DIY Christmas Gift Tags Made From Recycled Materials
Turn old cards and cardboard into sturdy holiday gift tags with simple cutting and tying steps.
You can make DIY Christmas gift tags from recycled materials by cutting old cards, calendars and paper scraps into small shapes, backing them and adding string. A gift tag here means a small card tied to a wrapped present to label the giver and receiver. The approach keeps decorated paper in use for another season instead of discarding it.
It also lets you match tags to each gift without buying new sets.
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What materials work for recycled tags?
Old greeting cards, calendars and magazines supply the decorated faces. Cardstock, paper scraps and light cardboard supply backing and strength. Cereal-box-weight cardboard works as a tracing template for even tag shapes.
Old Christmas-card fronts then provide the decorated face for next year's presents. Thin shipping cardboard from envelopes can also form the base. Scrap fabric, plain recycled paper, ribbon and twine finish those stronger tags.
How do you make simple cut-and-glue tags?
Cut a small image from a card, calendar or magazine page. Glue it to cardstock or a paper scrap for support. Punch a hole at the top and add string for tying.
According to Aunt Annie's Crafts, this cut, glue, punch and string method makes usable tags for holidays and birthdays in its tag-making guide. Keep the back blank so you have room to write names. Cut off signed panels and skip card fronts where ink shows through.
How do you make sturdier fabric-covered tags?
Cut thin shipping cardboard into strips about 1.5, 2 or 2.5 inches wide. Shape one end with a tag punch. Cover the front with scrap fabric and back it with plain recycled paper.
Tie with ribbon or twine through the punched hole, as described by Upcycle My Stuff in its cardboard and fabric tag tutorial.
- Cut cardboard strips to size
- Punch the tag top
- Glue on fabric front and paper back
- Thread ribbon or twine and write on the plain back
Why reuse cards instead of recycling them right away?
Reusing paper extends its life before it enters the waste stream. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System recommends turning old holiday cards into gift tags as post-holiday upcycling that conserves resources and reduces landfill waste in its after-holiday upcycling guide. That order fits the federal waste hierarchy.
The U.S. EPA places reuse before recycling in its Reduce, Reuse, Recycle framework, so longer paper use supports waste prevention, as explained on its recycling hierarchy page.
Can groups make tags together?
Families, classrooms and groups can cut and assemble tags as a shared activity. Small children can sort images while older makers handle cutting and punching. Bundled sets work for personal wrapping through the season.
Extra sets can also be kept for birthdays or sold for fundraisers and Christmas bazaars.