by Claire Star
Over the summer, when I was visiting Nicole in NYC, we had a bit of a watercolor kick. While I wouldn’t consider myself the most skilled artist of all time, I enjoy experimenting with mixing colors, shapes, and texture to create an abstract design of sorts. Nicole, meanwhile, is a pattern designing guru. Given a pencil, ruler, and pad of graph paper, the woman will bust out a work of art like this, which rivals museum-quality Islamic geometric patterns. I’d wager that Nicole could have a bright future selling adult coloring books, on par with the likes of Johanna Basford. But I digress.
What on earth were we to do with all of these watercolor creations? What void in our lives could we fill with our *cough* masterpieces? We realized we could easily turn them into gift tags.
Many gift tags currently affixed to impending holiday presents are of the Christmas variety. Some people love this fact. I, personally, would rather they be more non-denominational and multi-purpose. So, we set about creating gift tags that would be equally welcome atop any gift. (In a rare Martha Stewart moment, I wrote a few quotes on my gift tags and taped them to the wall opposite my desk. I also used a few as bookmarks and labels, too.)
There’s no one right way to go about making your own set of gift tags. You can use the paint-then-cut method as I did, or the cut-then-paint method like Nicole. Both work perfectly well. Once you’re happy with the shape of your tags (here are some templates), punch a hole and add a ribbon or embroidery floss. Voila! Here are a few we made, can you tell who’s whose? :)
What on earth were we to do with all of these watercolor creations? What void in our lives could we fill with our *cough* masterpieces? We realized we could easily turn them into gift tags.
Many gift tags currently affixed to impending holiday presents are of the Christmas variety. Some people love this fact. I, personally, would rather they be more non-denominational and multi-purpose. So, we set about creating gift tags that would be equally welcome atop any gift. (In a rare Martha Stewart moment, I wrote a few quotes on my gift tags and taped them to the wall opposite my desk. I also used a few as bookmarks and labels, too.)
There’s no one right way to go about making your own set of gift tags. You can use the paint-then-cut method as I did, or the cut-then-paint method like Nicole. Both work perfectly well. Once you’re happy with the shape of your tags (here are some templates), punch a hole and add a ribbon or embroidery floss. Voila! Here are a few we made, can you tell who’s whose? :)
For more inspiration, Pinterest has countless ideas for gift tags and watercoloring techniques (see 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). I also loved this post on sustainable gift wrapping alternatives from Erin Boyle’s great blog Reading My Tea Leaves.
If you end up making any gift tags of our own, tag us on our Instagram. We would love to see what you create!
P.S. This year’s gift guide (and last year’s $30 and under guide), if you're still looking!
// Photos by Claire Star and Nicole Jordan.
Tags: by Claire, Art, Design, Gift Guide
If you end up making any gift tags of our own, tag us on our Instagram. We would love to see what you create!
P.S. This year’s gift guide (and last year’s $30 and under guide), if you're still looking!
// Photos by Claire Star and Nicole Jordan.
Tags: by Claire, Art, Design, Gift Guide