Welcome back to the craft room and today’s Handmade Christmas Gift Tags with Holly Sprig post. And welcome back to another Christmas in July craft! Today we’re getting a head start on our handmade Christmas gift tags with a beautiful oversized design featuring a stamped holly sprig that’s colored with Copic markers. I’ll also show you how I customize plain seam binding ribbon to perfectly match the tag—it’s easier than you might think.
These oversized gift tags are perfect for larger presents, gift baskets, and specialty packages, making them just as much a part of the gift as what’s inside.
Be sure to stick around until the end because I’ll be sharing two quick and easy last-minute gift tag ideas you can make from cardstock scraps. They’re perfect for those moments when Christmas sneaks up on you and you need a tag in a hurry! For now, let’s get started!
Create a Sturdy Gift Tag Base
I will be cutting my gift tags with the largest die from the older Sizzix Tags Framelits with Stamps set. This set has been in my craft lineup for many years and is still one of my favorites. The large tag measures 2⅝” × 5″, giving us plenty of room for stamping and coloring.
For my tags I will be using 110lb Recollections cardstock in white. This gives us a nice sturdy tag that’s perfect for larger gifts. From an 8½” × 11″ sheet of cardstock, we can get four tags as well as some scrap cardstock that we’ll tuck away for later. Start by cutting the sheet in half at 5½”, then cut each piece to around 3¼” wide. Finally, run the die and cardstock through your die-cutting machine of choice. Today I’m using my older Sizzix Big Shot.
Stamping the Holly Sprig Design
I will be using the holly sprig from the Honey Bee Stamps Pretty Poinsettias stamp and die set. This is one of my favorite holiday sets, but it’s the first time I’ve used this particular image.
After lining up one of the tags in my Mini MISTI, I’ll add the holly sprig stamp to the lower left-hand corner. Because we’ll be stamping the holly image twice, I want to take this opportunity to add the “To” and “From” to the tag now. Once again, I’ll be reaching for the Sizzix Tags Framelits with Stamps set. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve used the “To” and “From” stamps from this set. They are my all-time favorite!
Because I’ll be using Copic markers today, I need a Copic-friendly stamping ink. So of course I’m grabbing my favorite, Gina K. Designs Amalgam Ink that has been re-inked with Obsidian.
After stamping the images, my tag is ready to set aside to give the ink plenty of time to dry.
Simple Copic Coloring for the Holly Sprig
It has been a long time since I’ve used my Copic markers. Because of that—and because of the size of this image—I’ll be keeping the coloring fairly simple today. At first I planned on using just a green and a red and calling it good. But after giving it a little thought, I decided to add just a touch of shading as well.
For today’s image I’ll be using:
Holly Leaves: G29 and N6
Berries: R46 and C5
Starting with the N6, I traced over the veins of the leaves. While I was doing this, I forgot to add the gray to the small areas where the leaves overlap, but I caught it and added it a little later.
Next, I filled in the leaves with G29.
For the berries, I started with C5 and carefully dotted the color anywhere they overlapped.
To finish the Copic coloring, I filled in the berries with R46.
After coloring the image, it already looks beautiful. However, stamping over the image one more time brings back all those crisp details that can soften a bit during coloring. This is where a stamping tool like the MISTI really shines. After lining the tag back up in the lower left-hand corner, I stamped the image one final time with the Amalgam Ink.
Custom Coloring Seam Binding to Match
While I could have easily used white ribbon on these gift tags, I felt like being a little extra this year. Could I have left it white? Absolutely. But sometimes those little finishing touches are what make a handmade project feel even more special. Since I already had everything on my desk, I figured I might as well make the ribbon match perfectly.
For today’s project, I’ll be using my roll of 100% rayon seam binding ribbon. This ribbon is soft, delicate, and takes color beautifully! The color is listed as Natural, so it isn’t a bright white. That may or may not have a slight impact on the finished color, but honestly I haven’t noticed much difference.
There are a couple of different ways we can color seam binding, depending on the supplies you have. The first would be to use the re-inker for your Copic marker. Unfortunately, I don’t have re-inkers for either of these colors. The next great option is to choose a Distress Ink that closely matches your Copic colors.
Today I’m using Lumberjack Plaid, which pairs really well with my R46 Copic marker. Once again, I don’t own the re-inker for this color, but I do have a very juicy ink pad that will work perfectly.
After cutting a length of ribbon from the spool, I misted it with a little water. This helps the color penetrate the ribbon more evenly. I then pressed some Distress Ink directly onto my Teflon craft mat and added just a bit of water. You can see in the photo below about how much ink and water I used.
From there, I pulled on a pair of gloves and went to work mushing my ribbon into the color. At one point while filming the video, it honestly looked like I was trying to mop up a crime scene with my gloves and ribbon! LOL
Below is a photo of the ribbon after picking up all of the ink from my craft sheet.
It’s okay, but a little patchy for my taste. So I wiped the extra water off the craft sheet, added more ink, and repeated the process. The second batch turned out exactly the way I wanted.
To dry my ribbon, I fluffed it out and set it aside on a piece of parchment paper. Since it’s been so warm lately, it didn’t take long at all to dry.
Comparing the Finished Ribbon
Below is a comparison photo of the ribbon I made today and a length of ribbon I dyed the day before. While both are beautiful, the top ribbon didn’t receive quite as much ink as the second batch. It’s a good reminder that even a small increase in ink can make a noticeable difference in the finished color.
Putting the Handmade Christmas Gift Tag Together
To finish our handmade Christmas gift tag, I cut a length of the seam binding ribbon. Because I wanted to loop the ribbon around itself, I needed an easy way to thread the doubled ribbon through the hole in the tag. Rather than spending time fighting with it, I reached for a ball of crochet thread.
After cutting a short length of thread, I looped it through the ribbon. Then I slipped the thread through the tag hole and easily pulled the ribbon through behind it. Sometimes the simplest little tricks make all the difference!
After tying the ribbon, my holly sprig gift tag is finished! While this is a rather large tag, I think it’s the perfect finishing touch for larger gifts and gift baskets.
Need More Gift Tags? Try These Quick Last-Minute Ideas
Even though I like to get a head start on my Christmas crafting, I somehow never make enough gift tags. When those last-minute gifts pop up, I don’t want to spend an hour pulling out stamps, inks, and markers. These next two ideas are perfect because they’re quick, they’re easy, and they’re a great way to use up scraps.
Quick Gift Tags with Patterned Paper
If you’re anything like me, you probably have a growing collection of patterned paper scraps waiting to be used. This is a great project for putting a few of those pieces to work.
Starting with a piece of white cardstock (mine is cut from a scrap of 110lb Recollections cardstock), I trimmed it down to 3½” × 3″.
To decorate this gift tag, I’m grabbing a scrap piece of patterned paper. This beautiful larger scrap is from the Red and White Recollections paper pad. I absolutely love the foil detail!
There are two different ways we can make this tag—with or without a mat layer. I’ll show you both options, starting with the layered version.
The first step is to find a piece of coordinating cardstock. I’m using a scrap piece of black cardstock and trimmed it to a finished size of 3¼” × 1⅜”.
I then cut my patterned paper to a finished size of 3⅛” × 1¼”. This gives us a nice, even border around the patterned paper. Glue your layers together with your adhesive of choice. Today I’ll be using my Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue.
A Faster Version
If you’re really short on time—or simply don’t want to add a mat layer—that’s perfectly fine too. Just cut your patterned paper to the same size as the mat, 3¼” × 1⅜”, and glue it directly to your white cardstock tag base.
If you’d like, you can pull out your stamps and ink to add the “To” and “From” to your gift tags. Honestly, by the time I’m wrapping presents, I know I won’t be taking that kind of time! Today I’m using my Tombow Fudenosuke Hard Tip Brush Pen instead.
The final touch is to add some double-sided adhesive to the back of the tags. I love using ¼” Scor-Pal Scor-Tape because of the paper backing. It’s so easy to tear off the length I need instead of reaching for my scissors.
And just like that, we have beautiful last-minute handmade Christmas gift tags ready to go.
Quick Gift Tags from Glitter Cardstock Scraps
My second example uses up some long-forgotten Recollections glitter cardstock scraps. I’ve had a container full of these leftovers from a project I made about eleven years ago, and it’s definitely time to start using them up!
Because the scraps were already cut into smaller pieces, I’m going to let that determine the size of these gift tags. I trimmed the glitter cardstock down to 2″ × 1″, although you can make yours any size you’d like.
For my tag base, I’m using the leftover cardstock strips from the holly sprig gift tags that already measure 2″ wide. After trimming the strip down to about 3¾” long, I glued the glitter cardstock to one end.
From here, you have so many different options. You can make your tags vertical or horizontal, add a ribbon or skip it altogether, place the glitter at the top or the bottom, or even round two corners or all four. There really isn’t a wrong way to make these. That’s one of my favorite things about using scraps—they let you be creative without overthinking the design.
I love the look of rounded corners, so I reached for the ¼” side of my We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper and rounded all four corners. I also decided to make these horizontal tags, so I added my “To” and “From” with my Tombow brush pen, keeping the glitter on the left side.
Tying It All Together
Thank you for joining me for today’s Handmade Christmas Gift Tags with Holly Sprig post. I have to say, I just love how this holly sprig gift tag turned out. The simple Copic coloring paired with the custom-colored seam binding ribbon really gives it that extra special finishing touch.
And those quick little gift tags we made from scraps are a great reminder that you don’t need a lot of supplies—or a lot of time—to create something special for your Christmas gifts. One of my favorite things about these quick tags is how easy they are to customize. Simply change the patterned paper or cardstock, and you’ll have tags for birthdays, baby showers, thank-you gifts, or just about any occasion.
Now I’d love to hear from you! Do you make your own Christmas gift tags every year, or do you usually buy them? And if you make them yourself, are you someone who plans ahead, or do you find yourself making a batch of quick tags right before Christmas? Let me know down in the comments—I always enjoy hearing how everyone approaches their holiday crafting.
If you’d like to check out even more gift tag ideas, you’ll find them all in my Gift Tags category.
Until then, have a wonderful week ahead, and I’ll see you again soon for another Christmas in July post!
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