. Other backgrounds if you don’t have papers: Wish You Were Here Collage Sheet has old postcards; To From transparency; rip and scuff up page from phone book.

I prefer sheer organza ribbons which can also be glued onto collages for various purposes.  You can water down Elmer’s glue to make a liquid decoupage glue, but this is not archival.

Please feel free to print these instructions for your reference.