The wrapping of Christmas gifts is as important as the gifts themselves, in some ways even more important because the gifts are mini decorations under the tree. An often overlooked element of the package is the gift tag. You can create custom Christmas gift tags as simply or as elaborately as time and your imagination allows and dress the gifts appropriately for the season.
Customize a Free Printable Christmas Gift Tag
Begin with a blank gift tag template. Copy and paste the template into a photo or image editor such as the free Paint program that is included with Microsoft Windows. More advanced editing programs will produce higher quality results, but Paint will work nicely if you have nothing else available. After pasting the blank gift tag template into the program you have chosen to use, begin customizing the template. Choose a Christmas quote for the top of the tag, add color, designs, and clip art. Then print the tags on heavy cardstock paper.
Because printers vary in speed and quality, another option is to add just the gift tag quote, “To” and “From” text, and any small clip art designs you like, without any background colors or designs. Print these tags on colorful card stock scrapbook paper, which is available in a wide range of colors, designs, and finishes. Print multiple tags on a single page. Cut the tags from the page, and use a hole punch for the hole.
Embellishments to Decorate and Personalize Custom Labels for Christmas Gifts
If simply printing a personalized Christmas gift tag is not satisfying your creative spirit, many techniques can be used to further embellish the tags after printing. Advanced crafters and scrapbookers can easily add three dimensional elements to personalize gift tags, but even a beginner interested in creating a beautiful Christmas gift can successfully employ simple techniques to make the tags stand out.
- Cut out a blank tag and glue fabric to the cardstock paper as the background. Paint the text on the fabric with foil alphabet stamps or fabric paint markers.
- Use a glue gun to add plastic Christmas holly and berries, candy canes, or bowes to the corner of the tag. These items are available at craft and scrapbooking stores in the appropriate sizes.
- Add puffed or raised stickers of presents, ornaments, or lights in a decorative border.
- Match and compliment the gift wrapping with the tag. This technique takes quite a bit of pre-planning, but creates a beautiful finished project.
Making Personalized Christmas Gift Tags With Kids
These Christmas gift tags are a wonderful way for the family to enjoy a craft together and get kids excited about wrapping the family gifts. Children should be included as much as possible in decorating and preparing for the Christmas season, and enjoy being part of gift wrapping and gift giving. Creating Christmas labels with personal touches are a way to excite children and encourage their spirit of giving.
- Add fingerprint flowers to the Christmas gift tags with finger paint. Dip just the tip of a finger in one color and touch it lightly to the tag where you want the flower. Using another color, and just the tip of a finger, dot petals around the center color to complete the flower. When working with small children, practice on a scrap of paper before attempting to place the flowers on the card.
- Use puff paint to create a raised border around the gift tag, and trace the words with puff paint to create raised lettering.
- Create designs with glue. Then sprinkle the designs with glitter.
- Color the tags with markers, crayons, or paint. Let the children be free to create anything they want on the tags, then write the text yourself over the design.
- Allow the kids to create their own design, and then scan the design to use as the background image for the printed tags.
When creating custom labels for Christmas gifts, the project can be fast and simple, or you can turn it into an elaborate showcase of creativity. Just remember that Christmas labels are a small area to work in, and often in small areas, clean and classic designs work best. A small Christmas label can become cluttered quickly, but you can still use all your design ideas to make a different, personalized tag for each gift.