Christmas Gift Tags Tutorial: Useful Origami

With Christmas bells ringing and knocking at the door very soon, here is a quick and easy DIY that you can try all by yourself this season.

I had made a few origami stuff for Christmas a month back with the intention of making some cards but I couldn't make them due to unavailability of time. Some origami elements I had in stock were; an Origami Santa, a Boot, a Heart, a Xmas Tree, a Snowman and a Bell. As usual, left with a tight schedule for the day, I had to make something that would be quick and easy too and something that I could use as gifts this season itself. So after a little bit of online searching, I had decided, no cards, nothing complicated...let's keep it simple and let's make it fast.

Here, is how they ended up... cute little Christmas Gift Tags that I could use this year itself.

Christmas Gift Tags 

Below is a brief tutorial, with pictures that highlight the steps the way I made them - the Art Hours' way. Well, that's what my FB page is called..."Art Hours" - this is where I keep uploading most of the work we do as students and teacher.

Generally, the gift tags come in various standard sizes such as; 1.75"x3", 2.25"x4.5", and more...However, the gift tags shown are of size 4"x 2.5" in size and I didn't follow any standards for I made use of whatever scrap paper I had in hand. I make sure to use every scrap paper even newspapers for that matter since I believe in recycling and reusing of paper. I am sure unlike many other crafters or artists, I am comparatively more frugal when it comes to making use of paper and I use every last bit of scrap. So let's begin with the tutorial. 

Materials required:

Card paper, origami paper, scissors, scale, pencil, glue, a hole punch and some ribbons or strings.

Step 01:

Prepare the base for the tag. Here I have used two different sizes, one for the base and another layer to add on the base. I would suggest use card paper or any thicker sheet for the base. 

Here, the orange base is about 4"x 2.5" in size, and the green paper is about 3.5"x1.5" in size.

Step 01: Prepare the base for the gift tag

Step 02:
Glue the green paper on the orange base, leaving equal borders on the 3 sides and more margin on the top to insert the ribbon. You can also leave more space on the bottom to write personalized messages. The size of the 2nd layer depends on how you want to design your gift tag.

Step 02: Glue one colored paper over another.

Step 03:

Now, glue the origami element made earlier onto the surface of the tag. I used several different elements viz: the Xmas tree, a Heart, a Boot, a Santa, a Bell and so on. These origami elements have been made using square origami papers of size 3.0"x3.0".

Step 03: Glue the origami element on the base

Step 04:
Once, the origami element is added, make a hole on the top center of the tag using a hole punch. 

Step 04: Make a hole at the top center

Step 05:
Next step is to give a shape to the tag, you can trim the top sides or you can even leave them as it is.

Step 05: Shape the tags by cutting the top sides

Step 06:

Now, all you need to do is insert some strings or ribbons through the hole made and the gift tags are ready. 

Step 06: Pass the ribbons or strings through the holes made

Step 07:
Lastly, add messages to your tags. You can either follow a calligraphy style or write messages in your own good handwriting to make it more personal. You can even use stamps or stencils to make it look neat. I leave that option for you to decide.

Step 07: Add personalized messages

Here's how the Christmas Gift Tags look like after adding the handwritten messages.

Christmas Gift Tags with Handwritten Messages

You can use these lovely gift tags to tie with your gifts or you can even hang them as decorations on the Christmas tree. If not then you can just gift them to your friends as a small gesture of love and good wishes for the season.

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Clay Trinkets or Gift Tags using Air Dry Clay

During our clay modeling class, a couple of weeks back, one of my students was working with air dry clay. Usually, we use plasticine clay for our classes, but that week we decided to use some air dry clay. My daughter too wanted to experiment with air dry clay saying that she wanted to make something to gift to her friends. I suggested why not make some Christmas trinkets to gift to your friends since Christmas is just nearby and she could gift them to her friends before the school closes for Christmas break. She dug out some plastic clay molds from her treasure of clay modeling tools and began her play with the clay!

This is how we went about making the clay trinkets...

She used a circular mold to cut out some circles. Thereafter, she used some molds to just press onto the clay surface and created an impression of a flower, a Christmas tree and so on. For adding more details on the outlines made, she used a toothpick. I helped her to make some holes with a toothpick so that we could pass a ribbon or a string through the trinket. I also added some text message using the same toothpick. What started as an experiment actually ended up with some beautiful results. Sometimes, the kids bring out the best in you!

Air Dry Clay Trinkets left to dry 

Thereafter, we put these clay trinkets to dry for about 48 hours. Later, we applied some acrylic colors to the surface. We were very pleased with the results indeed.

Air dry clay trinkets painted with Acrylic colors

Encouraged by the outcome, I made a few more clay trinkets and painted them with acrylic colors. I used some golden strings and some ribbons to pass through these trinkets so that they could either be used as decorations that can be hung on the Christmas tree or use them as gift tags also.

Air Dry Clay Trinkets 

Air Dry Clay Trinkets

All the above clay trinkets are made from air dry clay, which takes around 48 hours to dry further. Also, after applying acrylic paints, I waited for another 24 hours for the paint to dry and then only passed the strings/ribbons.

Each of these clay trinkets measures about 2" or 4cm in diameter. For making the holes while they were wet, I used toothpicks so that I could pass a string through it later. Carving anything on it for the text or even the designs that you see on them with toothpicks requires a lot of patience. Hence, if you wish to try making them keep a lot of time and patience in store with you. You will also need to make the carvings or the designs on it immediately as you cut out the circular shapes since the clay starts drying being exposed to the air. Hence, each piece requires to be completed first before you start rolling out a new one, otherwise adding details to each becomes difficult later.

These clay trinkets can be used as Christmas decorations to hang on the Christmas trees or they can be used as gift tags to be tied with the gifts or you can also use them just to gift it to your friends. After all handmade gifts are loved and appreciated by all, and when they are so beautiful who would not love them!