Today I'm sharing how to make Christmas gift tags out of old Christmas cards.

Who doesn't love getting Christmas cards this time of year? I know I do. We walk to the mail box with great anticipation wondering whose cards might be in it. We open them, read them, share them with the family and then . . . . maybe we put them on the refrigerator, or hang them in some sort of holiday display. Maybe we put them in a basket. Either way, once Christmas is over, the cards have pretty much done their job. But I have a way of turning them into something even more useful -- Christmas gift tags.

I'm not talking about the cards with family portraits on the front. Those we keep and hold dear, pulling them out to look at anew each Christmas, amazed at how much the kids in those pictures have grown over the past years. I'm talking about your average bear of a Christmas card. Maybe one with a cute snow scene on the front. Or maybe one with a beautiful nativity scene on it. Or a cute Santa Claus with red cheeks. THOSE cards would be perfect for this DIY Christmas gift tag project. 

It's not complicated: pick out some cards, cut out some images, punch holes in them and then add some twine or ribbon. Done. It's easy, inexpensive and adds a personal touch. What could be better?

Any Christmas cards will do -- the sky's the limit.

Here are two cards that I made three separate gift tags out of. In the bottom right corner of the card on the right you can see a round gift tag that I used as a template to create some of my own tags. I turned the Christmas tree, the snow man and the cabin into three separate gift tags you'll see below.

This card had such pretty ornaments on it that I couldn't resist. While it's more tedious cutting out something with such detail, it's definitely worth it when you end up with a stunning gift tag.

Who could resist these cute penguins? And those glittery snowflakes?

Sometimes the actual card, because of it's small size, can become the gift tag. For the Santa card I just removed the back part of the card. However, when it came time to punch a hole in him I couldn't do it! He was just too cute. So I put him aside for another Christmas craft project (probably scrapbooking).

But the cardinal card . . . . it was absolutely gorgeous as is, so I just removed the back part of the card and used the front as my gift tag.   

Anything gold and glittery makes for a great gift tag. I knew I could turn the angels and the "Merry Christmas" into pretty gift tags.

So what do you need to make your own Christmas gift tags? Not much!

SUPPLIES

1. Twine, jute string or curling ribbon

2. Hole punch

3. Scissors

4. Old Christmas cards

5. Gift tag template (optional)

The angels card wound up giving me one angel gift tag and one angel gift card! I cut out one angel to use as a gift tag and then I kept the other two angels joined together but cut out their silhouettes and then folded them in half to create a mini angel card/gift tag. 

I also cut the Merry Christmas part off the other gold card and made it into a gift tag.

This ornament gift tag was cut out out with scissors that have very short blades, which gives me greater control when cutting very detailed images like this one. 

The cardinal mini-card turned out to be a perfect gift tag. All I had to do was rip off the back and use my hole punch at the top.
 

These are just some of the gift tags I created using old Christmas cards. Rather than use a template I just free hand cut out the images I thought would make cute gift tags.

Now these are the tags I created using my round gift tag template. You can use any type of gift tag you prefer as a template -- round, square or otherwise.Or, again, you can just free hand it.

So what did the tags look like when they were put to use? It's always great when you can find gift bags or wrapping paper that compliment your tags.

I was thrilled with how cute the tags turned out and how well they worked with some of my Christmas gift bags. You just use your twine or ribbon and tie it to the bag. But you can always add the tags (with tape) to a wrapped gift box as well.

Not only can you use the tags to decorate your gifts, you can also use the tags as mini ornaments for your tabletop trees! Just add your twine for hanging and you're good to go!

This would be a great Christmas craft to do with the kids! You can have fun creating the tags together while reminiscing about the friends and family who sent you the cards in the first place.

Depending on the string and type of card used you can end up with all sorts of styles of gift cards. From rustic to glam -- and why not mix things up?  

While I know you can buy cute Christmas gift tags at Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, Target and the like, I do think these hand-made gift tags add a little something extra to your gifts. Plus they're a great way to upcycle old Christmas cards! 

 Well, that's it until next time, friends!

 I hope you enjoyed reading about

How To Make Christmas Gift Tags

From Old Christmas Cards

 and that I've inspired you in some way. 

 

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