How to Make Recycled Paper Gift Tags

Don't throw away that used wrapping paper or those old birthday cards. You can reduce waste and green up gift giving occasions by recycling old paper products into homemade gift tags.

Things You'll Need

• Old wrapping paper, cards or magazine cutouts
• Unlined index cards
• Mod Podge or similar artist quality glue or glue stick
• Scissors or razor blade
• Hole puncher
• Yarn, ribbon, or string
• High quality pen or marker
• Ruler (optional)
• Small, round bottle (optional)

Instructions

1. Choose which images you would like to use on your gift tags. Used wrapping paper and cards are perfect since they are occasion-specific. Pictures from old magazines work well, too. Get creative and find some pretty pictures.

2. Cut out the image. Cut a much larger area than you are planning to actually use, since you'll be trimming it later.

3. Using Mod Podge or similar artist quality glue, adhere the image to an unlined index card. Glue sticks work well, too. School glue isn't recommended, since it will cause thin paper to ripple or warp. Mod Podge and glue sticks dry flat.

4. Allow to dry for 15 minutes.

5. Cut out whatever shape you would like your gift tag to be. A ruler will help you get straight lines for squares and rectangles, and you can use a small bottle to trace a circle. You can experiment with other shapes, too. Make triangles, ellipses or stars. Or cut along the edge of the image on your tag, to make a cat or bird or snowman-shaped gift tag.

6. Punch a hole in the gift tag with the hole punch.

7. Thread a length of yarn, ribbon or string through the hole. Use this to tie the tag to your gift.

8. With the pen, write "to" and "from" on the blank back side of the tag and add the names of the giver and recipient.