DIY Washi Tape Christmas Tags

Happy Sunday, everyone!  How is everyone faring after the eating extravaganza and whirlwind shopping sprees these past few days?  Well, if you’re in need of some craft-therapy like I am, then I’ve gotcha covered.  It’s a holiday project featuring everyone’s favorite craft supply: washi tape!

I was a wee bit late to the washi tape party…kind of like I am to most parties!  It has been all over Pinterest-land for forever-and-a-day, but it was only earlier this fall when I got my hands on some.  The Crafting Fairy just happened to be in my neighborhood and dropped a box of goodies on my doorstep.  As I opened up this box of wonder and spied the bright and colorful collection of tapes inside, I could practically hear the angels sing.  “Ahhhhhhh!”

The collection of washi, masking, and Scotch tapes was too fantasmagorical to just let sit and wait patiently for projects in which I could use them individually…so, I thought up a fun project in which to use them all!  D.I.Y. Washi Tape Christmas Tags!

Here’s the step-by-step tutorial, so you, too, can jazz up your Christmas gifts this year with some d.i.y. gift tags, and so, you have a good excuse to nab some washi tape, too.  (As of 12/1/13, Pick Your Plum had a really fab deal on Christmas washi that I took advantage of myself!  Click HERE for my affiliate link.)

Tutorial

Step 1.  Decorate white cardstock with washi!  This is a great opportunity to involve the kids in your Christmas crafting.  Just give them some colorful tape and have them go hog-wild layering it and creating patterns on a sheet of 12″ x 12″ white cardstock.  Since my only “kid” is a little kitty cat named Mangy who lacks opposable thumbs, I decided to tackle this step myself, applying my strips of washi side-by-side diagonally across the paper.

Then, I trimmed the edges so they were nice n’ clean.

Step 2.  Design your tags!  Now, I used my Silhouette machine for this project, and while you could use an x-acto knife instead, why would you when there are some EPIC sales on Silhouette machines right now?  Stay tuned because I’m going to break it all down for you at the end of this tutorial.

So, here’s how I created the designs for my tags.  I created my own gift tag shape in Silhouette Studio using a rectangle and circle welded together.  Then, I used the internal offset tool to create a slightly smaller tag inside the larger one.  Next, I added various Christmas graphics to the tags from free clip art files I found, and I used one of my favorite free fonts, Marmellata Jam, to create text for some of the tags.

Free Cut File

To save y’all some time, I’m sharing a free cut file with 9 different tag designs for you to download today. You can sign up to download your free cut file using the nifty form below or by clicking HERE. {Fine print: this design is for personal use only and is not to be used for commercial purposes. Thanks!}

Step 3.  Cut your outer tags.  Before cutting your tags, you need to tell your Silhouette which lines to cut and which to ignore.  So, open up the Cut Style window (the little scissors), and select “No Cut” to all shapes except the outer tag shape and the tiny hole-punch.  For those, you’ll want to select “Cut.”  (What is in bright red is what your machine will cut.)

Now, while you may think it smart to cut out your tags washi side down, so your blade doesn’t get caught on the tape…

…don’t do it!  I found that because of the waxy finish on the washi tape, my cardstock wasn’t sticking well enough to my cutting mat, and it began floating every which way.  I definitely ruined some of my washi’d paper that way.  {Sad-face.}

However, when I flipped my cardstock over so the washi side was up, it cut seamlessly!  I didn’t change any cut settings; just used the standard settings for cutting cardstock.

Then, I weeded out my newly cut tags.  They were so bright and colorful, I contemplated stopping right here…but something inside told me to press on.  And press on, I did.

Step 3.  Cut your inner tags.  I absolutely loved working with the adhesive-backed cardstock on my DIY Photo Booth Props this October, so I seized this opportunity to use the material again!  I pulled out some sheets of Silhouette’s black adhesive-backed cardstock and prepared to cut out the shapes I had designed on my inner tags.

Like earlier, I had to open up the Cut Style window and select “No Cut” to all shapes except the inner tag shape, the Christmas graphics and text, and the tiny hole-punch.  For those, I selected “Cut.”

Then, I put my machine to work yet again!

Once the inner tags were cut, I peeled them up off the page and applied them to the outer tags, matching up the hole-punches as I went along.

The final step was to tie some ribbon through the hole-punches to get these tags gift-ready, and here they are:

I couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out!  I just love how the bright and bold colors of the washi stand out in contrast with the black.

The rebel in me also delights in the fact that they’re not your typical Christmas colors; the hot colors almost imply they were created by a child of the 80s.  Hmmmm….  Verrrry verrry interesting.  {Wink.}

My Christmas Gift Tags are the opposite of a mullet: party on the front…

…business on the back!

Now, it’s time to start wrapping some of my DIY Christmas gifts!  Like my DIY Painted Cork Coasters and Personalized Etched Glass Bakeware.  I’m usually up late the night before Christmas doing my wrapping, so for once, maybe I can actually be prepared!

More DIY Gift Wrap Inspiration

If DIY gift tags and gift wrap are your thang, well then, it’s a wrap!  Check out my Handmade Stamped Gift Tags, Stamped Wrapping Paper Tutorial, & 5 DIY Wrapping Paper Tutorials.

EPIC Silhouette Holiday Sale!

So, if you are sick and tired of wearing out your wrist using an x-acto knife for projects like these, let me just remind y’all of the EPIC Silhouette Holiday Sale that is running from now through December 8th.  It’s the biggest Silhouette sale they have ever had–ever–and it’s so epic, it just may be worth texting Santa about!

By clicking through to the special promo page and using my affiliate code, CLOSET, at checkout, Thinking Closet readers can buy any of these bundles for a sweet, sweet song:

Silhouette Cameo Holiday Bundle: $406.93 $229.99 (43% off)

• Silhouette CAMEO® electronic cutting tool
• Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software
• $10 + $25 download cards
• 12 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade
• CAMEO dust cover
• Silhouette hook tool
• Silhouette scraper tool
• Silhouette spatula tool
• Silhouette pick-me-up® tool

Silhouette Portrait Holiday Bundle: $286.93 $129.99 (55% off)

• Silhouette Portrait® electronic cutting tool
• Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software
• $10 + $25 download cards
• 8 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade
• Portrait dust cover
• Silhouette hook tool
• Silhouette scraper tool
• Silhouette spatula tool
• Silhouette pick-me-up® tool

CAMEO & Portrait Holiday Bundle: $529.98 $299.99 (43% off)

{Essentially, if you buy a Silhouette CAMEO® at full price, you get two $25 download cards and a Silhouette Portrait® ABSOLUTELY FREE!}

• Silhouette CAMEO® electronic cutting tool
• Silhouette Studio® software
• $10 + $25 download cards
• 12 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade

• Silhouette Portrait® electronic cutting tool
• Silhouette Studio® software
• $10 + $25 download cards
• 8 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade

This sale also includes 40% off ALL consumable products at silhouetteamerica.com, which covers pretty much all materials except machines, subscriptions, download and gift cards.  (So, stock up on vinyl, extra blades, that glass etching starter kit you’ve had your eye on, etc.)

Plus, another fun fact: you get FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $25!  Yahooooo!

Oh, and just in case your eyes skipped over this, can I just clarify the amazingness of that third bundle?  The CAMEO & Portrait Holiday Bundle?  You and your bestie can go in together on this deal and for only $299.99, you get a Cameo machine AND a Portrait, plus $50 in download cards.  A Cameo on its own normally costs $299.99, so this is a steal, people!  You’re practically robbing the bank!

To get the discounted pricing on the machine bundles, you’ll need to visit the special promo page (click HERE) and enter my affiliate code, CLOSET, at checkout.

More Silhouette Inspiration?  Questions?

If you want to see a whole collection of all the Silhouette projects I made in 2013 along with my silly parody video of, “All I Want for Christmas…is a Silhouette Cameo,” be sure to check out my EPIC post announcing the sale.

And if you have any questions at all about the Silhouette machine or my experience with certain materials, feel free to drop me a comment below, and I’ll be sure to reply to you in time for you to take advantage of this awesome promotion!

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

{Linking up here.}

Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase using my code, I receive a small commission.  Please rest assured that as always, I only recommend products that I use and love.  And I don’t just love my Cameo, I’m sort of obsessed with it…if you couldn’t already tell.  Tee hee.