Natalie Jost

I’ve been working only part time these last couple of years, with Audrey in elementary school and the twins in preschool for a few hours in the mornings, but Wednesdays I have them in the after school daycare so I can have one good solid work day. Sadly, Audrey got sick this morning so all that work I was going to get done will now be crammed into future days and put off to others. So today, since I have some downtime, I thought it was time for a DIY post.

To make these lovely gift tags you’ll need wood tags in any shape and size. I have some Natural Wood Tags in my shop, or you may have luck finding them in a craft store near you in the wood department. You’ll also need some scissors, twine, glue, sand paper, and scrap patterned paper.

• Start by applying glue to one side of a tag.
• Then lie the tag glue side down on the back of your paper as close as possible and you’ll get fewer scraps.
• Let it dry for an hour or two (I sometimes like to make a cup of coffee and watch a show on Hulu while I wait).
• When dry, use a sharp craft knife (or box cutter as I had handy) to trim the paper around the edges.

• Now I like to sand the edges slightly, which does more than add that rustic charm. It actually helps seal the edges of the paper a bit so there’s less of a chance it will separate from the tag with use.

• Using the tip of your scissors, or a point of a pencil, poke a hole in the paper from the front, through the wood tag’s hole and twist a bit to secure the hole.
• Cut a length of string about the length of your forearm and thread it through your tag.

These also look great with paper doilies, and for those you might even try Stained Wood Tags for some color.