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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Recycled paper bag gift tags


Whenever I go to the grocery store, answering "paper or plastic" has never been a tough choice for me. I love paper bags.They come from nature and return to nature just like us. So inevitably I have a big stash of brown paper bags from Ralphs and some white ones too which you usually get at the mall.I made a few gift tags out of these paper bags and I am sharing the process and the end products  here. Feel free to make your own and share pictures.It is an easy and fun activity to do with the kids.


I just cut out tag shapes from the paper.Then I  glued two tags together to make them sturdier.I painted them in watercolor and decorated with some block prints.Then I punched a hole on the top to finish them.Here are a few results.




The Block printing process with acrylic paint


A few other painting techniques below:

  1. Fill a small bowl with water
  2. Put a few drops of nail polish in one or multiple colors.
  3. Dip the tag in the bowl completely for a few seconds.
  4. Take out and let it dry.


  1.  Place a few drops of paint (watercolor,acrylic, tempura) on two tags.
  2. Put the two tags on top of each other with the paint side inside.
  3. Spread the paint in different directions with fingers.
  4. Open the tags and behold the beautiful designs.
  5. This makes two tags in one.


You can use crayons, sponge painting, watercolor,color pencils etc. to decorate the tags.There are endless possibilities. You can use stamps, glitter , stickers, alphabet stickers to make monogrammed tags.These can be easily customized to fit any occasion.




Thinking of trying greeting cards and money envelopes next.