DIY Christmas Gift Tags: 15 Cozy Handmade Ideas That Make Any Gift Look Boutique Wrapped

DIY Christmas gift tags are the tiny detail that makes people stop, smile and pick up a present before they even shake it. You can wrap a simple gift in plain brown paper, tie on a slice of dried orange or a little felt mitten, and suddenly it looks like it came from a pricey boutique. Most of these tags cost almost nothing, because they use things you already have: old Christmas cards, fabric scraps, sheet music, a few twigs from the yard. They are calm, cozy projects for a quiet evening with a mug of cocoa and a holiday movie on. Even better, many of them become a second little gift, an ornament or keepsake that stays long after the paper is gone. Here are 15 handmade ideas to try this season, from the easiest to the most impressive..

DIY Christmas Gift Tags From Wood Slices

A round slice of wood is the rustic tag everyone wants to keep. Write a name with a fine paint pen or a wood burning pen (with adult help), punch a small hole, and tie it on with jute twine and a pine sprig. Next year it goes on the tree as an ornament, so the gift keeps giving. Craft stores sell bags of pre cut slices, or you can ask a neighbor who just trimmed a branch. Who on your list would love seeing their name on a piece of real wood..

You will need: Wood slices about 2 to 3 inches wide, a small drill or awl, white or gold paint pen, jute twine, small pine sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Sand the face of each slice smooth. 2. With adult help, drill a small hole near the top. 3. Write the name with the paint pen and let it dry. 4. Thread twine through, add a sprig and tie it to the gift.

DIY Christmas Gift Tags With Dried Orange Slices

Dried orange slices look like little stained glass windows, and they smell like Christmas morning. Slice oranges thin, dry them low and slow in the oven, then thread one onto the twine beside a tiny kraft name tag. Add a short cinnamon stick and the whole gift smells wonderful under the tree. They cost pennies and look like something from a fancy holiday market. Have you ever dried a batch of oranges? This is your sign to start.

You will need: 2 or 3 oranges, a sharp knife (adult job), baking sheet, parchment, twine, small kraft tags, cinnamon sticks.

How to make it: 1. Slice the oranges about a quarter inch thick and pat dry. 2. Bake on parchment at about 200 F for 3 to 4 hours, turning once. 3. Cool fully, then poke a hole with a skewer. 4. Thread onto twine with a cinnamon stick and a name tag.

Felt Mitten Tags That Double as Ornaments

Of all the DIY Christmas gift tags here, little felt mittens feel the most like Grandma made them, and you can sew a whole set in one cozy evening. Cut two mitten shapes, stitch around the edge with embroidery floss, and add a name with a few simple back stitches or a fabric marker. Hang them on the gift with baker’s twine and they turn into a tree ornament later. Kids can pick the felt colors and help with gluing. Which colors would you choose for your family this year?

You will need: Felt sheets in red, cream and green, a mitten template, sharp scissors, embroidery floss, needle, baker’s twine.

How to make it: 1. Trace and cut two mitten shapes per tag. 2. Stitch the edges together with a blanket stitch. 3. Add a name or initial. 4. Sew a twine loop at the cuff and tie it to the gift.

DIY Christmas Gift Tags From Air Dry Clay Stars

White clay stars look like porcelain and cost very little to make. Roll out air dry clay, press in a texture with a lace doily or a rubber stamp, and cut stars with a cookie cutter. Poke a hole with a straw, let them dry overnight, and write a name with a fine gold pen. Each one becomes a keepsake ornament, so friends will remember who gave it. Could you make a whole tray of these this weekend?

You will need: White air dry clay, rolling pin, star cookie cutter, lace or a texture stamp, a straw, fine gold paint pen, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Roll the clay to about a quarter inch thick. 2. Press in the texture and cut out stars. 3. Make a hole with the straw and dry for 24 hours. 4. Add a name in gold and thread a ribbon.

Old Christmas Card Gift Tags

That pile of last year’s Christmas cards is a free box of beautiful tags. Cut out the prettiest part of each front, a robin, a snowy cottage, a sprig of holly, and trim it into a classic tag shape with clipped corners. Punch a hole, add a small reinforcement ring, and write the name on the plain back. Vintage style cards from thrift stores work too, and old public domain designs like this one from the New York Public Library collection look extra charming. Do you still have a stack of cards in a drawer?

You will need: Used Christmas cards, scissors or a tag punch, hole punch, reinforcement rings, twine or ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Pick the best picture from each card front. 2. Cut it into a tag shape and clip the top corners. 3. Punch a hole and add a reinforcement ring. 4. Write the name on the back and tie it on.

Sheet Music Tags With a Vintage Look

Old sheet music gives any present an elegant, old fashioned look. Thrift stores sell songbooks for a dollar or two, or you can print a public domain carol at home. Cut the pages into tags, layer each one on a slightly larger piece of red cardstock, and tie with a thin velvet ribbon. A tiny jingle bell on the ribbon makes it even sweeter. This is a lovely idea for the music lover in your family, don’t you think?

You will need: Old sheet music or a printed carol, red or green cardstock, glue stick, scissors, hole punch, velvet ribbon, small bells.

How to make it: 1. Cut the music into tag shapes. 2. Glue each onto slightly larger cardstock for a border. 3. Punch a hole at the top. 4. Thread ribbon and a small bell, then tie it on.

DIY Christmas Gift Tags With Pressed Greenery

A few sprigs from the garden turn plain kraft tags into tiny works of art. Press rosemary, cedar, fern or eucalyptus between heavy books for a week, then glue them flat onto tags with a thin layer of decoupage medium. Brush another coat over the top to seal them so they stay put. The result looks like a botanical print and smells fresh, too. Take a walk around the yard today and see what greenery you can find.

You will need: Kraft tags, small sprigs of greenery, heavy books, decoupage medium, a soft brush, twine.

How to make it: 1. Press the sprigs between book pages for 5 to 7 days. 2. Brush decoupage medium onto the tag. 3. Lay the greenery flat and brush a thin coat over the top. 4. Let it dry, then add a name and twine.

Faux Wax Seal Style Tags With No Flame

Wax seals look so elegant, and you can get the same look without any flame at all. Use a glue gun with colored glue sticks (with adult help), press a small puddle onto parchment, and stamp it with a simple seal while it is still soft. Once cool, peel it off and glue it to a cream tag with a velvet ribbon. Guests will think you bought the set from a stationery shop. Which color would you pick: deep red, gold or forest green?

You will need: Glue gun, colored glue sticks for seals, a seal stamp, parchment paper, cream cardstock tags, velvet ribbon, craft glue.

How to make it: 1. With adult help, squeeze a coin sized puddle of colored glue onto parchment. 2. Wait a few seconds and press the stamp in firmly. 3. Peel off once cool. 4. Glue it to the tag and add ribbon.

DIY Christmas Gift Tags From Fabric Scraps

Every sewing basket has a pile of pretty scraps too small to use, and they make wonderful tags. Glue a fabric scrap to a cardstock tag, trim the edges, and add a stitched border by hand or with a sewing machine. Plaid flannel looks cozy, red gingham looks country, and little bits of an old holiday shirt carry memories. Pinking shears give a neat zigzag edge with no fraying. What fabric scraps are hiding in your closet right now?

You will need: Fabric scraps, cardstock tags, fabric glue or a glue stick, pinking shears, needle and thread, twine.

How to make it: 1. Glue a fabric scrap onto each tag. 2. Trim around the edge with pinking shears. 3. Stitch a simple border. 4. Punch a hole through both layers and add twine.

Cinnamon Stick Bundle Tags

Three cinnamon sticks tied with twine make one of the easiest DIY Christmas gift tags, one that smells like fresh baked cookies. Bundle them with a small kraft name tag and a star anise, then knot the twine around the gift. They look so warm on brown or white paper and cost only a little. When the gift is opened, the bundle can hang on the tree or sit in a bowl as a natural air freshener. Would this be the coziest gift on the pile?

You will need: Cinnamon sticks, star anise, jute twine, small kraft tags, a fine marker.

How to make it: 1. Group three cinnamon sticks together. 2. Wrap twine around the middle several times. 3. Tuck in a star anise and a name tag. 4. Tie the bundle onto the ribbon of the gift.

Photo Tags That Become a Keepsake

Photo tags are a sweet way to skip writing names, since the picture tells everyone whose gift it is. Print small photos of each person, or a favorite memory you shared, and glue them to cardstock tags. Add a short note on the back, like the year or the place. Older relatives love these and often keep them on the fridge all year. It is also a smart way for little kids to find their own presents. Who would smile most at their photo tag?

You will need: Small printed photos, cardstock tags, glue stick, scissors, hole punch, ribbon, a pen for the back.

How to make it: 1. Print photos about 2 inches wide. 2. Trim and glue each onto a cardstock tag. 3. Write a note or date on the back. 4. Punch a hole and tie it on with ribbon.

Cookie Cutter Tags for the Bakers

For the baker on your list, a metal cookie cutter is the tag and a bonus gift in one. Tie a star, tree or gingerbread cutter onto the ribbon and slip a tiny name tag inside the shape. Add a handwritten recipe card for your favorite holiday cookie to make it extra special. Find cutters in thrift stores or dollar stores for very little. Pair this with a jar of homemade cookie mix and you have a complete gift. Which cookie recipe would you share?

You will need: Metal cookie cutters, ribbon, small paper tags, recipe cards, a pen.

How to make it: 1. Thread ribbon through the cookie cutter. 2. Tie a small name tag so it sits inside the shape. 3. Add a folded recipe card. 4. Tie the ribbon around the gift with a big bow.

Map Paper Tags for the Travelers

Old road maps make clever DIY Christmas gift tags for anyone who loves to travel. Cut a tag from the part of the map that shows a special place, like a hometown, a honeymoon spot or a dream trip. Back it with sturdy cardstock and add a red heart sticker on the exact spot. Old atlases and maps are cheap at thrift stores and yard sales. It is the kind of personal touch people talk about all day. Where would your map tags point?

You will need: Old maps or atlas pages, cardstock, glue stick, scissors, small heart stickers, twine.

How to make it: 1. Find the special place on the map. 2. Cut a tag shape around it. 3. Glue it to cardstock and trim. 4. Add a heart sticker on the spot, punch a hole and tie it on.

Stamped DIY Christmas Gift Tags in Five Minutes

Plain kraft tags plus one rubber stamp is the fastest way to make a whole stack that matches. Stamp a snowflake, a tree or a reindeer in red or white ink, let it dry, and tie on with red and white baker’s twine. They look clean and classic on brown paper, and you can make 30 in the time it takes to wrap one gift. Carve your own stamp from an eraser if you want a one of a kind design. Want to try matching tags for the whole family?

You will need: Kraft paper tags, a holiday rubber stamp, red and white ink pads, baker’s twine, a fine pen.

How to make it: 1. Ink the stamp lightly and press it evenly onto each tag. 2. Let the ink dry for a few minutes. 3. Write the name below the design. 4. Tie on with baker’s twine.

Ornament Tags That Are a Gift Themselves

Our last idea turns the tag into a bonus present: a Christmas ornament tied right onto the bow. Write the name on a plain bauble with a paint pen, or add a tiny paper label on the hanger. Shatterproof ornaments are best for travel. The gift looks special under the tree, and next year it reminds them of you every time they decorate. For more ideas like this, see our gift wrapping tricks that make cheap presents look expensive, and this MSN video on personalized last minute gifts. Which of these 15 DIY Christmas gift tags will you make first?

You will need: Shatterproof ornaments, a white or gold paint pen, ribbon, small paper labels.

How to make it: 1. Write the name or year on the ornament with the paint pen. 2. Let it dry fully. 3. Thread ribbon through the hanger. 4. Tie it into the bow on top of the gift.